NOT SINCE THE glory days of the great Ray Harryhausen have so many angry skeletons filled the screen. But no stop-motion bags o' bones here – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl brings forth full-on C.G. action that unfolds with a certain amount of artistry (thanks to Ring director Gore Verbinski) and explosions (thanks to producer Jerry Bruckheimer). Offbeat swashbuckler Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) survives a mutiny and is determined to regain control of the Black Pearl. After a sword fight or two, Sparrow allies with Will Turner (Lord of the Rings elf Orlando Bloom), a blacksmith who's also after the black-sailed ship; its crew of snarling buccaneers (including Geoffrey Rush as their monkey-toting leader) have kidnapped Will's beloved Elizabeth (Keira Knightley from Bend It like Beckham), believing she's the key to lifting the nasty curse that plagues them. Pirates taps plenty of familiar motifs – a talking parrot ("Shiver me timbers!"), a cave filled with treasure, cannon fights, people saying, "Arrrr!" – and sticks to a pretty rote escape-and-capture story line. And yeah, it's based on a Disneyland ride. But thanks in no small part to some welcome organic elements – including the use of real ships as sets and an oddly endearing performance (based, at least physically, on Keith Richards) by Depp – the good-natured Pirates aims for fun and largely succeeds. (Cheryl Eddy)