BOOK REVIEW:
You
have just watched the third installment of the “Pirates
of the Caribbean” franchise and feel bloated from the
information overload. You see many characters, you experience
lots of subplots and you are thrown into a whirlpool full
of ships, islands and all sorts of other details.
What
you need, is this visual guide to the successful movie trilogy.
Written
by Richard Platt, who served as a costume consultant on the
movies, the author is also an acknowledged authority on pirates.
(Now that is an interesting title to have!)
So
the picture book goes on to rattle about all facts and figures
that are related to the Gore Verbanski-directed movies. There
are generously gorgeous pictures of Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom,
Keira Knightley and the whole gangbang. There are useful tidbits
about Port Royal, East India Trading Co., as well as minute
details about ships like The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman.
But
for every piece of useful information, there are silly tidbits
like how Davy Jones plays his “melancholy music”,
how Tia Dalma “beams an inviting smile” at Will
Turner and how Jack Sparrow wears a necklace made of human
toes when he was trapped on Cannibal Island.
Oh,
and Singapore’s “bustling harbor” gets featured
in this visual guide too, together with Sao Feng’s junk
boat The Empress. If you are a fan of the pirates, and cannot
be bothered with academic research and historical accuracies,
then this pictorial extravaganza is for you.
CHOICE XCERPT:
With sails as dark as a moonless night, and a hull painted
to match, the Black Pearl is every inch a pirate ship. She’s
built for action, too: behind the gunports on each side are
two rows of deadly cannons. Sailing the Pearl demands teamwork,
skill, and strength. The crew works together to stretch the
tattered sails tight against the gusty wind. When danger threatens,
they’ll fight to the death to defend themselves and
their beloved ship.
VERDICT:
This
summer blockbuster season, this is the visual guide that will
provide you with in-depth details to ensure lots of interesting
party conversations that begin with “Do you know that…?”
 
Review
by John Li
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