An Action-Master-Piece? I never would have thought...

Rating: Null/10 (12 July 2003)

PotC caught me by surprise. The few trailers I had seen for the movie made it look interesting (pirate are neat) but hadn't done much to impress me; they marketed it as an non-stop action movie (not that those can't be entertaining). However, it's so much more than that. Johnny Depp is a highly capable actor (even when he is in some less than capable movies) who can hold the stage well. However, in this film, he utterly dominates it as Jack Sparrow (that's Captain Jack Sparrow). He really throws himself into the character's role and it works with such ease; he comes off as one of the best anti-heroes I ever seen: a swashbuckling and devilishly charming pirate whose charisma makes you root for him the entire time. If the rest of the movie had been terirble it would still be worth seeing for this man's performance. Orlando Bloom works well here (though you still want to think of him as Legolas) alongside Depp. His seriousness counters just as well as his swordplay against Depp's roguish charm. His character is well rounded and good but he comes off more as a sidekick as Depp's acting places him in the background. Geoffrey Rush is an amazing actor. If you've seen the Tailor of Panama or Quills (amongst his newer works) you'd know this. His portrayal as the cursed Captain of the Black Pearl truly reminded me of his performance as the Marquis de Sade in Quills: dark, brooding and disturbingly charismatic. He would steal the show if it were not for Depp's power. Keira Knightley works well as the damsel in distress but she's much more than that in this film. As a newcomer, she'll make a good career for herself. The CGI effects of the skeletons is magnificent. They blend in well with the scenes and, though you realize the use of CGI, it doesn't stand out in the crowd. The cinematography was well done and made the action scenes creative as well as entertaining. The choreography of such scenes was also top-notch and the swordplay was much more impressive than that in the latest Bond film. Too much good stuff can be said about this movie. It is the best movie I've seen this summer and possibly the best movie of this year that I've seen (I still need to check out Better Luck Tomorrow). All in all, Depp deserves an Oscar nod (at least) for this role. It's one of his career's best.