"Pirates" is a fun adventure film that breaks out of its "based on a Disneyland ride" chains and delivers a near-perfect summer family blockbuster.

The film is aided tremendously by the casting, especially Depp and Geoffrey Rush. All of the performances are very good, and it adds immeasurably to the quality of the film. The production is also very well done, right up to the great visual effects. However, one let down was the music, which features a pounding quality heard in many Bruckheimer action films.

The characters are brought to life with the skill of the "Indiana Jones" or "Harry Potter" movies, yet somehow the overall film seems to be just a few notches of "The Mummy" and "Tomb Raider" movies. Unlike the latter movies, however, it seems a sequel or two could really help lift "Pirates" out of that same category and into the heights reached by "Indiana Jones".

The verdict: about as good of a summer blockbuster as could be hoped for.