B Adventure surrounds excellent performance by Depp

Rating: 7/10 (22 February 2004)

This is an excellently made movie except for the script. There is one pleasurable twist, but that is not enough to carry the already predictable plot. Also, there are many lines which detract from the adventure and make it almost as much a comedy. That's fine if done in moderation (in my opinion), but this is done to excess and makes the movie appear more as a kid's adventure flick than an attempt at making a story.
This movie is only worth watching to see Depp's performance. Johnny Depp is superb as Capt. Jack Sparrow - utterly convincing. Yet the rest of the cast seems contrived and fail to carry any weight. They act as if this is a "made for TV movie." It could be the directing, but then how would one explain the same directing that Depp received?
The mechanical special effects were ok (6/10), while the rest: production, lighting, photography were excellent(9/10) and the computer graphics were superb (10/10). They brought something new to computer graphics - well articulated skeletons as well as the immediate switching between body and bones in different light. Overall, in my opinion, the movie earned a 7/10.
-Zafoid
PS: A slight node to political correctness occurs in a few scenes thus downgrading the already flawed movie. Definitely see it for Depp.
-Z