ARRRRRRRR!!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (1 September 2003)

It's not often that one leaves the theatre wanting to stay and watch it all over again. PotC is one of those movies.
Excellent cast. Johnny Depp makes one of the best, if not the best, pirates ever seen on the screen (I'd throw him in the same boat as Dustin Hoffman's "Hook"). Capt. Jack Sparrow is one of the most memorable characters in recent years. Orlando Bloom was actually better at Will Turner than Legolas (so far) in LotR. Keira Knightley was surprising. Being a very attractive woman in a pirate film, one would expect her to be either a helpless bimbo in distress or a sultry seductress. Nothing could be further from the truth on both. She was proper, respectable, and played both a damsel and a fighter at the same time. Geoffrey Rush makes for an excellent villain, one you just can't help but like, even though you hate his guts (well, bones in this case).
The effects are superb, especially that of the fights in and out of the moonlight (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll know when you see it). The music, well, WOW. This is the best soundtrack since Gladiator and possibly even better. Perfect mood setting.
All in all, an excellent and fun film that's both enjoyable, full of action and adventure, GREAT music, and can both make fun of itself yet still take itself seriously. On this rare occasion, Cap'n Bruckheimer and his scallywags get an A+.