What not to expect

Rating: Null/10 (14 July 2003)

Let's face it, any movie based on an amusement park ride that people only go on to get out of the blistering heat is not going to be as deep as Citizen Kane. Do not bother with the holes in the plotline, as there are more of those than a trainload of Swiss cheese, but rather focus on the fact that the digital engineers at Disney were able to study the Errol Flynn movies and recreate them using the latest in imaging techniques. The result is a mindbending display of scenery and swordfights all acted out with a cast of quality performers, who seem to be plucked right from the pages of what we perceive to be accurate history. It plays right to the imagination, and I loved it. Johnny Depp steals the show as the swishbuckling androgenous pirate, and the supporting cast was selected with an eye on keeping the right mix of wisdom, youth, characterization, and sex appeal. Especially loved the scene of the drunken revelers on the island of Tortuga, as it was a living snapshot of the theme park ride.