Disney seemed to be going down the tubes, with Atlantis and Home on the Range, but the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are a masterpiece. The movie launched Johnny Depp into a superstar, if not already after many amazing appearances in famous films in the past. Every scene with him or Geoffery Rush is brilliant. The movies are very crisp and the shots of the islands are breathtaking. It is Definitely a moviepack worth picking up at Blockbuster or even better, buying. The characters are thought out very well and plot is excellent. The script is one of the main stars of the film itself, every line that seems to come out of Sparrow or Barbossa's mouth or any of the other cast is original. If you like action films you'll love this, if you like comedy you'll love this, actually, this movie is great for everyone (except small kids, who may get frightened by the skeleton scenes).
The only downfall is that the balance of the type of movie it should be becomes a little lost because of Disney's notorious reputation for taking a serious film and throwing in comedy to lighten it up.