THIS MOVIE KICKS BUTT - One of the 5 best so far this year!

Rating: Null/10 (12 July 2003)

I just got back from seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and I am awestruck. I was just at Disneyland on Monday, so the ride this movie was based on was fresh in my mind. I liked that they worked in the bit from the ride with the imprisoned pirates trying to tempt the dog that holds the keys to their cell.
The performances were amazing, especially by Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp. Jack Sparrow's introduction was brilliant. Depp was perfect in every way as Sparrow, right down to his drunken swagger. The only one miscast here in my opinion was Jonathan Pryce - he will always be Elliot Carver from Tomorrow Never Dies in my mind. Everyone else was excellent.
The visual effects are extraordinary. They aren't overly exploited and they don't look fake, unlike some effects films (can you say Hulk?).
Gore Verbinski is one of the most versatile and talented directors out there. Every movie he's made (except MouseHunt) has been enjoyable and entertaining. The cinematography was totally engrossing and beautiful, but for God's sakes STOP SHOOTING MOVIES LIKE THIS IN SUPER-35!!! My parents kept asking me if the movie was unfocused because of the definition loss. SHOOT ANAMORPHIC!!!
Anyway....where was I.... Oh yeah, the MUSIC! The best thing about this movie was the music. Produced under the supervision of the brilliant genius Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt's score is the best I've heard on a movie this year.
This is one of the five best movies thus far this year, joining the ranks with the likes of The Matrix Reloaded and Terminator 3.
9.5/10