In the summer of 2003, director Gore Verbinski released his, uh, theme-park-ride tie-in, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. With the box-office shipwreck that was Cutthroat Island (1995) still fresh in the memory, expectations were modest. A live-action Disney film based on a park ride? That didn’t exactly work out for Tower of Terror (1997) or The Country Bears (2002).
Regardless, Pirates took cinemas by storm. Audiences were thrilled by a transgressive (and ultimately Oscar-nominated) performance from a star at the top of his game and by the assured swagger of Verbinski’s direction. Extravagant cinematography and a seamless blend of practical and digital effects lent pomp and circumstance to the action, while Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer’s hearty score gave this old-fashioned yet hypermodern blockbuster yet more irresistible oomph.
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