Highly Entertaining and Enjoyable...

Rating: 8/10 (6 September 2008)

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl is not only the best pirate movie you'll ever see, it's also one highly entertaining and enjoyable film.
The acting is great all around. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow is so crazy and comedic, he's destined to be remembered for that role for a very long time. Orlando Bloom is very good, as well as the beautiful Keira Knightley. Geoffrey Rush is also evil and grand as Captain Barbosa.
The score is okay. It certainly can sweep and have some soaring romantic cues, however, it's very redundant. I only recommend it to collectors and fans.
The ghost pirates provide for some amazing CG sequences, and are the high points in the film -- yet, Sparrow's first couple minutes on screen is the funniest and most brilliant part of the picture.
The writing is very good, though there's many points in the film that could've used a rewrite or two, as thing's become confusing, silly, and improbable. Gore Verbinski's direction is nicely done, though is highly unnoticeable with all the bombast going around.
All in all, with some ridiculously funny characters and moments, as well as some jaw-dropping visual effects, and a cool story, The Curse of the Black Pearl is a great family film. I highly recommend it.