The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was absolutely huge during the 2000s. Audiences across the globe have fallen in love with the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow and his Black Pearl, as many flocked to theaters to see the infamous pirate go on escapades involving skeletons, sea creatures, and the British Royal Navy.

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So far, there have been five different installments in the franchise, and while each one is enjoyable in its own right, the movies do not reach the same standard of quality. With that in mind, which is the best Pirates of the Caribbean movie?

Updated May 25, 2022 by Mark Sammut: The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise's future is currently unknown, but the series has quite a substantial following. Over the course of two decades, Disney took audiences on five grand sea-faring adventures, inspiring plenty of laughs, awes, and tears along the way. This article has been expanded to include more information about each film, along with where they can be streamed.

Each movie's lifetime gross was sourced from Box Office Mojo.

5 Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean stranger tides blackbeard and angelica

Release Date

May 20, 2011

Director

Rob Marshall

Box Office Earnings (Worldwide)

$1,045,713,802

Rotten Tomatoes Score

33%

Disney+ Link

On Stranger Tides

In On Stranger Tides, fans are introduced to Blackbeard, the merciless Captain of the pirate ship known as Queen Anne's Revenge. Many were interested in knowing more about this new villain and his objectives, as well as getting to see Jack Sparrow in action.

While this blockbuster shows Sparrow in all his clumsy glory, it fails to capture the magic of the original trilogy. Elizabeth and Will might be somewhat polarizing characters, but their more "typical" personalities juxtaposition well with Sparrow's eccentric demeanor. On Stranger Tides removes them from the equation and pushes Jack even further into the protagonist role than in the previous sequels, resulting in an unbalanced story. Although the film got its casting spot on, Penélope Cruz's Angelica and Geoffrey Rush's Blackbeard are both forgettable characters, with the latter being perhaps the worst main villain in the series. That said, the mermaid sequence is fantastic and intense, easily one of the best moments in Pirates of the Caribbean​​​​​.

4 Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Pirates of the Caribbean dead men tell no tales

Release Date

May 26, 2017

Directors

Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg

Box Office Earnings (Worldwide)

$794,881,442

Rotten Tomatoes Score

30%

Disney+ Link

Dead Men Tell No Tales

By the 5th installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, most fans were just eager to see Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow as he seemed to be the glue holding the movies together. Dead Men Tell No Tales tells the story of a sailor named Salazar, whom many refer to as El Matador Del Mar. He used to hunt down pirates and ruthlessly dispose of them, but he ran out of luck when he attacked a fleet of pirate ships that had a young Jack Sparrow on board one of them. After the Captain of the Wicked Wench was killed, Jack assumed the position of its Captain and lured Salazar into the Devil's Triangle where he and his crew became cursed. Salazar swore revenge against, as he called him, "Jack The Sparrow."

Released almost 15 years into the series' life, Dead Men Tell No Tales suffered from franchise fatigue, resulting in a lackluster box office return (by POTC standards) and a critical drubbing. This film tries to correct the mistakes of On Stranger Tides by introducing a new couple to replace Will and Elizabeth; unfortunately, Henry and Carina are blander than their predecessors. Sadly, Javier Bardem's Salazar is an underwhelming villain that suffers from the Bane issue that it is often difficult to make out everything he says.

Sparrow and Barbossa carry this movie on their backs, even if both characters are slight shadows of their former selves in this movie. Despite all that criticism, Dead Men Tell No Tales has quite a few great set pieces and also injects a late twist that adds some emotional weight to the narrative.

3 Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean dead man's chest sparrow and will sword fight

Release Date

July 7, 2006

Director

Gore Verbinski

Box Office Earnings (Worldwide)

$1,066,179,747

Rotten Tomatoes Score

53%

Disney+ Link

Dead Man's Chest

With the 2003 film being a surprise success, Disney quickly put two sequels into production, both of which performed extremely well at the box office. Here, Sparrow has to deal with two antagonists who are breathing down his neck: Lord Becket wants his compass and Davy Jones wants his soul.

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Unlike the original movie, Dead Man's Chest firmly presents Sparrow as a protagonist on par with Will and Elizabeth; in fact, an argument can be made that the pirate is the real main character. As the middle entry in a trilogy, Dead Man's Chest struggles to fully make up for its lack of closure, which is not helped by the fact that At World's End spends its first hour reverting its predecessor's ending.

That said, this is a relentlessly entertaining blockbuster filled with creative action sequences, physical comedy, and a multitude of effective performances that are not overshadowed by Johnny Deep's Sparrow. The plot can get a touch too complicated at times, but a great scene is almost always just a few minutes away.

2 Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End

Pirates of the Carribbean At Worlds End elizabeth, barbossa and sparrow

Release Date

May 25, 2007

Director

Gore Verbinski

Box Office Earnings (Worldwide)

$960,996,492

Rotten Tomatoes Score

44%

Disney+ Link

At World's End

At World's End was by far the most anticipated movie in the entire franchise thanks to the previous one ending on a major cliffhanger. Jack and his beloved Pearl are stuck in Davy Jones' Locker, while Becket, who had possession of Jones' heart, is destroying pirate ships with the aid of the Flying Dutchman.

The longest entry in the series, At World's End sets out to deliver an unapologetically epic experience, one stuffed with betrayals, characters on top of characters, outlandish set pieces, and crabs. So many crabs. Bloated as the film could be at times, At World's End felt like one of those spectacles that simply had to be watched on the big screen. Every figure that fans grew to love throughout the previous movies is given something to do in this entry, including the returning Barbossa, and the final battle is something special.

1 Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean curse black pearl sparrow and will

Release Date

July 9, 2003

Director

Gore Verbinski

Box Office Earnings (Worldwide)

$654,264,015

Rotten Tomatoes Score

80%

Disney+ Link

The Curse of the Black Pearl

The Curse of the Black Pearl is the best Pirates of the Caribbean movie and, frankly, it is not even close. This blockbuster is perfect from start to finish, and it has a very satisfying ending. Although just a secondary player in this story, Captain Jack Sparrow steals every scene he is in, becoming the franchise's break-out character in the process.

After he was betrayed and lost The Pearl, Jack set out in search of a means to retake his beloved. The movie shows how he burrows into the lives of Elizabeth and Will, and how he becomes a part of their lives. The struggle to save Elizabeth from Barbossa, as well as obtaining the Pearl, made each scene captivating.

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