Disney's 23-Year-Old Hit Movie Shows How Blockbuster Films Should Be Made

One of the most consistent complaints from moviegoers in the modern day is how a lot of big budget films can feel kind of soulless. For example, there are projects that feature far too much rushed CGI that looks way off. There are also movies and even shows that would rather film in front of green screens than go on location or build an elaborate set. Those complaints have been made about 2019's The Lion King, Red One, The Flash, and 2017's Justice League, just to name a few.

Those movies, for the most part, don't feel as real or as lived in as the ones that go the extra mile. There's a reason why the likes of Mad Max: Fury Road and Dune are iconic movies that'll likely withstand the test of time. They feel real and use limited CGI, which allows the audience to feel like they're there. It's part of why Top Gun: Maverick worked so well, as the audience felt like they were in the jets with the characters because of how it was shot.

We just celebrated the 23rd anniversary of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which is a perfect movie to look at when considering how blockbusters should be made. It has all the elements that you need and more films need to adopt that style to produce hits.

Pirates Of The Caribbean Blends Big Sets With CGI

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a masterclass at blending the craftsmanship that comes with practical filmmaking and the impressive technology that makes CGI such a useful tool. For starters, the vast majority of the big scenes were done on sets that took time to craft and you could tell that hard work was put into it. The Isla de Muerta, where Barbossa's crew looks to reverse their curse, took several months to get right and featured everything from gallons of water to gold paint over styrofoam rocks.

The crew also traveled to the quietest beach they could find to build entire sets to portray places like Tortuga and Port Royal, while the giant ships like The Black Pearl and the Interceptor were built on docks. These weren't actors running around a green screen stage. They were actually on giant ships and that adds so much to the feel of every scene on those boats. The sets built in the subsequent sequels, especially for the initial trilogy, are even bigger and more breathtaking.

The visual effects are crucial in this film because Barbossa's crew has to be shown in their skeletal form to sell the curse they live with. People often argue that CGI looked better in this era than today and that's mostly not due to technology, but rather due to time. For Pirates of the Caribbean, they took time to make sure it looked great, rather than rush it to get it to theaters at a certain point. The effects used on Barbossa's crew look fantastic because of this.

It's the kind of CGI that looks incredible today, proving that proper care and time are pivotal to ensuring that a project like Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl would be timeless. You can watch this movie today and at no point will you be taken out of the experience by how the effects look. Again, the sequels took this to the next level, as Davy Jones is in the conversation with Gollum for the best CGI character in any film ever.

This is the kind of thing that modern blockbusters need to do. Don't rely too heavily on CGI, especially when it's rushed, because it takes you out of things. The way that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl managed to utilize practical effects and CGI is a perfect middle ground.

Most Of Pirates Of The Caribbean Is An Original Concept

Along with visual effects, another aspect of modern cinema that gets criticized is a lack of original ideas. It seems like everything is a remake, an adaptation of an existing IP, or a sequel. That's done because those properties tend to perform better and original ideas end up flopping at the box office. However, when done right, a mostly original concept can take the world by storm, which is what Pirates of the Caribbean managed to pull off.

The film is based on the theme park attraction of the same name, yet many story elements are completely original. Characters like Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa were both created for the film, yet have gone on to appear in the theme park ride. Development of the first film saw several aspects added and removed. That included the supernatural element, entire characters like the aforementioned Jack, and the blend of scary and funny for the tone. People fully expected the movie to flop, yet it went on to become one of Hollywood's biggest success stories.

Pirates Of The Caribbean Characters Are Mostly Out For Themselves

One fun and overlooked aspect of why Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl worked so well is how the characters aren't strictly heroes or villains. While some movies need that clear black-and-white take on characters, more films need to take risks. People, especially in the world of pirates, are complex and aren't going to be easily painted as purely good or purely evil. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl used that to perfection.

Captain Jack Sparrow is our protagonist, yet he's never someone who can be trusted. He always has his best interests at heart and will even put other "heroes" at risk for it. Even Will Turner, who is more of a pure good guy than Jack, only goes on the adventure because of his own love for Elizabeth. This is even more prominent in the sequels. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Jack, Will, Norrington, Elizabeth, and pretty much everyone else are out for themselves, at least for the most part.

That's the kind of risk that more movies should take. We don't always need a protagonist who is going to be some pure beacon of good. That works wonderfully in something like 2025's Superman, yet for a mostly original concept like Pirates of the Caribbean, it's okay to get muddled. Complex characters, a unique story, and an incredible filmmaking process helped make Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl into a huge hit that spawned a massive franchise.

Release Date July 9, 2003

Runtime 143 minutes

Director Gore Verbinski

Writers Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert

Producers Jerry Bruckheimer