"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" might have way too many words in its clunky title, but it's still the surprise movie of the summer. A postmodern, live-action pirate adventure, it scores well across the board as a sophisticated family film packed with creepy danger, old-fashioned swashbuckling, "Indiana Jones"-style humor and fairly amazing performances. As punch-drunk pirate Jack Sparrow, Depp is nothing short of great.

Who would have thought all this? After all, "Pirates" is based on a four-decades-old amusement park ride. It smacks of the ultimate, sinister Disney marketing ploy -- sucker the crowds in with a brand name, take their money and run. (Who can forget "The Jungle Book 2" and its shameless song recycling of "The Bare Neccessities"?) Waiting in the wings is the live-action "The Haunted Mansion," Disney's offering for Thanksgiving and based on yet another longtime park ride. In many ways, it all sounds too fishy to be good.

But, boy, does "Pirates" work.

As the previews already reveal, the movie involves a band of pirates, led by versatile actor Geoffrey Rush, who are cursed to sail the oceans as the living dead. Moonlight erases their skin to reveal them to be walking, talking and rotting skeletons. And they are pitted against a young blacksmith-turned-swashbuckler (Orlando Bloom), a distressed damsel (Keira Knightley of "Bend It Like Beckham") and the pirates' previously outcast -- and free-of-the-curse -- captain (Depp).

Director Gore Verbinski ("Mouse Hunt," "The Ring") has outdone himself, interjecting his costume epic with eye-catching crane shots and judicious editing. At 135 minutes, it's a fairly long movie that rarely feels its length. There are limited visual references to the actual park ride (like a trio of imprisoned pirates trying to coax a key-bearing pooch closer to their jail bars), but the movie feels welcomingly fresh, innovative and free of too many pirate-film clichés.

The script is witty and, at times, quite funny. When two foolish British soldiers are spinning a scary story involving no survivors, Depp's pirate sways forward to wonder, "No survivors? Then where do the stories come from I wonder?"

The film's PG-13 rating means this adventure is practically void of blood, but it is still violent, often deadly (it just doesn't pay to be a British soldier) and scary, especially for very young moviegoers.

In a memorable portrayal, Depp dons heavy eye-liner and heavier physical affectations to play Sparrow. Pirate underlings reveal midway into the movie that Sparrow has been made mad by overexposure to the sun. Depp makes the most of it with quirky hand gestures, rolling, loopy dialogue and staggering entrances.

It's the type of performance that can damage a career as well as solidify it. But Depp is deft at being daft. His Sparrow will make you think of Dudley Moore's ever-drunk man-child in "Arthur," Peter O'Toole's frequently inebriated, spoiled star in "My Favorite Year" and Brad Pitt's overtly touched asylum patient in "12 Monkeys." All were odd but each also garnered an Oscar nomination.

The rest of the cast is spot on, too. But Depp is so unusual he has you seeking out Sparrow even when he's in the background, just to catch his reaction to what others are saying.

It's a nice notch in a career filled with interesting performances in other films, including "Donnie Brasco," "Edward Scissorhands," "Ed Wood," "Benny & Joon," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," "Sleepy Hollow," "Blow" and "From Hell."

Make no mistake, "Pirates" would be a first-rate movie even without Depp. But with him, it's definitely summer's buried treasure.