All 5 Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies, Ranked

First conceived as a theme park ride at California’s Disneyland in the late 1960s, “Pirates of the Caribbean” has come a long way from its animatronic roots. Later going global with versions at other Disney parks, the ride went on to become one of the earliest entries in a small but growing number of Disney rides that were adapted into big budget movies. 

On paper, it might have seemed like a risky proposition to invest over $100 million into a movie based on a theme park attraction, especially after the failure of “The Haunted Mansion,” “Tower of Terror,” and “Mission to Mars.” But the gamble paid off when 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” more than quadrupled its budget in ticket sales, while subsequent sequels took the box office to even greater heights.

The first film in the series rejuvenated Johnny Depp’s career, giving him perhaps his most iconic role, while turning Keira Knightley into a movie star. Despite the franchise’s incredible popularity, though, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing. Real-life controversies and complications aside, the quality of the films themselves is hardly consistent, and with so many divided opinions on them, you might wonder where each entry stands in terms of good or bad. We’ve scoured the web for fan opinions, sifted through critical reviews, and come up with our own definitive tally. So raise anchor and get ready to sail the seven seas, as we rank every “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie (all of which are available on Disney+) from worst to best.

After the downright bonkers entry that was “At World’s End,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise took a bit of a misstep with the fourth film in the series. Adapted from an unrelated novel of the same name, “On Stranger Tides” saw Jack Sparrow on the hunt for the fabled Fountain of Youth, hoping to achieve immortality. Meanwhile, the villainous pirate Captain Blackbeard (Ian McShane) is similarly searching for the life-giving relic, all while Jack becomes entangled with his old flame and Blackbeard’s daughter, Angelica (Penélope Cruz).

Despite being one of the most expensive films ever made with a hefty budget of nearly $400 million, there are a number of reasons why “On Stranger Tides” lies at the bottom of our list. The departure of longtime series director Gore Verbinski, who until 2011 was at the helm of the multi-billion dollar franchise, meant a change in style that simply didn’t work for most fans. But perhaps even more detrimental was the amount of attention (or lack thereof) that the film doled out to our heroes. 

Though “Pirates of the Caribbean” is inarguably a showcase for Johnny Depp and the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow, we somehow got a little too much of him in “On Stranger Tides,” at the cost of leaving Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) not just sidelined, but completely absent. Without them, the film feels woefully lopsided and a tad boring without their collective chemistry.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane

Director: Rob Marshall

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 137 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 32%

While “On Stranger Tides” was more or less a standalone story, 2017’s “Dead Men Tell No Tales” returned to form by continuing the overarching story that reached a crescendo with “At World’s End.” It all gets started with the ghostly scourge of Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), a famed pirate hunter thought to be dead. He sets off on a quest for revenge against Jack Sparrow, who years earlier doomed him and his crew to their cursed fate. In response, Jack enlists the help of Will Turner’s son Henry (Brenton Thwaites) and astronomer Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) to try and break Salazar’s curse before he makes good on his promise of vengeance.

The final cinematic “Pirates” adventure (at least for now), “Dead Men Tell No Tales” is part of the complicated answer to why the franchise has been dead in the water since its release. Though managing to remedy some of the issues seen in its predecessor — such as addressing the lack of truly solid lead characters with the inclusion of newcomers Henry and Carina — there’s still plenty to pick apart here. 

While “On Stranger Tides” got the formula wrong, “Dead Men Tell No Tales” somehow overcorrects, providing little in the way of anything new for a franchise approaching 15 years of age. That alone isn’t enough to sink the film, but an off-putting performance from Depp — that plenty of critics and fans felt was sorely lacking — was the finishing blow to a disappointing sendoff for the series.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem

Director: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 129 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 30%

After the smash hit that was “The Curse of the Black Pearl,” director Gore Verbinski set himself up for a tough act to follow. And though his second swashbuckler doesn’t quite stand toe to toe with the first, it’s still a darn good pirate tale. Ramping up the action from where the series kicked off, 2006’s “Dead Man’s Chest” sees Jack Sparrow in a race against time as an unpaid debt finally catches up with him. Facing an eternity of servitude to the tentacled captain from hell, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) — arguably the greatest of the many villains Sparrow and the gang have faced — his only way out is to find the titular Dead Man’s Chest, before its owner catches up with him.

Adding to the wider lore of the “Pirates” universe, “Dead Man’s Chest” further introduces us to the series’ unique blending of real-life figures and the stuff of myth and legends that would become a staple of the franchise going forward. Crafted as a setup for a larger story, the second “Pirates” outing admittedly does feel a bit off at times as a result. But while it might not be a perfect film, it does a good job bridging the gap between the franchise’s humble beginnings and what would follow, and is more than made up for by the title it was setting up.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley

Director: Gore Verbinski

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 151 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53%

Casual fans of the “Pirates” franchise would be likely bewildered by the leaps and bounds the series made in just three films. Far from the relatively straightforward tale of kidnapping and magical amulets we started with, “At World’s End” finds Jack as the prisoner of a giant octopus monster with a Scottish accent, while the future of pirates everywhere hangs in the balance. And that’s not even the tip of the proverbial iceberg, as all that is set against the backdrop of an epic naval war against the East India Trading Company that finally comes to a head.

Though received poorly by critics, we’re here to tell you why 2007’s “At World’s End” is the most underrated entry in the “Pirates” series. The last of the franchise to be captained by director Gore Verbinski, the film feels like the ultimate finale to a trilogy. In fact, it feels like multiple finales crammed into one, as the amount of seafaring action, absurd moments, and over-the-top stakes on display would be enough to pad out a separate trilogy of films all by itself. It might be a bit of a self-indulgent adventure that tests just how far the series could go, and there are times when it nearly goes too far. UItimately, it’s a movie that shouldn’t work but somehow does, all while keeping the same heart and charm longtime fans love.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley

Director: Gore Verbinski

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 168 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 43%

The one that started it all, 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl” remains the best entry in the series all these years later, and it’s hard not to see why. With its fresh take on the pirate adventure and a straightforward swashbuckling story, its blend of gritty action, light-hearted humor, and a dash of the supernatural made it unlike anything audiences had seen before. 

This first seafaring adventure kicks off after Elizabeth Swann is kidnapped by the crew of the Black Pearl, a mysterious vessel thought to be the stuff of legend, under the command of Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). But it isn’t in the hopes of securing a hefty ransom that they’ve kidnapped Swann; they’re instead planning to trade her life to free their own eternal souls from a nearly unbreakable curse. With the Black Pearl slipping away, Swann’s only hope for survival is squarely in the hands of former rivals Will Turner and the ever-aloof pirate captain Jack Sparrow — who must put aside their differences to save the damsel in distress.

The most tightly written, funniest film in the series, and with the strongest work from its star cast, there are plenty of reasons to love the series’ inaugural installment. Though the franchise would have much crazier twists and turns than we’d see in its debut outing, there’s no doubt that “The Curse of the Black Pearl” is head and shoulders above the rest.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom

Director: Gore Verbinski

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 143 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%