‘Pirates’ a blimey good time

Marla Martin is a belly dance instructor/performer living in La

Crescenta.

Aaaargh!! The pirates sneer, swagger and actually say “Aaaargh,”

repeatedly! Colorful, funny, big, loud and entertaining, “Pirates of

the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (the movie) is a

wonderful match for “Pirates of the Caribbean” (the Disneyland ride).

If you just can’t get enough of “Avast, Ye Matey!,” plank-walking,

swordplay, golden treasure, captured maidens and “Fire off the

starboard bow, Cap’n!,” then this is the movie for you. You have your

“good” pirates and your “bad” ghost-pirates, locked in combat over a

scattered set of Aztec coins that must be reunited to lift the curse

from those who plundered them.

You’ve got your beautiful, over-corseted governor’s daughter,

kidnapped by (who else?) pirates, her assorted love interests chasing

the nefarious entourage around the local waterways. And then you’ve

got my favorite, Johnny Depp (Capt. Jack Sparrow), swaying and

mincing gaily through the loose narrative like a tipsy rock star,

with beaded dreadlocks, a braided goatee and smudged black eyeliner;

hardly Errol Flynn, but who is, these days?

What I loved was the many references (both verbal and visual) to

the Disneyland ride. If you grew up out here riding “Pirates” over

and over until you couldn’t stomach one more chorus of “Yo Ho, Yo Ho,

A Pirate’s Life for Me!,” then you’ll get the inside jokes and be

completely delighted. if you grew up in Kansas, then not so much.

Also, the computer-animated ghost pirates are fabulous, seamlessly

merging with the actors, revealed only when moonlit.

What I didn’t love is that there’s quite a bit of back story on

land before they ever set sail, bogging down the whole thing like a

bad day at the Renaissance Faire, only with pirates. So, batten down

the hatches, grab the wee ones, request permission to board the

vessel and away with ye to “Pirates of the Caribbean!” Aaaargh!

* “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” is

rated PG-13 for action adventure/violence.

If you would like to become a Reel Critic and see a film on the

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