Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Like the title says, there's a curse on the Black Pearl. The pirates who inhabit the ship are human in daylight and skeletons in moonlight. They also can't die. To break free from it, they need to gather all the pieces from Cortez's treasure and spill the blood from one of the Turner family members on them. Flash to Port Royal, where the pirates have found the last piece, in the posession of the governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann, played by the beautiful Keira Knightley. Believing she is the key to lifting the curse, the pirates kidnap her instead of the true person who can do so, Elizabeth's childhood friend Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). While the governor and Elizabeth's promised husband, Commodore Norrington, are undecided on what to do, Turner is determined to get his love back and enlists the help of Jack Sparrow, former captain of the Black Pearl. A mutiny occured on board and he was abandoned on an island while Barbossa elevated himself to captain of the ship. With Turner driven to get his lady and Sparrow his ship, they commandeer a British ship and sail off in search for the Black Pearl.

Based on the Disneyland ride, you'll be enjoying it much longer than the 3-minute ride. There's outstanding visuals from the bright ocean scenes to the down and dirty Black Pearl to the dark caves where the treasures are hidden. Credit the enjoyment to director Gore Verbinski, whose last work was the creepy Ring. Credit the visuals to producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who always has a sense for action, though he does go overboard at times (i.e. Bad Boys II). The star of the show is Depp, who has transformed the definition of what a pirate can be. Rush is fun to watch as is Bloom, who seems to only do movies where he's got a weapon to hold. Knightley lights up the screen with all the makings of a successful career. The most important thing though is the movie is careful to be serious and not too serious at the same time. It makes the movie playful and fun to watch even if it makes the film simplistic and, in this case, long to explain everything. With an actor like Depp leading the way, you'll definitely have fun. 3 stars