A perfect blend of story and characters

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 2007)

The summer of 2003 had this film which came out of nowhere it seemed and took the box office by storm. Nobody gave a film about a Disney ride much of a chance. But through the force of a great story and even better performances, we got a very pleasant surprise.
Nothing more to say about Depp that hasn't already been said. He is the force of the film. His "Jack" pushes the film from being a really nice ride to being a great adventure of a film. But praise doesn't end there, Rush, Bloom, Knightly, Davenport and the rest of the supporting cast are absolutely great. The other performances can be lost in the tour-DE-force that Johnny gives with "Jack", but the other players brought their "A" game as well.
The effects are fantastic here as is the score. Every element of this film belied the perception that came from the industry and fans waiting on it alike. Who would have known that a film based on a ride would be this good? Verbenski deserves a lot of credit for taking this film serious and not giving audiences what the protractors and doom sayers said would be delivered. Instead he brought back the pirate movie in a huge way.
One of the best surprises in a long time.