Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as of right now is one of the top 20 highest-grossing film franchises of all time. In total there are five films so far, with at least one more planned, and despite the financial successes, it's a franchise that has been torn apart by reviewers. Besides the original film, 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, they haven't received the greatest critical reviews nor have they been loved by fans. However, if the original trilogy is isolated from the fourth and fifth films, which are indefensibly bad, it's actually kind of an amazing series.
It's been such a long time since it came out that people seem to forget, but the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was actually a big deal. It was unique in concept: a movie based on a theme park attraction instead of the other way around. Though it may seem like something that would be done all the time, it was also unique to have a big pirate action-adventure movie. Besides things like Peter Pan, it was uncommon and certainly didn't exist much in the modern era of film. It also was the first film released under Walt Disney Pictures to have a PG-13 rating, and is credited with launching the career of Johnny Depp as a blockbuster movie star. It was a huge financial success as well as a critical one, and earned Depp an Academy Award nomination and a SAG win for his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow.
When the second film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, came out in 2007 it broke box office records. Not only was it the highest-grossing film of that year, but it was the fastest film to gross $1 billion in the worldwide box office. It also held the record as the highest-grossing Disney film until Toy Story 3 was released in 2010. The third film in the original trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, was released the following year and was also a big financial success but didn't do nearly as well as its predecessors. Despite all of this success, these two films weren't received very well critically. It's true that there are flaws, but in general, this seems so harsh when one looks at how visually stunning these films are, how well the characters are fleshed out, and how beautiful the overarching story is.
Something that all of the films in this franchise (especially the original trilogy) have is a great aesthetic. The costumes and sets are stunning, and all of the scenes are shot really well-- especially the big fight scenes. The use of CGI characters is incredible and vast. In the first film, there are hundreds of digitally altered skeleton pirates. In the second and third films, the main villain, as well as his crew, are monsters and the special effects on them are faultless.
Everything hits the tone of the film right on the mark. It's a big fantasy and adventure. On top of that, there are so many sword fights and pirate battles in these films and the choreography is to die for. In Dead Man's Chest especially there are a few scenes of exquisite choreography, including a sword fight on a spinning wheel. It just looks really cool and really clean. Because these are just viewed by many as big blockbuster action movies, these technical aspects are often overlooked but they're really worth noting.
Technical filmmaking achievements aside, the story and characters in these films are just really good and enjoyed as a whole trilogy it's very effective. There's a bit of everything: a love story, good versus evil, comedy, as well as really well-done plot twists. It's a story where the viewer probably can't pinpoint exactly where it's going until all of the pieces click. It's complex and a bit crazy, but also easy to follow. And it touches on some really heavy themes but maintains a lot of its lighthearted tone at the same time. The three main characters, Captain Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swan, and Will Turner (played by Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, and Orlando Bloom, respectively) are all unique in their strengths and weaknesses, and they're also all deeply flawed despite being the heroes. It's not something that was seen too often at the time, and certainly not when it came to Disney.
The worst thing that ever happened to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was extending it past the original trilogy. Because the later additions to the series have been so bad, it leaves a stain on what was a beautifully wrapped up story found in the first three films. They've followed the same kind of formulas but just haven't captured the same feel or magic and it's likely not to be recreated again. Because of this, and other reasons such as controversy with Depp that led to his firing from the series, it really is a franchise that Disney should lay to rest. Despite all of the mess that followed the original trilogy, it's still one that viewers should not count out and should definitely give a chance if they've written it off.