Walt Disney Picture’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” is setting sail on July 9. The movie stars three brilliant actors along with some new faces, and is as thrilling and exciting as the popular Disneyland attraction it was named after.

“Pirates of the Caribbean” stars:

• Johnny Depp, known for his quirky rolls, such as Edward in “Edward Scissorhands” and Ichabod Crane in “Sleepy Hollow;”
• Geoffrey Rush, who won an Academy Award for in the movie “Shine;”
• Orlando Bloom, who is best known for his role as Legolas in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings;” and
• Making her big-screen debut, Keira Knightley.

This movie has it all: swashbuckling adventure, sword fighting, bodice-ripping romance, and even an ancient curse.

Bloom is young William Turner, a sword-maker and the childhood friend of Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) the daughter of the governor of Port Royal, a town in the eastern Caribbean. He is picked up out of the water on Elizabeth’s journey from England with a pirate medallion around his neck. Knowing that Will would be killed if he was found with it around his neck, Elizabeth keeps it for him. This deed sets the plot for the movie.

Depp is Captain Jack Sparrow, who loves nothing more than the freedom he has as a pirate, until his ship, The Black Pearl, is stolen. He is roguish and dangerous, but he is not a villain. His nemesis is the despicable Captain Barbossa, portrayed by Geoffrey Rush, the thief, who stole the Black Pearl.

Captain Barbossa and his crew attack Port Royal, and kidnap Elizabeth, in order to get the medallion, which is really a piece of forbidden Aztec gold. Barbossa and his crew are under an ancient curse, for stealing the gold they must live as the living undead, unable to enjoy the pleasures of the human world, the moonlight revealing their true forms. The way to break the curse is if they return every piece of the treasure, mingled with the blood of the son of a pirate that they murdered. Unlike most pirate stories, they are on a quest to return treasure not to find it.

Depp was perfect as Jack Sparrow. He had kind of a sauntering walk, which made it look like he had a little too much to drink, and a funny sense of humor. Rush made a good villain, wily and dastardly, all the while pretending to be a gentleman. The movie is also a good coming of age movie for Will, Bloom’s character, who has to accept the fact that his father was a pirate and a good man. This movie also has lots of good humor, taking some of the parts from the ride, and good special effects. This movie made me leave the theater singing “Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate’s life for me.”

This movie kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The only problem with it is they reveal too much about the movie in the previews. If Disney wanted people to really get scared, they should not have let on that Barbossa and his crew would turn into skeletons.

This movie is unusual for Disney because instead of the typical G or PG ratings, it is rated PG-13 for action sequences and violence. Even though this movie is violent, it is not overly violent. It is a fun movie, and one that I would definitely see twice.