Solid swashbuckling adventure

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2003)

Pirates of the Caribbean is a solid swashbuckling adventure of the type that reminds of me of better times. In fact, it made me recall The Princess Bride, another film in a similar genre.
Performances are fine here, if a bit over the top on many occasions. Johnny Depp is a scene stealer: the audience is just waiting for him to reappear while the other characters get serious screen time. The heroine is sexy, Orlando Bloom is the typical white hero, lots of funny situations. Cliche ending, but what do you expect? The film should have ended sooner, and some of the snappy comments were rather stupid.

So, it's not a masterpiece but, all in all, a very solid piece of cinematic entertainment. My rating is 8/10.