I don't go to the theater too often. A film really has to light my fire to get me to actually go out and see it. Well, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" got me interested enough to go see it when it was released in the summer of 2003. Why was I so interested? Probably because I occasionally enjoy fun adventure films in the manner of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) or "The Mummy" (1999). "Black Pearl" is a film of this ilk.

WHAT WORKS: The film looks and sounds great, which includes the actors, costuming, cinematography, locations and score. Johnny Depp as pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow is a notable character; Sparrow comes off as a young Keith Richards gone Pirate. Keira Knightley is beautiful as Elizabeth Swann; and Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom & Lee Arenberg are all fabulous in their roles.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: When I first saw it in 2003 the film struck me as too long for such lightweight fare (2 hours and 23 minutes). It also struck me as boring and forgettable for some reason. I decided to see it again recently and came away feeling the exact same way. What makes it boring and forgettable? I don't know, it's hard to pinpoint. Maybe because it's too drawn-out; light film fare like this works best at around 80-95 minutes. Maybe it's because many of the characters are unable to die because of the curse, which naturally creates a lack of suspense. Mostly it's because the story and characters, although fun, are absurd and superficial. Also, I suppose it's too much to expect to glean some morsel of depth or truth from a film like this.

CONCLUSION: "Black Pearl" is a fun, goofy pirate adventure; it's okay but far from great like, say, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or even the 1999 version of "The Mummy." It's overlong, overly light, kinda boring and ultimately forgettable. I know I'm in the minority here, but I'm not a fan and can't recommend it, except maybe to kids. But if it trips your trigger that's great.

GRADE: C+