Ahoy, a pirate’s life in the BLC
By Jacqueline Rodman and Allie Ward
It appears that pirates don’t stay dead for long. This weekend, dubbed “Pirates Weekend,” the Student Entertainment Council is showing all three movies in the Pirates of the Caribbean series.
The Pirates films have developed a devoted following and grossed almost $3 billion worldwide. With three big stars, it’s no wonder the movies are a hit. Girls can’t help but swoon over Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, while the boys eye up Keira Knightley.
The first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, introduces Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) as a cunning pirate who has been abandoned by his crew. In his travels, he meets Will Turner (Bloom), a blacksmith who desires a better life than what he has, namely with Elizabeth Swann (Knightley), who happens to be the daughter of the British governor of Jamaica.
Elizabeth is kidnapped by the captain of the Black Pearl, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who mistakenly thinks he needs Elizabeth in order to reverse a curse placed on him and his crew after they stole Aztec gold. Jack and Will must join forces to rescue Elizabeth before it’s too late.
The cast returns in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, which picks up right where the first film left off as Jack realizes he has a debt to pay to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). Will and Elizabeth are arrested at their wedding by Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) for helping Jack escape from his execution. In order for Jack to be free of Davy’s debt, he needs to find the Dead Man’s Chest, which contains Davy’s heart.
In the midst of the search, Will reunites with his father, a prisoner of Davy’s named “Bootstrap” Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgård), and plans to stab Davy’s heart in order to set him free. Although the chest is found by the end of the movie, Jack becomes engaged in a battle with the Kraken, a sea monster, and ends up losing as the Kraken drags him and his ship, the Black Pearl, underneath the waves.
In the final movie of the trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the main focus is on Will, Elizabeth and Barbossa, who are attempting to free Jack from Davy Jones. A side story involves the East India Trading Company, which is planning to execute anyone who commits an act of piracy in an effort to rid the world of it.
Whether you are a diehard fan or an interested newcomer, the Pirates movies have it all: violence, suspense, love, humor and a whole lot of rum.
The Curse of the Black Pearl was shown last night. Dead Man’s Chest is playing tonight and At World’s End is playing tomorrow night. All showings are at 7:30 p.m. in the BLC Theater.
