Every Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Ranked Worst To Best – Screen Rant

Here's how thePirates of the Caribbean movie series ranks from worst to best. They say anything can be given the movie treatment, but few would've expected a movie based on a theme park ride to become one of the highest grossing franchises in cinematic history. Indeed,Pirates of the Caribbean has a lot to answer for. Jerry Bruckheimer's nautical yarn cemented the A-list status of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, while giving Johnny Depp arguably his most famous movie role. Captain Jack Sparrow would go on to become a film icon, and thePirates of the Caribbean series spearheaded a new generation of billion-dollar blockbusters.

There's a distinct split in thePirates of the Caribbean story. The initial trilogy of movies tell a fairly self-contained tale with the same crop of characters, but the subsequent 2 films are merely set within the same world and featured markedly different casts with only a select few familiar faces. A sixth entry is on the cards too, with Disney keen to keep one of their biggest properties alive, but details and casting remain unknown at present.

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Pirates of the Caribbean might've changed the game at the box office, but has weathered stormier seas critically, with fan reaction and reviews varying wildly across the series. As a result, a general consensus on the franchise's trajectory has developed over time that audiences and critics generally agree upon. This is our ranking of the 5Pirates of the Caribbean movies from worst to best.

After the originalPirates of the Caribbean trilogy ended, the franchise found itself at a crossroads. Captain Jack'sdesire to seek out the Fountain of Youth set up a potential fourth movie, butAt World's End had more or less brought the series to a natural conclusion.On Stranger Tides was the first test of whether Depp's character could carry the property without support from the likes of Bloom and Knightley and while the answer, financially speaking, was a resounding "yes," the fourthPirates of the Caribbean film is generally considered the weakest effort in the series by some margin. Uniting Depp and Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa with newcomers Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz as Blackbeard and his daughter,On Stranger Tides certainly didn't lack for star power.

Unfortunately, the film lacks almost everywhere else. The adventure to find the Fountain of Youth is a simple premise, but one thatstill manages to feelerratic, all while lackingthe fun sense of swashbuckling exploration and danger that madePirates of the Caribbean a world-beating franchise in the first place. Predictably, the performances are strong, particularly from Depp and Rush, but Blackbeard and Angelica fail to spark the same likability or interest as the cast of the original trilogy. That's mostly the fault of the script, which barely allows room for character development among the glut of action sequences.On Stranger Tidesis, in essence,Pirates of the Caribbean lite; an overly-familiar, by-the-numbers retread that passes by without event.

At World's Endfalls victim to 2 very common movie trilogy problems. Firstly, it fails to stick the highly-anticipated landing, and secondly, the film tries to outdo all previous entries in spectacle and bombast. The final installment of the originalPirates of the Caribbeanwas the craziest yet and while it's difficult to jump the shark in a franchise that has a villainous human squid and 18th century eyeliner,At World's Endgives a damn good try. On one hand, the third installment retains thatearlyPirates magic and rounds off the stories of Jack, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann in more or less satisfying fashion. The destination isn't necessarily the problem inAt World's End, which is solid in its action, performances and spirit - it's the voyage to get there.

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As a (supposedly) final chapter,At World's End doesn't cut to the heart of the matter. New characters,fresh plot threads andemerginglore take up plenty of space in the already-bursting script, leaving very little room for characters to breathe, but necessitating plenty of exposition and setupbefore reaching the grand finale, which is arguably overshadowed by the climaxes of its predecessors anyway. Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski's (originalPirates of the Caribbean director) final collaboration on the high seas is far messier thanOn Stranger Tides and much more convoluted, but it does entertain more reliably.

The most recentPirates of the Caribbean offering posted the lowest box office since 2003 but was actually one of the better entries in Captain Jack's can(n)on. Wisely moving away fromOn Stranger Tides and into fresh waters entirely,Dead Men Tell No Tales makes another astute creative change by introducing younger blood in the form of Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario.Andit's difficult to go wrong with Javier Bardem on villain duty. Aside from an improved cast that brings back familiar faces without relying on them,this fifth voyage feels lighter both in terms of content and tone,making use of a streamlined plot and a return to the spirit of old. However, likeThe Force Awakens to 1977'sStar Wars,Dead Men Tell No Tales sometimes veers too close to the original's format and risks feeling derivative.

It would be a stretch to suggest thatDead Men Tell No Tales breathes new life intoPirates of the Caribbean, but it at least throws out a lifeline that steadies the franchise's rapidly diminishing returns. Disney might've hoped that Thwaites and Scodelariowould lead a Depp-free future forPirates of the Caribbean, but the studio's lack of urgency in making a follow-up proves such ideas wereoverly-optimistic. The rumored casting of Karen Gillan as a brand new protagonist hints at yetanother change of direction whenPirates of the Caribbean sails once again.

Sequels are always a tricky business, and it's hard to argue thatDead Man's Chest is an improvement uponThe Curse of the Black Pearlwith a straight face. Splitting up the core cast means every main character has their own distinct motivations, which in turn makes for a more complicated plot within a movie that was already going "bigger" in terms of visuals and action sequences. While nowhere near asdisjointed as the subsequent 2 efforts would be,Dead Man's Chest does at times feel like a movie studio realizing the value ofPirates of the Caribbean and trying to angle for further installments instead of delivering the direct-to-the-veins shot of pirate goodness that wasThe Curse of the Black Pearl. HadDead Man's Chestincluded the rescue of Captain Jack as a finale instead of aiming for a cliffhanger, the sequel might've really been onto something.

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As it stands,Dead Man's Chest remains a worthy continuation of thePirates of the Caribbean world, and the franchise wouldn't have enjoyed such longevity had the initial sequel not delivered at least a little bit. Johnny Depp refines his performance as Jack Sparrow, the addition of Bill Nighy as Davy Jones is wonderful and as much asDead Man's Chest meanders around its central story, the world-building does serve to paint a more vivid and detailed fictional world. That's not to say the second film rocks the boat - the formula of the first is very much intact - but there is a subtle evolution that seesDead Man's Chest take itself atouch more seriously, not necessarily to its benefit.

By some distance, the very firstPirates of the Caribbean movie remains the one to beat andan archetype for modern franchise-building blockbusters.The Curse of the Black Pearl represented pirates on a previously unseen cinematic scale and the combination of action, humor and colorful characters ensured near-universal appeal. The visuals are stunning and although later installments would make use of improved CGI,The Curse of the Black Pearl doesn't let the sights, sounds and explosions get in the way of good characters. Free from the burden of expectation,Pirates of the Caribbean was also a (slightly) more grounded experience in 2003, introducing touches of mystical sea lore rather than huge swathes of it.

And of course,a huge part ofThe Curse of the Black Pearl's success comes from the novelty of seeing Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow for the very first time. By film 3, Sparrow was quickly developing intoa parody of himself, forcing Depp to try and out-kook himself in order to retainhis trademarkunpredictability. In his debut, however, Sparrow is a breath of fresh air in an industry that so often reuses cookie-cutter lead characters. Subsequent entries might boast bigger budgets and shinier effects, butThe Curse of the Black Pearl does a lot more with less and almost 20 years later, it's still difficult to come away not feeling entertained. Whatever the future holds for Captain Jack and his fellowPirates of the Caribbean, Disney will be hard-pressed to match this modern classic and the legacy it still holds.

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig's interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS. Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer. Jim Carrey is Craigs top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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Every Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Ranked Worst To Best - Screen Rant