the kind of disney movie that made disney a household name

Rating: Null/10 (22 July 2003)

I will mainly be echoing what the others have said, but I wanted to be sure and say it too, to add my vote.
This movie excels at ENTERTAINING.
Without sex, gore, potty jokes, or a single cuss word*, it is romantic, exciting, humorous, and witty. (Kind of in the tradition of Princess Bride, in the sense of it being a true FAMILY movie, only POTC is about 200% more exciting and adventurous, and a bit less cheesy).
The movie is 2.5 hours long, but there is not a single point at which I (or any of the friends who watched it with me) felt as though we had been there a long time or as though the plot was slowing down. It wasn't until we left the theater that we realized how long we'd been entertained!
The music is great- I have been searching everywhere for a soundtrack or score, with no success.
Johnny Depp was perfect as Jack Sparrow, the pirate with a screw loose. I can't imagine anyone else in the role- when I try to, I think "they would ruin it!" Orlando and Kiera are not hard to look at, and each of them has moments that would make the opposite sex weak in the knees.
The lord of the rings movies, all our superhero movies, the star wars movies have all raised the bar to a very high level for special effects. However, the effects in this movie WERE convincing and, in addition, they were interesting! Several times, you could tell that the action was choreographed in such a way to show off the effects, and at those times, the scenes were absolutely picturesque - the type that you'd like to put up on your wall.
Like just about everyone else who has posted here, I immediately decided, while leaving the theater, that I will be going back to see it again, the $8 per show fee notwithstanding.
This is an excellent movie that I will own as soon as it is available on DVD, and I will continue to recommend it to everyone I know.
Just see it for yourself!
*(The word Bejesus is used, as is the word Hell in the literal sense; that is, referring to the location Hell; I don't consider these cuss words)