Thanks to Depp, better than expected

Rating: Null/10 (10 December 2003)

I didn't see this film in the theater, mostly because the premise just didn't interest me much - a movie based on a theme-park ride?? You've gotta be kidding me. Even after many of my friends saw the film and told me it was worthwhile, my hesitation continued. Finally, just the other day, I was overruled at a friend's house and had no choice but to watch it or go home. And it was cold outside!
Having now seen the film, I must first say: thank god for Johnny Depp. Because without his hilarious and utterly original performance as the slightly mad and infinitely colorful Captain Jack Sparrow, I probably would have hated this film. Moving like a man who has forgotten how to walk on land, with his unusual accent and flamboyant gesticulation, Captain Jack is a guy you just have to like. But every time the action moved away from him, I tended to lose interest. I don't mean to slam the rest of the cast - they were all solid. And the film's production values are also fine, with excellent special effects and cinematography. But with the exception of Depp's performance I didn't find anything truly remarkable about it, even considering its genre. The film simply belongs to him.
Since POTC's release, fans have been suggesting that Depp receive an Oscar nomination as Best Actor. Although I've been a fan of his for years, I couldn't imagine it - not for this (again, a movie based on a theme-park ride??), anyway - but now I understand. The Disney Corporation should be thanking their lucky stars that the man accepted the role, because without Depp, POTC would be hardly worth remembering at all, and an actor who can carry a film in such a way is a brilliant actor indeed.