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Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2004)

Having been disappointed many times by big blockbuster movies that, er, don't really hit the spot, I anticipated PoTC to be another movie to enjoy a bit then forget. It was, after all, branded as a goody-goody Disney movie with a bunch of heartthrobs casted in it. Big deal. How much can an undead pirate ensemble hold our attention and keep us in our seats?
Well.
Directed by 'The Ring' man Verbinski, produced by big time Bruckheimer, scripted by the writers of Shrek, and casted with eccentrics like the long-lost Depp, PoTC was a project that called upon an unusual combination of dedicated adventurers and artists who unabashedly engineered the movie to the extreme, purely for the audience's enjoyment. I mean, Johnny Depp with real gold teeth and eyeliner, and Geoffrey Rush with a pesky monkey on his shoulder?
And it's not just the big guys who did all the magic--watch out for those supporting characters and little details in the set that would keep you smiling.
Oh. And, I'm not the only one who has been surprised--and impressed. PoTC garnered FIVE Oscar nominations today, including a Best Actor nomination for Depp's, shall we say, savvy performance that won't be easy to forget. Trust the Academy on this.
And why was PoTC so great? Because the people behind the movie simply delivered their all, man. PoTC is romance, humor, adventure, suspense, and horror, all in one package, perfect for the cynical, the innocent, and those in between.