Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Without Depp, the film would be almost hopeless, but Johnny’s Jack Sparrow is one of the best comic characters I've ever seen in a big film. Looking at Orlando Bloom, the question creeps into my mind whether his performance of "I am Legolas, but dressed as a buccaneer, don't confuse it, dear children" is meant seriously, or whether it is a deliberate exaggeration of the character of the incorrigible good guy Will Turner... Simple storyline, nice tricks, excellent humor; just a fun film the way it should be! (27/01/2004)

A great start, but for me the highlight of the trilogy is the second part. Orlando Bloom annoys the hell out of me in this film (in the same way he made Troy a bit unpleasant), but otherwise everything is OK. Captain Sparrow's arrival in port will hopefully go down in movie history! (04/06/2009)

The film that made Johnny Depp a real star, a film that showed that pirate movies are definitely not passé and that Disney still has something to offer to a wide audience. Entertaining, action-packed, imaginative with great characters and surprisingly it doesn't get boring even after several viewings. True, I already know the story very well, but it's still a ride. (12/04/2015)

A great adventure ride, but I can’t say I liked it that much. Verbinski's direction is skilful and inventive in parts, but it all rests too heavily on the performance of Johnny Depp, whose deadpan and swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow may propel this unconventional pirate movie into the ranks of the most popular adventure films, but it's far from the best. What I missed was a more even and fluid plot, which is quite overstuffed in places and the strong makeup in the form of spectacular battles or great jokes can't completely mask it. 70% (06/08/2012)

A routine story framework decked out with great jokes and excellent effects. The Curse of the Black Pearl is charming yet dull Hollywood entertainment that’s hindered by its exceedingly long runtime, though the excellent Johnny Depp elevates it from time to time. (16/07/2003)