A bold blacksmith (Bloom) teams with a down-and-out pirate (Depp) to rescue a fair maiden (Knightley) from the clutches of a ghostly sea captain (Rush).

A lengthy Hollywood epic-styled action flick with nice visuals and fun performances, but lacking in guts. The scenery, sets and special effects fit well, especially in scenes of swordplay when ghastly ghostly pirates appear and then are restored to human form repeatedly as they move in and out of moonlight. Depp and Rush relish the no holds barred roles they’ve landed here, both are fun to behold. Bloom puts in a fine turn as the hero and Keira Knightley is visual splendor unto herself.

The action sequences are numerous and well done but they often leave surrounding scenes out of sync. Thus the pace of the film seems off a bit. I know it's a pirate movie, but it still seemed a little too "Hollywood". But there is no mistaking the entertainment value here and it is considerable.

Directed by Gore Verbinski.