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Parents' Guide to

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Rip-roaring fun for kids who don't mind skeletons.

Movie PG-13 2003 135 minutes
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 9+

Based on 46 parent reviews

Sean Wooldridge
Sean Wooldridge Parent of 6 and 8-year-old
July 13, 2020
age 7+

Spooky and Suggestive, but Safe

I would call this a pretty mild PG-13. It will probably be too spooky for an early elementary school child. There are scenes of ghouls and skeletons taking over ships and terrorizing people. There are battle scenes where people die. It is mostly A-Team style explosions that send people flying, but there are some scenes where people are killed in cold blood. None of it seems gratuitous though. It is not the sort of thing that I suspect would whittle away at one's value of human life, unlike the other movies in the series which cross that line big time. There are also several scenes that are sexually suggestive. For example, Jack Sparrow tears off Elizabeth Swan's corset to allow her to breath and save her life. An onlooker says "I didn't know you could do that", and Sparrow replies "you've clearly never been to Singapore." A 7-year-old would have no idea what that means. But if they ask about it, you'll have to answer somehow. After reviewing this movie over the weekend, I'll be letting my 8-year-old watch, but not my 6-year-old. It's just too spooky for her yet.

This title has:

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
4 people found this helpful.
Monica D.
Monica D. Parent of 10, 11 and 15-year-old
July 15, 2022
age 9+

Family action & adventure

This is an action adventure movie for the family. It was the first time my kids got a glimpse of an anti-hero. They began to see how captain Jack Sparrow flip flops on what is right and wrong and that characters, like regular people, can be flawed. As long as you talk to your kids about what is happening in the movie, the drinking and pirate behaviors are not too extreme.
2 people found this helpful.
See all 46 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), daughter of a governor (Jonathan Pryce), is fascinated by pirates. On their voyage to Port Royal, Jamaica, from England, Elizabeth helped rescue a boy named Will Turner. While he was unconscious, she took his gold medallion. Now grown up, Elizabeth is still wearing the token and is loved both by Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport) and Will (Orlando Bloom). When the dreaded pirates of the Black Pearl, led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), sack the town, Elizabeth offers them the medallion if they'll leave. They take it, and take her, too. Turner pursues in hopes of rescuing her, aided by the notorious Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), with Norrington and his men right behind them. It turns out that the medallion is the last of the cursed pieces of gold that turned Barbossa and his crew into the walking dead, always hungry and thirsty but unable to eat or drink. By restoring the gold to its chest -- with the right person's blood -- the curse will be removed. There are advantages, though, in being a pirate who can't be killed.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (46 ):
Kids say (195 ):

Just like the theme park ride that inspired it, this movie's greatest strengths are its atmosphere and art direction. The production design of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl skillfully incorporates elements of classic book illustrations with popular pirate themes and seems to get the essence of every detail right, from the curve of the sail to a pirate's pet monkey. The film's action sequences are energetic and entertaining. The script has some creepy twists and saucy lines to keep audiences well entertained.

The film also escapes the terrible pirate curse. Not the curse about pieces of gold that turn people into the walking undead, but the one about pirate movies, a genre better known for overacting and overblown budgets that empty movie studios' bank accounts faster than real-life pirates robbed their victims. Although this movie's origins as a Disneyland ride didn't seem promising, the film ends up being surprisingly enjoyable. There's enough swashbuckling, rope-swinging double-crossing (and colorful sidekicks) to keep you entertained, if that all sounds like fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about rules and guidelines. What were the consequences of the promises made -- and broken -- in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl?

  • Does the film encourage you to find out more about pirate history? Where do they come from, and what form do pirates take today?

  • Although a work of fiction, the movie takes place in a historical context. What do you know about the history of the Caribbean, or about Jamaica?

Movie Details

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