I had been looking forward to seeing Pirates of the Caribbean since I first heard about it, mostly because of my ridiculous school-girl crush on Johnny Depp, but also because the ride is one of my favorites at Disneyland. After I learned what the movie was actually about, I mentally prepared for the worst, telling myself that even if the story was horrible, I'd at the very least get to see Johhny Depp all wet. Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised; I not only enjoyed the film immensely, but also got to see Johnny Depp all wet.

The story of the film is intricate and mystical, with just enough romance to warm your heart. A group of nefarious pirates has stolen a cursed treasure, and must return all of it to break the curse. This requires the kidnapping of a feisty maiden, Elizabeth (Bend It Like Beckham 's Keira Knightly), who has the last missing piece. Unfortunately for the pirates, William Turner, the goody-two-shoes blacksmith played by Orlando Bloom, is in love with Elizabeth, and sets out on a journey to rescue her. Turner turns to recently-captured pirate Jack Sparrow (Johhny Depp) to help track down the pirates and their ship, the Black Pearl.

I think it was the acting that made this film so good. Johnny Depp played Jack with the same comical mannerisms he employed so well as Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and a dash of Adam Ant's '80s androgyny. Geoffrey Rush kept his character, Captain Barbossa, from becoming a stereotype, showing us that it's actually pretty hard to be a cursed pirate. Orlando Bloom handled his role as a morally forthright, expert swordsman well, but as he's had plenty of practice as a morally forthright, expert elf archer, I wasn't too surprised. Keira Knightly held her own on screen, and took her character beyond your average rich maiden who yearns for adventure and true love, although I did often wonder where Elizabeth learned to fight so well. The film also featured an endless barrage of wacky pirates and bumbling British soldiers to keep the audience entertained.

In addition to the better-than-your-average-summer-movie acting, the film looked amazing. When I learned that the cursed pirates turned into skeletons when seen in the moonlight, I cringed. Computer graphics often bug the hell out of me; I'd rather see a good puppet or a guy in bad make-up any day. But the skeletons in Pirates of the Caribbean were pretty damn cool. The skeleton version of Geoffry Rush really looked like Geoffry Rush, and even moved like the flesh and blood character did. The stunts and sword fights, choreographed by the same man who choreographed Errol Flynn's sword fights, were breathtaking and exciting. The sets fit the film's mood perfectly, and I was impressed to learn that they had built a fort and a boat entirely from scratch. I also really liked the set pieces and scenes that were copied from the ride.

Pirates of the Caribbean is, in my opinion, the perfect summer movie, although I think it would have cleaned up at the box office any time of the year. It's fast-paced and exciting, and also smart and funny. It made me want to believe in true love and magic, and also drink a lot of rum. --Meredith Riley
7/14/03