Really good fun  doesn't take itself too seriously and is played to perfection by a wonderful Depp

Rating: Null/10 (1 September 2003)

Sailing with her father as a girl, Elizabeth Swann, is on board when the military ship comes across a wreck from which they rescue only a young boy, Will Turner. Elizabeth hides the boy's medallion in order to hide the fact that he is a pirate, she also thinks she sees the mysterious ship The Black Pearl. Years later Elizabeth is being wooed by officers while Will is a blacksmith in her father's service. When her medallion calls out to another force, it brings the crew of the Pearl to the bay in search of the gold. Elizabeth is kidnapped and Will resolves to go after her. He turns to the only man he knows who knows the black pearl  incarcerated pirate Captain Jack Sparrow. However how can you trust a pirate's word?
I'll be honest and say that I didn't want to see this film  I had been totally turned off by the trailer. The one attempt at humour in the trailer is that awful `try wearing a corset' line, it didn't get a laugh in the film or on the trailer. However I did go and see it and, after Hulk and Matrix, I was very glad I did. The plot is pretty enjoyable allowing for lots of fights but also enough twists and turns to hold the interest. It doesn't all make total sense but, like the ride it is based on, the film moves on before you have time to think too hard about anything.
Unlike those other blockbusters I mentioned, POTC doesn't take itself too seriously. It doesn't make fun of itself either, but it does have it's tongue in it's cheek the whole time. This is seen in the vein of gentle humour that runs through it in the dialogue, action and characters  the film is basically having fun so it is easy for the audience to get with it too.
As every other reviewer on earth has said, the biggest strength of the film is Depp's Captain Jack. Playing him like a drugged out rock star who clings to his half-fame like a life raft, Depp wrings so much humour out of every line, every scene and every little thing he does (`but why is the rum on fire?' being my favourite line). It is a performance that could have been awful but he pitches it just perfectly and stops the film ever becoming anything less than fun. The only downside of his character (who makes his appearance on a ship revealed to be a tiny, sinking boat) is that the film sags a little when he is off screen for longer than 5 minutes.
Bloom and Knightly carry the film's more serious core and thus have a less glorious job. Both do well however and are good if not quite stars  certainly I was surprised to see Knightly with such a big role in a big film. Rush enjoys himself as Barbossa and the crew also have fun. The effects are used just as they should always be used  to compliment the film rather than be the raison d'etre! The effects are good without replacing plot or characters  they are well blended into the flow so never bring the film to a halt by their use (although wine flowing through and out of Barbossa is pretty impressive).
Overall I enjoyed this film a great deal. Sure it is not a classic film or a perfect one, but it does exactly what a summer film should be  entertain. It doesn't take itself too seriously and moves a long at a fair pace without ever lapsing into impatient editing or flashy visuals. Having said that, if Depp was not onboard the film would be much the lesser. His exaggerated performance enhances the tongue in cheek feel to the film and makes it a much funnier, livelier and all round fun experience.