A brilliant movie that transcends normal blockbusters to become the best film of the year.(SPOILERS)

Rating: 10/10 (15 October 2003)

when i went into this movie i was expecting to see an average film. i really only went for Johnny Depp who is one of the best actors of this era, never failing to give a superb performance. but on the whole i wasn't expecting to be impressed. i am delighted to say that for once i was completely and utterly wrong. from the start with Jack Sparrows (Depp) brilliantly funny entrance, to the end, the hilarious fall off the balcony, i was laughing none stop. there is no weak link in this film. the script is brilliant, mixing the right amount of plot without making it too confusing, and with so many witty gags to keep even the most unconvinced viewer amused. the direction is also spot on and the action is great. the acting is also very convincing with Orlando Bloom as Will Turner playing the Errol Flynn number, Keira Knightley doing the damsel in distress come feisty heroine routine and Geoffrey Rush hamming it up with the best of them. however, top honours go to Johnny Depp as, like always, he steals the show completely. his Keith Richards meets Pepe Le Pew character is the funniest and most inspired performance he has ever done (and that's saying a lot) and does not fail to keep you amused and excited from start to finish. his changing character from kidnapping Elizabeth, to seemingly turning against Will and then eventually becoming the hero is interrupted by scenes where he is truly playing it for comic value and does it effortlessly (his fight with Will at the beginning, being marrooned on the desert island and when he is about to be hanged at the end are among the funniest bits in a very funny film). his swaggering, drunken, hopeless yet heroic character is the best thing to come out of films in a long time and will keep you laughing long after the film is over. the only slight criticism would be that it is about 20 minutes too long, yet i cannot think which bits i would have them cut out as i loved every moment of it (and, i ask myself, can you have too much of a good thing.} overall, this film would always have been a success, but having Johnny Depp on board (no pun intended) saved the film from being just another hollywood blockbuster with no heart and turning it into something extraordinary with one of the best performances of his career, leaving the competition all out at sea.