I'll admit, I was as skeptical as the next person at the thought of a movie being made from a theme park ride that I'd loved since childhood. Where would they find the plot and would it wreck or somehow miraculously enhance the memories of that beloved ride? Casting was announced -- Geoffrey Rush as a pirate? Quite acceptable. Johnny Depp? Erm. Hmm. Well... And then the previews started to arrive and not only was I surprised at how charming they were, I realized I had gone from concerned and vaguely uninterested to actually excited to see this grand, silly adventure. And upon seeing the film (twice in one weekend), I was not disappointed. In fact, I was delighted. The film on its own would have be good. But credit where it's due -- the film with Johnny Depp is marvelous!

Does he chew the scenery? Yes. But the audience gets a full meal out of it, too! Mind you, while I've admired Johnny Depp's talent for two decades, he's often chosen roles that I've found too unaccessible. This in fact seems one of the most 'mainstream' roles he's ever taken and for the sake of the film, I'm glad he did. While he did cut the dashing, romantic figure in the film "Don Juan de Marco", here Depp's Jack Sparrow is drolly self-aware, appealing if campy, and all in all the spark that drives the film. Whereas the entire cast does their best in familiar roles -- Keira Knightley is the plucky and feisty heroine seeking true love, Jonathan Pryce as her well-meaning but overprotective father, Orlando Bloom as the erstwhile, brave young suitor, and Geoffrey Rush as the damned, but still sympathetic pirate villain, it is Depp who steals the show with his mischievous bravado in each and every scene. Though his performance may not be to all tastes (one friend said she thought he was playing 'Zorro, the Gay Blade' and I kept having the oddest impression that he was playing David Bowie playing Jack Sparrow!), his performance did draw the largest applause in both screenings I attended. Personally, I hope the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences finally recognizes his talent with an Oscar nomination for this tour de force.

The story itself is simple enough: A pirate leaves a cursed medallion to his son, Will, who, along with the girl he loves, Elizabeth, and a scalawag pirate captain, Jack Swallow, must face off against the cursed pirate crew who want to reclaim the medallion and the blood of its owner in order to break the curse that leaves them roaming the seas undead and undying. The script is satisfying and often witty, potentially even re-invigorating the pirate movie genre. Though the actual length of the film seems just a bit long, I rarely felt the urge to look at my watch.

Production-wise, everything in this film was right. From the director giving Johnny Depp full rein in his character, to the gorgeous cinematography, exquisitely rousing score by Klaus Badelt, excellent viual effects (especially of the skeletal pirate crew), beautiful costumes and wonderful props. Clever shots evoke classic images that provide a nod and a laugh for those in the audience familiar with the original theme park ride and its memorable theme song. These scenes were fun to recognize and made me want to go back to Disneyland for the ride to see which other moments made it onscreen that I'd forgotten.

But I think what made this movie most enjoyable was its timelessness -- it's just good, old-fashioned-without-being-dated, swashbuckling fun! With a distinct (and welcome) Disney quality -- no swearing, nudity or gratuitous gore, but instead concentrating on appealing characters and a fun adventure story, this family-friendly movie could have been made in the 1930's or 1950's as easily as today. I kept thinking "Walt Disney himself would LOVE this movie -- this is the clear successor to his own "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"." Equally with the film's marvelous skeletal creations, I thought Ray Harryhausen must be very proud as the effects here are so reminiscent of his own classic contributions to the genre of mythical adventure films.