Ranking The Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales sails into theaters this weekend, marking the release of the Disney franchise’s fifth movie. Jack Sparrow and his crew have been dominating the box office since 2003, and they’re still going strong.

When it comes to critical reception however, these movies have been a mixed bag. Critics have loved some and hated others, while fans are also mixed on the subject.

Which Pirates of the Caribbean movies can battle the raging seas? Which ones sink faster than the Flying Dutchman?

Of course, the biggest question surrounding the newest movie is, “How does it compare to the rest?”

Now that Dead Men Tell No Tales has been released, we can finally sit and put each movie side-by-side. Some continue to stand the test of time, while others get worse with each passing year.

Here’s our definitive ranking of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise:

5. On Stranger Tides

This probably comes as no surprise to anyone, as the fourth installment was a disaster. Fans were down on the film because it lacked main characters Will and Elizabeth, but they soon found much more to hate.

None of the jokes seemed to land, the action was a bit lacking, and it just didn’t feel like any of the actors actually wanted to be there.

Stranger Tides also had the unique challenge of trying to make something different, while staying true to the original format. It had to create new characters, that had no ties to the trilogy, and bring them into a story people would care about.

There’s a reason that Dead Men Tell No Tales back-tracked a bit, and latched onto the story of the first films. The franchise has all-but forgotten that the fourth ever happened, so have the fans.

4. At World’s End

At World’s End is an interesting case. It wrapped up the epic saga that began in the first two movies, and was easily the most anticipated of the bunch. 

However, even with a grandiose budget, the entire library of characters, and an incredible marketing scheme, most of this movie was a drag. The first two acts seem to go on for hours and hours, and it’s hard not to check your watch.

When World’s End gets to the final act, things change. The story, almost immediately gets better, the action gets taken to 11, and everyone has a blast. It’s like watching two separate movies.

All that said, the final 30-40 minutes of this movie is incredible, and it contained a gutsy ending that true fans can appreciate. Unfortunately, it was all too late.

3. Dead Men Tell No Tales

This new film acted as a soft reboot for the entire franchise, taking things back to the roots found in the first film. And, for the most part, it accomplishes that.

While it may not do anything new or daring, Dead Men Tell No Tales contains everything people loved about the Pirates franchise. It’s fun, wacky, adventurous, and it brings the story back to the characters people cared about.

Above all, this film accomplished something that many struggle with in today’s day and age. This movie had an incredible villain. Javier Bardem’s performance is worth the price of admission on its own.

Dead Men Tell No Tales could have been much better, but it took an enormous step in the right direction.

2. Dead Man’s Chest

Curse of the Black Pearl was such a groundbreaking movie that the sequel had some big shoes to fill. That was a tough job, but Dead Man’s Chest did an admirable job.

The movie continued the success and heart of the first, while still finding new ways to make curses at sea seem fun. The addition of Davy Jones was definitely the highlight of the film, as Bill Nighy stole each and every scene he was in.

Some complain about the pacing issues throughout the movie, and that’s justified. There were instances where the story seemed to drag on, due to all of the information being dumped onto audiences. 

All in all, Dead Man’s Chest is still a fun movie that fans can enjoy watching again.

1. The Curse of the Black Pearl

There’s nothing like the original, and that’s especially true of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. No other film has come close to Curse of the Black Pearl.

This movie opened up an entire world that audiences had never seen before. It took a simple ride, gave it a ton of life, and delivered the adventure of the year.

Black Pearl also succeeded in creating one of the most memorable film characters of the decade; Captain Jack Sparrow. For a long time, you couldn’t go anywhere, or buy anything, without seeing Johnny Depp’s eccentric pirate.

Full of heart, witty dialogue, and enough adventure to kickstart an entire franchise, The Curse of the Black Pearl was a bonafide hit.