Fantastic cinematography and costumes. Depp's best performance

Rating: 10/10 (9 July 2003)

I just got back from seeing this movie and I was overwhelmed. I wasn't sure what to expect and was terrified that it'd be another Cutthroat Island bomb. One of my favorite things to collect is pirate paraphernalia so I was very heavily anticipating this movie -- making me certain I was setting myself up for disappointment... Thank GOD I was wrong!
Johnny Depp has NEVER impressed me in all these years. I hated him in every show and movie he was ever in (and that included Edward Scissorhands, Platoon and 21 Jump Street) until now. This time he was right on the money. He stole the show and was by far the star over Orlando Bloom and Geoffery Rush. His character was colorful and was a throwback to the swashbuckling of guys like Douglas Fairbanks, Burt Lancaster and Errol Flynn. His costuming was fantastic, but the other characters' attire was great as well. Whoever picked out the outfits for this movie did a great job.
Equally great was the cinematography. It isn't easy to capture much of the scenery the way they did. The shots of the ocean and the islands were beautiful. I was reminded of my trips to Hawai'i and Catalina. Great wideangle shots.
I was also very impressed with the action. The movie never drags despite its long running time of over 2 hours. There are many fencing scenes and I enjoyed every one. Somehow they manage to make the movie very action-oriented without making it turn into a mindless action movie a la Stallone/Schwarzenegger. The movie is safe for the entire family despite its rating. My girlfriend and I took her 9-year-old daughter to see the movie and she loved it as well.
If you're familiar with the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland you'll find many aspects of the ride in the film. The movie literally brought the ride to life with they way they recreated the ride's scenes without being hindered by them.
I highly recommend this movie, despite the bad reviews it seems to be getting in many newspapers. You won't be disappointed. Take the kids.