Every Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Ranked, Worst To Best

Disney has held one of the best film franchises since the 2000s. Pirates of the Caribbean became synonymous with chaotic fun, starting as a lighthearted adventure full of curses and ghost ships, and eventually turning into a massive saga with memorable villains, some big twists, and, most importantly, its own unique mythology. A sixth movie is already in development, and while fans hope it can reignite the magic from back in the day, it’s worth looking back at the franchise’s track record. Because the truth is that, despite the legacy and its main attraction, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), some movies just don’t hit as hard as others.

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The franchise is packed with humor, danger, and real stakes, but some films pull it off with style, while others feel like they’re just throwing ideas out there to keep the brand alive. With that in mind, here’s every Pirates of the Caribbean movie ranked from worst to best.

5) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Let’s be honest: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the movie everyone kind of wants to forget. Is it bad? Definitely not, but it just can’t match the emotional stakes of the other films. Here, Jack gets caught up in the hunt for the Fountain of Youth, teams up with new allies, and faces off against Blackbeard (Ian McShane). He’s still entertaining, but the script doesn’t keep up. Being the fourth movie, the original trio is gone, and the franchise tried to reinvent itself with new characters (which is understandable), but the result is a slow-moving movie where everyone doesn’t have much chemistry and the stakes never feel real.

Sure, there are some fun action sequences, but nothing that makes you truly care about the characters. For some, Jack even starts feeling a bit predictable and loses some of his charm, which makes sense given that his humor keeps repeating itself. On top of that, the villain doesn’t have the presence of the franchise’s other great baddies. Basically, the whole movie feels like filler between the classics. It’s occasionally entertaining, but nothing memorable, making it the weakest entry in the series.

4) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

It took a while for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales to arrive, and the return looked promising: Jack is back, new characters are introduced, and there’s a ghostly villain in the mix. In the story, Jack is in trouble with Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) on his tail, while Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) and Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) try to save the day. The thing is: the movie fails to give any of this real weight. There’s a new romantic pair connected to beloved franchise characters, basically trying to repeat the success of Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and Will (Orlando Bloom). And Salazar, who should feel threatening, just doesn’t land.

The script loads the movie with callbacks to previous films, but never really explains anything, and Jack, the main character, spends most of the time more as a background player than a lead. There’s action, a few jokes land, but nothing sticks or truly matters to the franchise’s story. It’s nice to see an attempt to continue the saga, but strip away the nostalgia and Depp, and there’s very little left — unfortunately, it doesn’t add anything meaningful.

3) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

It’s a controversial pick for this movie to be in this spot, since a lot of people would probably put it at the top. However, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, as much as it started it all, doesn’t quite measure up to some of the others. Why? It’s just not epic. In the story, Jack teams up with Will and Elizabeth for the first time to take on Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and break the curse on his ship. It’s a great movie with excellent character introductions, and the adventure is solid — but that’s about it. It works because everyone understands what’s at stake, and it’s fun without going overboard.

When it came out, there was no plan for sequels or a massive franchise, so that’s understandable. But compared to the later entries, it’s still too simple and lacks the emotional depth and action scale that made the series so beloved. The script is straightforward and well-structured, giving Jack plenty of room to charm audiences. Still, it lands in this spot because the franchise would later manage to top itself in every possible way.

2) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

This is where the big adventure that got so many fans hooked really kicks off. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest comes in swinging, showing that a pirate story could be more ambitious than just simple fun. The plot follows Jack trying to pay off his debt to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), while Will and Elizabeth face tough decisions in an increasingly dangerous pirate world. The Flying Dutchman and the movie’s villain are genuinely impressive. You can feel the real stakes, and the story is carefully set up so it all makes sense.

The only downsides might be the runtime, since the movie is pretty long. Some say it’s a bit over the top as well, but the truth is that you can feel the weight of the characters’ choices, and that’s what makes the franchise start to feel epic. It’s easy to get invested, especially because this is the first time you really see Jack as a captain, fully in charge and knowing exactly how to charm the audience. If you liked him in the first film, here you actually fall for him. This is when the saga starts to get real scale and tension.

1) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

This is where the franchise (and the original trilogy) really explodes. All the storylines come together, Jack, Will, and Elizabeth get their arcs wrapped up, and the series hits its highest level of scale and stakes. In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the pirates unite against Davy Jones and Beckett (Tom Hollander), and Jack pulls off his usual reckless stunts to survive. Sure, the script can be a bit messy and there are too many characters at times, but that doesn’t take away from the feeling that something huge is happening: massive battles, unexpected betrayals, sacrifices, and real conclusions for all the main players. It’s full of emotion, and most of the iconic moments fans remember come from this movie.

On top of that, it stands out for how it handles the pirate world in a more political way: we see alliances, historical rivalries, and the complexity of the rules in this universe. Secondary characters get their moments too, adding real depth to a world that earlier films only started to build. Besides, the movie manages to convey real danger and that nothing is guaranteed — even in a Disney film. Everything has consequences, and Jack, chaotic as ever, faces challenges that actually push him to his limits. It’s this mix of narrative ambition, high stakes, and pure fun that makes it the high point of the franchise.

Have you seen all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies? Which one’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments!