Although all thePirates Of The Caribbeanmovies have their defenders, it is not hard to name the biggest issue with the series and the main problemPirates of the Caribbean 6must fix. It is currently unclear whetherPirates of the Caribbean 6will ever arrive, even though series producer Jerry Bruckheimer has repeatedly hinted at the possibility in recent years. The fact thatMargot Robbie’sPirates of the Caribbeanrebootfell through despite her A-list status seems to bode badly for the future of the series, which stalled due to numerous issues.
Original star Johnny Depp was seemingly dropped by the franchise, although no sequels have been made without his involvement in the years since. Now, it is not clearwhether Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrowwill appear inPirates of the Caribbean 6or if the series will continue with an all-new cast and a rebooted timeline. Regardless of which approach the creators choose, Depp’s involvement has never been the main issue facing the series. A glance back at thePirates of the Caribbeansequels proves that the biggest problem with the franchise dates back far further.
Later Pirates of the Caribbean Movies Confused Chaos With Tension
Whileall thePirates of the Caribbeansequelshave their own unique issues, there is one major overarching problem that binds them together.EveryPirates of the Caribbeanmovie afterThe Curse Of The Black Pearlmistook an epic scale for a thrilling story, resulting in movies that felt huge but empty.The Curse Of The Black Pearlwas hardly an inexpensive movie, but many of its most beloved moments were small, subtle details, like Depp’s campy flourishes as Sparrow or the antics of supporting characters like Pintel and Raghetti.
2006’sDead Man’s Chestwas painfully overlong, but even its lengthy runtime didn’t give the movie time to adequately explain every faction involved in its needlessly convoluted story.
In contrast, everything about thePirates of the Caribbeansequels was bigger, more expensive, and more expansive in terms of scope. 2006’sDead Man’s Chestwas painfully overlong, but even its lengthy runtime didn’t give the movie time to adequately explain every faction involved in its needlessly convoluted story. 2007’sAt World’s Endwas an epic, surprisingly sad ending to the original trilogy, but the movie pulled too far in too many directions and never had a solid throughline as a result.
The messiness and excessive ambition of the sequels only became more pronounced with2011’sOn Stranger Tides, which became one of the most expensive movies ever made during its production. The budget ballooned asOn Stranger Tidesadded more new characters, more returning characters, more set pieces, and more constant chaos. This, ironically, resulted in a sequel that felt profoundly lacking in heart, focus, and a clear, comprehensible story with self-evident stakes. 2017’sDead Men Tell No Talesonly exacerbated these issues.
Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Needs To Capture The Spirit Of The Curse Of The Black Pearl
The Original Pirates of the Caribbean Movie’s Surprising Simplicity Elevated The Blockbuster
What madeThe Curse Of The Black Pearlso special was its standalone story, its well-drawn characters, and the decision to limit Depp’s Sparrow to a scene-stealing supporting presence. The more viewers got to see Sparrow, the less chaotic he felt and the more predictable his persona became. Similarly, the longer the original trilogy dragged out and deepened its plot, the clearer it became that the series didn’t benefit from complex double and triple crosses.
WhileWill getting a subplot inAt World’s Endmight have seemed like a necessity to the movie’s creators, this distraction instead just served to highlight how thinly conceived his character was. Similarly, Elizabeth and Jack’s shared return at the end ofDead Men Tell No Tales should have been triumphant, but the moment instead fell flat. Their story had long been forgotten thanks to the sheer volume of characters, villains, heroes, incidents, locations, and other ephemera crammed into the intervening sequels.
Pirates of the Caribbean’s Poor Rotten Tomatoes Streak Is A Reminder That It Needs Correction
The Franchise Failed To Impress Critics As The Series Continued
One need only look at theRotten Tomatoesrecord of thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise to know that the series is heading for perilous waters if it stays on its current course. It might be tempting to say thatJohnny Depp’sPirates of the Caribbean 6returnwould save the series, but this analysis ignores the fact that Depp played the main role in bothOn Stranger TidesandDead Men Tell No Tales.
Pirates of the Caribbean Movies
RT Critics Score
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
79%
53%
43%
32%
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
30%
Those sequels were the two worst-received in the series, not solely because of Depp’s performance, but because of the franchise’s overall reliance on sheer spectacle instead of good storytelling.Pirates of the Caribbean 6must feel more likeThe Curse of the Black Pearlor the already troubled series will run the risk of sliding into total irrelevance.Pirates of the Caribbean 6has only one chance to save thePirates of the Caribbean franchise, so the sequel must not repeat the biggest mistake shared by all its predecessors.
