An adventure for the whole family

Rating: 6/10 (4 August 2003)

It's pure Disney. A family fantastical adventure. That does not mean it is a good film. It's okay. There is plenty of spectacle and color. Johnny Depp is fun but needs more material to work with. He had a great character but the script held him back. Geoffrey Rush had the same problem; not enough material to explode off the screen.
If you have ever been on the Disney Theme park ride Pirates of the Caribbean then you can see the spin off. The dog holding the chains as well as the prisoners sticking their heads out the bars. Novelty for sure. There are some beautiful shots of the ships. The ghost ship, The Black Pearl was beautiful to gaze upon with it's black torn sails and hull looming in the fog.
The film is full of edited fight scenes using quite a few close ups. It's all for fun and the audience seemed to enjoy the yarn.