Sparrow is in, Stifler is out

Rating: 10/10 (13 August 2003)

I was dragged to see Pirates of the Caribbean, and I agreed to go only because I figured no matter how awful the movie is, Geoffrey Rush always gives a good performance and Orlando Bloom is easy on the eyes. After that show, I wanted to watch it again right away. I settled for the next day. Since then I've seen it four more times and I'm looking forward to seeing it again. I have never, ever been this enchanted by any movie. I resist action/adventure movies, I cannot stand any movie that involves a knife/sword/blade of any kind, I especially don't like Pirate movies and prior to this, was not a fan of Johnny Depp. This movie has become a very distinct exception and I encourage anyone whose film style prefers Sleepless In Seattle to Indiana Jones to give this movie a chance - don't miss out on a wonderful time.
I live near Disney World and the ride the movie is based on is one of my all-time favorites. For those of you familiar with the ride, I am happy to report that the film captures the whole spirit of the ride: a good story and told tongue-in-cheek. For latter quality, we can thank Johnny Depp for that. I remember thinking that the words "Walt Disney Pictures" and "Johnny Depp" do not sound right together, but after seeing this I realize just how important an actor like Depp is to Disney right now. For me, he brought that element of magic to the film that recreated the magic of the theme park ride it is based on. Had Disney insisted on a more conservative actor or performance, this movie would have definitely been lost to Davy Jones' Straight To Video locker.
All the peformances are good but Depp's performance is by far the most memorable, interesting and scene-chewing of any film I have ever seen. And I personally think it takes a lot of talent and possibly true madness to upstage Geoffrey Rush. Keith Richards, Pepe LePew, Dudley Moore's 'Arthur', drunken Dean Martin - every description of Depp's performance is adequate in giving some kind of an idea of what to expect. A new standard has been set! To illustrate what I mean, after living in Captain Jack Sparrow's adventures for awhile, I went to see American Wedding. Somehow, post-Sparrow, Stifler and his (mis)adventures seemed kind of... boring.
If there are a few bad things I can say about this movie is that it is so much fun, such an original character that I generally have been bored by every movie/performance I've seen since then and b) it's going to be a lonnnng hard wait for the DVD and sequel.