Tonight's Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Although I'm quite a Disney fan, I don't "do" creepy movies very well, so to date have skipped the PIRATES movies, although my husband and two older children have enjoyed them.

After seeing the remodeled Pirates ride at Disneyland twice, curiosity got the better of me, so tonight my teenage daughter showed me a "censored" version of CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, fast-forwarding the DVD past some of the spookiest "skeleton" scenes, particularly in the climactic battle.

I enjoyed what I saw of the film very much. Lots of wit and derring-do, and a nice musical score. Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow is a unique character, with a combination of haplessness and skill, so you never quite know what he'll do and whether or not it will work. Depp, Orlando Bloom (a blacksmith who doesn't know his father was a pirate), and Keira Knightley (a governor's daughter who has a secret fascination with pirates) play well off each other as they find themselves entangled together in a series of adventures.

The scary parts of the film which I did peek at weren't as bad as I expected, especially with a little strategic fast-forwarding , and the best parts of the movie were very good indeed, with the swordplay, humor, and romance calling to mind Errol Flynn movies.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN is available on DVD. Among the many extras are a terrific segment from the WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY showing the opening day of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland in 1967. Pirates jumped off the Sailing Ship Columbia and "broke into" the ride building in order to open it!

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, currently playing in theaters, is rumored to be coming to DVD this December. My family members enjoyed it but I'm warned it's even spookier... The third film in the series is due in theaters in 2007.

Monday Update: A family friend got a look at Captain Jack's ship, the The Black Pearl, in San Pedro Harbor last week, where it is being readied for shooting the next film. My husband and daughter have tentative plans to take a boat ride to see it up close later this week.