Ranking the Pirates of the Caribbean Films from Worst to Best
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (2003-2017) started humbly in 2003 and essentially became one of Disney’s flagship movie series by crossing over $4.2 billion dollars. Boasting stellar special effects, exotic landscapes, an expansive cast, and ludicrous production values, every penny is being seen on the big screen serving the authentic shenanigans of Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate who has a lot of bad luck, even worse enemies, and only a handful of friends. Incorporating several maritime tales and elements from Greek mythology, the Pirates of the Caribbean films were seen as cinematic events that propelled Johnny Depp into the superstardom and created their own school of filmmaking with their PG-13 friendly thrills and slapstick humor. But which one is the best you say? Let’s find out.
Locations: Isla de Muerta, Isla de Pelegostos, Isla Cruces, Davy Jones’ Locker, Rumrunner's Isle, Shipwreck Cove, Singapore, Whitecap Bay, Devil’s Triangle, Saint Martin, Trident’s Island, Port Royal, London
Antagonists: Captain Barbossa, Captain Davy Jones, Lord Cutler Beckett, Captain Blackbeard, Captain Armando Salazar, Angelica Teach, James Norrington, Captain Sao Feng, the Kraken
Duels: Jack Sparrow Vs William Turner, Jack Sparrow Vs Hector Barbossa, Hector Barbossa Vs Blackbeard, Jack Sparrow Vs Angelica Teach, Jack Sparrow Vs Davy Jones, Jack Sparrow Vs James Norrington Vs William Turner, Jack Sparrow Vs Armando Salazar
Sea/nautical mythology: Greek (Poseidon’s trident, Calypso, the Greek goddess of the sea, mermaids, fountain of youth), maritime folklore/phenomena (Davy Jones locker (i.e., the bottom of the sea, the Flying Dutchman), green flash, Jonah, St. Elmo’s fire), Scandinavian (Kraken), Aztec cursed gold.
Critical reception
Budget and Box Office
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
MVP: Zimmer’s hectic score.
The fourth Pirates entry is by far the worst not because it is a terrible movie but because it is terribly boring one. Although there are new elements that could produce an intriguing storyline (the Fountain of Youth, Blackbeard, mermaids, zombies!), nothing truly exciting, funny, or memorable occurs on the big screen. Sparrow is deprived of his loyal crew and the franchise’s maestro, Gore Verbinski, whose absence is deeply felt. Rob Marshall (Chicago (2002)), is incapable of energizing On Stranger Tides overseeing lackluster swordfights and banal set-pieces. The 3D aspect is non-existent, the love story is one dimensional, and the cast is on autopilot, including Depp himself. Newcomers Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz are wasted; the script fails to use them as a counterpoint to Jack’s cunningness and unpredictability. Despite its huge budget, the film feels smaller in scale when compared to its bombastic predecessors. Thus, when our pirates reach the infamous Fountain of Youth, you can’t help but mutter the words: is that it?
Direction
🎬
Stunt work
🧗♂️🧗♂️
Cinematography
👓👓👓
Fights
⚔️
Characters
🎭🎭
Locations
🏯
Inventiveness
🌸🌸
Best moment: Depp’s reunion with his hero, Keith Richards as Jack Sparrow’s dad.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
MVP: Depp finds some inner energy for the fifth time.
Dead Men Tell No Tales is actually better than people remember. Despite a sense of Deja-Vu, it boasts more energy than On Stranger Tides in its inventive set pieces and cartoonesque hilarity that propel the wacky antiques of Jack Sparrow towards a live-action Looney Tunes territory. Mirroring closely the plot points of The Curse of Black Pearl’s, it (almost) paves the way for a new generation to go after the horizon, refocusing itself into what made the Pirates films so appealing to audiences in the first place. Javier Bardem is creepy although he has nothing to work with utterly deprived off a proper action sequence but his special effects render is disturbing enough. Filling Hans Zimmer’s shoes is Geoff Zanelli who brings a less telegraphic approach to the musical landscape by adding sweeping orchestrations and two new interesting themes in a movie involving zombie sharks, Poseidon’s trident and ghost pirates. It might not reinvent the wheel but it sets up the stage for a final confrontation that to this day has not been put forward. One can hope!
Direction
🎬🎬🎬
Stunt work
🧗♂️🧗♂️
Cinematography
👓👓👓
Fights
⚔️⚔️
Characters
🎭🎭🎭
Locations
🏯🏯🏯
Inventiveness
🌸🌸🌸
Best moment: A guillotine gag is peak comedy.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
MVP: Johnny Depp. He practically invented a new acting style.
The Curse of the Black Pearl came out of nowhere in the 2003 summer which was filled with highly anticipated (and very expensive) blockbusters. The Matrix Reloaded, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Bad Boys II, X-Men 2, Hulk just to name a few had a free-for-all seeking to put butts into seats and outdo each other through novel special effects and excessive action sequences. While some reigned supreme, others quickly fizzled out. Yet, this Depp-led flick flew under the radar seducing several audience members with its Looney Tunes theatrics, exotic locations, production values, a star-studded cast, jaw dropping special effects and Johnny Depp’s iconic performance as the millennium's new cinematic icon: Captain Jack Sparrow. Singlehandedly creating his own school of acting, Depp is mesmerizing demonstrating impeccable comic timing and chemistry with his co-stars, especially the villainous Captain Barbossa (played with theatrical gusto by the glory that is Geoffrey Rush). It is fun, exciting and most importantly, a practical and kid-friendly rollercoaster that rarely runs out of juice.
Direction
🎬🎬🎬🎬
Stunt work
🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️
Cinematography
👓👓👓👓
Fights
⚔️⚔️⚔️
Characters
🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭
Locations
🏯🏯🏯
Inventiveness
🌸🌸🌸
Best moment: Jack Sparrow’s cinematic entrance. The music, the shots, and the pay off are top notch.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
MVP: Darius Wolski’s stunning cinematography
Some felt the franchise begun to sink but perhaps they themselves felt too overwhelmed already with the gargantuan duo that was Dead Man’s Chest/At World’s End. Altering between locations, storylines and perspectives at a frantic pace, At World’s End tries to resolve every possible subplot with mixed results. Where it succeeds though is in its sheer ambition to deliver spectacular, surrealistic visuals; there are maelstroms, ships going upside down, goddesses made out of crabs (cutest crabs ever), ocean waterfalls, the Black Pearl cruising casually on sand dunes and Singapore exploding (because why not?). Dali would be proud. Although some viewers might be sour over the plot overabundance, the movie invokes a bleak tone in its opening sequence and adds a few gruesome (and visually dazzling deaths) despite the presence of repetitive laugh out loud gags and a never-getting-old banter between Sparrow and Barbossa. Zimmer’s score becomes more expansive to incorporate themes of betrayal and mostly love which is what At World’s End is all about: Will’s and Elizabeth’s love story.
Direction
🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬
Stunt work
🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️
Cinematography
👓👓👓👓👓
Fights
⚔️⚔️⚔️
Characters
🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭
Locations
🏯🏯🏯🏯🏯
Inventiveness
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Best moment: The battle between two ships circling each other inside a maelstrom is incredible spectacle.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
MVP: Bill Nighy as Davy Jones.
One of the best sequels around, Dead Man’s Chest represents everything that a Hollywood part deux should strive to be: bigger, badder, more ambitious and funnier without losing its creative focus. As such, amidst an immediately darker tone, we are subjected immediately to Jack Sparrow who is about to face see monsters, the British Empire, the Kraken and Davy Jones, a special effects masterpiece brought to life by a state-of-the-art performance from the superb Bill Nighy. Screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio include quite a few interesting subplots that will play out across two films and have our main trio at odds with each other to keep the interest up amidst a spectacular feast with jaw-dropping production values, gigantic sets, authentic costume designs and Pink Panther (1963) theatrical humor. In the middle of all this, Depp’s performance ties together the proceedings, a rascal with a heart of gold who tries to evade the Nighy’s supernatural clutches and cronies. Even if it ends in a (disappointing) cliffhanger, Dead Man’s Chest showcases how to create the perfect sequel and continue the momentum of a brand new franchise in innovative ways.
Direction
🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬
Stunt work
🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️
Cinematography
👓👓👓👓👓
Fights
⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
Characters
🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭
Locations
🏯🏯🏯🏯
Inventiveness
🌸🌸🌸🌸
Best moment: Sparrow’s escape from a cannibal island is a masterclass in stuntwork.