PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL

Director: Gore Verbinski (The Mexican, The Ring, Mousehunt)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly

2003 is turning into the year of the fine hollywood blockbuster, and here we have the best of the bunch so far. Pirates of the Caribbean is an example of why I love movies in the first place. What I was expecting to be an absurdly bad movie based on (of all things) a theme park ride, turned out to be a delightfully absurd film filled with wonderful acting, nice special effects, a gripping plot and a steady supply of sheer joy for the viewer. Johnny Depp has created one of the most intriguing action movie characters of all time with his oddball portrayal of the lovable pirate Jack Sparrow. Sure, the character has no depth - it's a silly action movie. Nonetheless, it's impossible to take your eyes off of his strange creation. This pirate captain has more in common with a drugged out transvestite than with a stock action-movie hero. This was a wonderful role that will likely deserve some award consideration.

Geoffrey Rush in particular, and most of the rest of the cast in general, give fine performances in their supporting roles. In the end, nothing really compares to the Depp creation however. When you combine all of this wonderful acting, with a rip-roaring story that's actually quite interesting, this turns out to be one of the best action/adventure movies of recent memory. The best summer blockbuster in some time.

Standouts: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, fun adventure tale, quirky tone, and Johnny Depp
Blowouts: Not all that much really failed.

Grade: A