Pirates of the Caribbean is good, but not great. Swashbuckling adventures are few and far between these days, so it's a pleasant surprise to see one that is competently made. To add to the enjoyment, the movie never takes itself too seriously. If there wasn't so much action, it would be tempting to classify the production as a comedy. Alas, Pirates of the Caribbean runs for a good 30 minutes too long (the protracted battles with the undead, who cannot be killed, become repetitive), and the denouement is on the weak side. Taken as a whole, however, the movie represents solid fun.
Cap'n Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is a pirate who's infamous for his ineptitude. After rescuing a damsel, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), he finds himself being thanked by her father (Jonathan Pryce) and her would-be betrothed (Jack Davenport) while simultaneously being arrested for piracy. He escapes, but, after losing a duel with the heroic blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), who pines for Elizabeth, he is sent back to jail. However, when the town comes under attack by the pirate ship Black Pearl, and its blackguard of a captain, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), kidnaps Elizabeth, Will springs Jack from prison so the pirate can help him retrieve his beloved. But Barbossa isn't interested in a ransom. He and his crew are cursed to walk the Earth as the living dead until a blood sacrifice can restore their humanity.
Pirates of the Caribbean belongs to Johnny Depp. Keira Knightley (now a familiar face in the wake of Bend It Like Beckham) and Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings' Legolas, sans ears and blond hair) make a cute couple, and Geoffrey Rush is typically over-the-top as the bad guy, but the star of every scene is Depp. With several gold teeth in his mouth and beads in his hair, Depp plays the part with an engaging goofiness that sets the movie's tone. In one scene, Sparrow becomes blind drunk, but his behavior isn't all that different from when he's sober - a clear indicator of where Depp elected to take the character. Sparrow is a rogue through-and-through, and, although he may have a heart of gold, it's definitely tarnished. Take away Depp, and you're left with a derivative and dull motion picture.
As is mandated by the first rule of summer movies - sustain the action - Pirates of the Caribbean is wall-to-wall battles, chases, and fights. The only pauses are those necessitated by the need to advance the plot through exposition. There's lots of swordplay, including a lengthy and memorable struggle between Sparrow and Will. It's probably the best example of cinematic swordfighting since The Mask of Zorro. (It doesn't come close to the clash between Wesley and Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride. In that movie, the actors did their own fencing. Here, it's clear from the obscuring camera angles that stunt performers were involved.)