Watched on Blu-Ray

„You are without doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of.”
„But you have heard of me.”

For a long time, the pirate film genre was considered dead. Errol Flynn had become a star in several early productions, but the real birth of the genre was to be marked by the Oscar-winning "The Black Swan" in 1942. In 1953, the genre reached its gigantic peak when more than ten pirate films were produced for the cinema - in the years that followed, those responsible had a much harder time.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, filmmakers like Renny Harlin and Roman Polanski tried to build on the success of those days, and in the end they delivered either half-baked average fare or perfectly crafted entertainment - what all productions had in common was that success at the box office was a long way off. Pirate films thus degenerated into pure flops that were about to bury the 1953 climax under an increasing wave of red numbers and almost consign it to a dreary existence in oblivion. Almost. Because in 2003, producer Jerry Bruckheimer began preparations for a revival of the genre that had been thought dead, which was rightly viewed with scepticism in view of previous developments, and the courage was to pay off: surprisingly, though certainly hoped for deep down, "Pirates of the Caribbean", directed by Gore Verbinski, became a worldwide box-office success that thrilled critics and moviegoers alike. And suddenly the pirate genre was no longer dead as a doornail, but more than alive and kicking. Those who are believed to be dead sometimes live longer.

Although theme parks and amusement parks are known for their stimulating and uplifting effect, able to conjure the sun back into even the dullest day, it is still astonishing that a handful of attractions based in such fairyland managed to ensure such a triumphant return of buccaneer culture to the public's focus. Or maybe not. Because, strictly speaking, it is precisely the playful tone that was responsible for the rapture and enthusiasm on the part of cinema-goers and thus the enormous success of the film, despite the sometimes very dark elements of the story. One could say that after its much-cited rebirth, the pirate genre is still in its infancy. Not at all in technical terms, for as has been sufficiently noted, dramaturgy, staging, décor, effects, performances and the like are thoroughly mature. Rather, it is the childlike spirit of the narrative that leaves the impression that one is watching a bunch of adolescents trying their hand at being actors in Disney's pirate show. Adults live out childhood dreams with the most modern techniques. Thus, the pure adventure has become an adventure comedy, the fearsome pirates have become heroic daredevils, and the fantastic air that surrounds many myths about buccaneers and sea monsters has become a storm filled with (dark) magic that stretches every single sail to breaking point and propels the ship forward.

One might think that the evil tentacled creature Ursula had used her magic powers, but she brought about an effect that, far from atrocities and outrages, made the exact opposite come true. There is no other explanation for the fact that an elf is transformed into a sledgehammer-wielding buccaneer against his will, a rather inconspicuous kicker suddenly beguiles men's senses as a hot-blooded pirate bride in the Caribbean, the voice of a brown pelican with impaired vision quickly finds itself in a nasty ghost pirate with bad teeth, an ageing rock star of a band from the Cretaceous suddenly experiences his late rebirth through a slurring, flamboyant captain (!), and the whole thing then actually results in an overall structure that is as coherent as it is rousing. The main reason for the thoroughly entertaining film pleasure here is certainly due to the person of Johnny Depp, or rather the role he embodies. Rarely has a film character been so closely bound to role-typical models and at the same time so far removed from them. Captain (!) Jack Sparrow seems to have come straight out of a storybook and at the same time writes an entirely new character history. Johnny Depp gives the old pirate cliché a lot of spice and, to top it all off, puts his own individual stamp on it. The result is one of the most dazzling film characters in recent cinema history, whose development culminated in an Oscar nomination for best lead role, and not without reason. It turns out: even pirates who have lost their ship (sometimes) cast long shadows in which even the invariably solid performances of the rest of the cast fade a little.

But the greatest idea can quickly degenerate into a bland one-size-fits-all mishmash if the uplift it builds up in the staging is not used and the end result looks as if the director was keelhauled before the work was finished. Fortunately, "Pirates of the Caribbean" is miles away from such escapades. The fact that Jerry Bruckheimer, the dream factory's no. 1 troublemaker, was available as producer of the project gives an idea of how little has been stinted here - least of all in the way of show values. The production costs of 140 million dollars are reflected in lavish visual effects from the forge of George Lucas' ILM and even more elaborate sets and buildings, with the help of which the effect-laden visual power picks up the breathtaking power of the vast sea without any loss of energy.

So while Barbossa and his crew seek to escape their grim immortality, the film world hails the fresh cell treatment given to the genre. The film became a huge success across the seven seas, proving so impressively that, contrary to the dark curse that takes over on screen, a much more peaceful magic can work beyond the piece of cloth stretched like a billowed sail. So it really is true: in the magical world of the movies, anything is possible if you believe in it hard enough. Pirates have come a long way since "Peter Pan" and now allow themselves to look beyond the edge of the ship. It is no longer just the will to plunder and rob that dictates their adventurous existence. Suddenly they are also guided by moral virtues, until their code of honour has even become second nature to outsiders. The old familiar in a new guise works wonders after all. At least Captain (!) Jack Sparrow seems to have known all this for a long time. With this in mind: Savvy?