The direction by Gore Verbinski (The Ring) and script by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio could be tighter; clocking in at almost two hours and twenty minutes, the momentum of the plot suffers from this unneeded excess. And speaking of excess (alas, a Bruckheimer tradition), the larger action sequences (with cannonballs exploding while stuntmen trampoline out of the way) would have benefited from the subtler approach taken to the less grander battles, such as a keen duel between Depp and Bloom early in the film.

Its moments like this that recall the cinematic exploits of such early screen swashbucklers as Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks, and the film could have benefited more from them with a less heavy hand at the helm. Still, this Pirate movie is a lot more rollicking fun then any other recent entry in the genre:  at least its not The Country Bears on Cutthroat Island …

Toon Talk Rating: B+

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Toon Talk Trivia:

• The original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction opened in New Orleans Square in Disneyland in 1967, followed by incarnations in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in 1973, Tokyo Disneyland in 1983 and Disneyland Paris in 1992.
• Johnny Depp was nominated for a Golden Globe for his title role in Touchstone’s Ed Wood.
• Geoffrey Rush was most recently heard as Nigel the Pelican in this summer’s blockbuster hit Finding Nemo.
• Keira Knightley starred in The Princess of Thieves and will play Guinevere in the upcoming King Arthur, also from Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer.
• Jonathan Pryce, who also appeared in Evita and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, is best known to Disney fans as the mysterious Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes.
• Co-writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio contributed to Aladdin, Antz, The Road to El Dorado, Shrek, Treasure Planet and the upcoming Shrek 2 and Tusker.
• Composer Klaus Badelt also contributed music to Pearl Harbor, The Road to El Dorado and The Tigger Movie.
• “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)�? was written by Disney Legends Xavier Atencio and George Bruns.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl made its world premiere at Disneyland, where it all started, on June 28. It was the first time a feature film premiere was held inside a theme park.
• Stick around through the final credits to see a bonus scene at the end of the film.

• They had it comin’: the Academy Award-winning Chicago returns to theaters July 18^th with the never before seen musical number “Class�?, performed by Queen Latifah and Oscar-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones. The DVD will hit stores August 19^th.
• If its summer, it must be time for another Spy Kids movie: adding 3-D, Salma Hayek and Sylvester Stallone into the mix, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over premieres on July 25^th.
• Piglet’s Big Movie makes its small-screen, DVD debut on July 29^th.
• Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan step into the body-switched shoes of Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster in the new remake of Freaky Friday, which actually opens on a Wednesday, August 6^th.