Pantomine pirates

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2011)

'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' is a hugely entertaining, comedy-cum-action-cum-horror romp, with Johnny Depp, arguably the finest Hollywood actor of his generation, running riot as Captain Jack Sparrow, reportedly modelled on Keith Richards. In terms of how the film is constructed, the nature of his role is interesting, as there's an almost conventional story without him: a romantic lead, a beautiful, feisty heroine, a love rival and an evil villain account for most of the plot without Sparrow even getting a mention. Sparrow is more like an annoying child than anything, cropping up and getting in the way, pursuing his own ambitions and desires with childish abandon. As is often said, he really is the "world's worst pirate", scarcely meriting being taken seriously; but instead of just being a comic extra, he's actually the film's central character. It's hard to imagine the story working without Depp in the role, but fortunately, it doesn't have to. Sit back and smile.