A summer blockbuster you can love

Rating: 7/10 (12 July 2003)

I hate Disney movies, Jerry Bruckheimer, and summer blockbusters. But the reviews of Johnny Depp in the film got my butt to the theatre, and I wasn't disappointed.
Occasionally, the movie gets into predictable ruts that are annoying, but most of the time the action is fast paced, the one-liners are zingy, and the acting is top notch.
The film is full of cliches, especially Love Conquers All, but for once they work.
This film almost ranks with Raiders of the Lost Ark and Spiderman -- it would be up there but for the emphasis on some bit part actors for comic relief that dragged the pace down.
The score, as for all Jerry movies, is overly frenetic, but it steers clear of bombastic.
Depp is certainly the highlight -- don't be surprised if you feel an urge to rent a bunch of Depp movies after this. Be sure to see Chocolat if you haven't seen it yet.
But Bloom is not quite as lame as some have painted. He does what he can with a fairly drab romantic leading man role, and I'm sure all the 12-year-old girls in the theatre were enjoying his big brown eyes as he gazed yearningly at Keira Knightley [who puts in a perky perfomance]. Here's hoping Orlando gets a role where he doesn't have to wear funny clothes and carry a sword!