Surprisingly Good

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2003)

I was a little bit skeptical when my girlfriend and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean...not being a big summer movie fan, I braced myself for huge explosions with very little plot development and intelligence. But I was greatly surprised and genuinely riveted to the screen, especially to Johnny Depp's performance. Had anyone else portrayed Jack Sparrow, the film would merely have been OK, but Depp gave the Captain a swagger that few could achieve. He walked, talked, and handled himself like a rock star (like Keith Richards on a boat!) and provided humor not in fart jokes or lewd behavior (generally the type of "comedy" seen in summer movies) but in style and voice inflection. Is it an Oscar caliber film? The answer is no, but Pirates will still provide good, funny entertainment this summer season to those who want to turn off their brains for a few hours and enjoy the ride.