Lightning in a bottle

Rating: 10/10 (22 June 2011)

The trailer looked like fun, and we'd been on the ride, so we decided to go and see this pirate movie.
The eerie opening was effective, and this was followed by some mild intrigue and romance as Orlando Bloom's apprentice swordsmith clearly wished to romance Keira Knightly's governor's daughter. And then Captain Jack Sparrow arrived, in one of the best movie entrances anywhere, any time, and the film took off.
It had a strong story, lots of eye candy, humour, action, knockabout slapstick, excitement, swashbuckling adventure, a dramatic and memorable score, an eclectic cast on top form, terrific special effects, lots of nods to the theme park ride, a cracking script, and a fabulous central performance from Johnny Depp.
Completely unexpectedly, it turned out to be one of the best and most entertaining family films of recent years.
Superb.