Pirates of the Caribbean

RATING: A+

It's difficult to not look upon at least this first installment as a classic now, but it's easy to forget that when it first came out, the fact that it was successful--that it was actually that good--was a shock to everyone. Movies about pirates weren't really a thing at that point. Not to mention a bit of troubled production and nervousness over whether it'd work or not. But boy, did it ever work. 

Despite rolling at 143 minutes, not a minute of it feels slow, and the plot isn't convoluted at all--in fact, it's actually fairly simple. Cursed undead pirates are trying to break their curse. Lone pirate wants control of their ship--the ship that he was once captain of. Young blacksmith makes uneasy alliance with said pirate when the undead pirates capture his longtime crush. That's the gist of it. It's not completely simpleton--there are some twists and turns--but they don't use hardly any subplots at all. 

This movie shows us that pirate movies can indeed be awesome; but it helps that so much else about it works so well. This movie would not have been what it is if not for Johnny Depp's performance in the role of his life as "Captain" Jack Sparrow, which almost alone lifts the movie (especially considering that so much of Depp's acting was improvised). But there's some great acting to be found elsewhere as well; Geoffrey Rush manages to find a perfect balance of being over-the-top without just being stupid as the main antagonist Barbossa, and our non-pirate leads Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are pretty great as well in their roles, even if they are kind of overshadowed by both Depp and Rush. Kevin McNally, Jack Davenport and Zoe Saldana (yes, she's actually in this) are good in supporting roles as well. 

Yes, the action sequences are great. The swordplay is fantastic, and the set pieces are strong as well. Some scenes are better than others, such as the initial duel between Will and Jack, in which the music actually is almost perfectly synced with the clashing swords or the "underwater march" near the end (credit must be given to the CGI on the undead pirate army). 

But besides the acting, what also truly carries this movie is the rapid-fire humor, thanks to a wonderful script with constant hilarious dialogue that is perfectly delivered by the actors. In this sense it's not just an exciting action movie, but it's also a bit of a comedy, sure to keep many in stitches. 

While there is debate over to whether the franchise was really ever good again in its sequels, it's difficult to deny that this first installment is fun and entertaining. That could be taken further, and said that it's one of the best popcorn action blockbuster films of all time. You certainly won't find as many criticisms of it as other films of its caliber.