While the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has received criticism that Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow character got worse as the movies wore on, that’s not quite true—and it’s a big part of why Depp’s Sparrow returning wouldn’t be enough to save Pirates of the Caribbean 6. Later entries in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise proved to garner less and less acclaim, with the latest entry Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales receiving a sub-par 30% on ratings aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Therefore, broadly speaking, there is a critical consensus that claims the series started strong, but the Pirates of the Caribbean movies deteriorated in quality as the franchise continued.
Alongside this claim, there is a connected argument that can be seen in many reviews of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that claim Johnny Depp’s central character Jack Sparrow grew progressively less funny, charismatic, and likable as the franchise continued. While screen veteran Brian Cox's claim that Depp’s Sparrow was always overrated is subject to debate, the statement that Jack got worse with each new Pirates of the Caribbean movie is one that even staunch defenders of the film series seem to have a hard time denying.
Although many pieces of online commentary suggest that Jack Sparrow seems to become increasingly grating throughout the Pirates of the Caribbean series, these reviews overlook real issues with the franchise. In reality, Jack Sparrow's character is remarkably consistent throughout the five Pirates of the Caribbean movies, with the franchise's increasingly jarring story structure that changed and eventually doomed the series to critical failure. As a result, The Pirates of the Caribbean movies can’t fix their biggest problem even if Johnny Depp returns to the role of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 because Jack was always a symptom of the franchise’s woes, not the source.
How The Pirates of the Caribbean Movies Got Worse
Between the original trilogy and the Jack-centric sequels, the focus and tone of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies changed. Later Pirates of the Caribbean movies became lightweight adventure romps in contrast with the surprisingly dark, scary, and occasionally tragic original trilogy. In terms of plot, the fourth and fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movies focused almost entirely on Depp’s Sparrow at the expense of his new co-stars, creating narratives that felt increasingly paper-thin. In contrast, the original trilogy has almost too many characters, with Elizabeth and Will’s love story, Jack’s crew, the undead Barbossa, the Pirate Lords, Commander Norrington, Davy Jones, the Kraken, and the East India Trading Company all vying for screen time. This sprawling list of characters arrives without even mentioning Calypso/Tia Dalma, the villain wasted by the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy due to the film's respective, increasingly over-stuffed plots. While the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies therefore still had issues, their stories didn’t center entirely on Depp’s character—a mistake that the later sequels would double down on.
Jack Sparrow’s Character Never Changed
There is no denying that contemporary appetite for Depp’s Sparrow decreased as the Pirates of the Caribbean series continued. However, this problem has never hinged on any changes in the character of Jack Sparrow himself, nor even on how Depp portrayed him. Depp’s Sparrow doesn’t massively change between the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the later sequels. In fact, he gets more screen time and therefore loses his novelty (a pattern that started as far back as 2006’s first Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, Dead Man’s Chest), but despite this, the lovably amoral, opportunistic Jack Sparrow remains a consistent character throughout the entire Pirates of the Caribbean series. Ironically, this character consistency isn’t good news for the franchise.
Why Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Can’t “Fix” Jack Sparrow
One recurring inquiry in the online discourse surrounding a potential Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is the question of whether the creators of Pirates of the Caribbean can “fix” Sparrow as a character. This discussion is primarily born from an evident disparity between how he was seen in his 2003 screen debut versus his current incarnation. As if to underline this, 2003's first Pirates of the Caribbean movie saw Depp nominated for an Oscar for his role as Sparrow, while 2017's fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie saw the actor nominated for a Razzie award. However, despite how drastically audience reactions to replacing Depp’s Jack Sparrow have shifted over the years, Jack can’t be fixed because he’s not broken.
Pirates of the Caribbean 6 replacing Depp’s Jack Sparrow has not been put off because the creators want to rehire his original actor or “fix” the protagonist, but because Sparrow is an irreplaceable element of the series. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies grew to rely on Jack Sparrow as their sole source of compelling character drama, and this over-reliance resulted in steadily more screen-time for Depp’s character. This exhausted Sparrow’s appeal not because it changed the character in any meaningful way but because the Pirates of the Caribbean antihero stayed the same. The Jack Sparrow who stole the show in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movies was always intended to be a scene-stealing supporting star, not the franchise’s lead.
What This Means For The Pirates of the Caribbean Series
Given the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has only grown to rely on Depp’s Jack Sparrow more and more over the years, the character has become more indispensable while growing less and less well-liked. Depp’s character is the crux of the later Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, and his presence alone forms their primary appeal for many fans, which paradoxically results in audiences liking him less than ever before. In this way, his appeal has been exhausted by over-exposure, and a character that is designed to exist in small doses has been blamed for failing to grow and change when this same evolution would sap him of his flighty, feckless, devil-may-care appeal.
Now, the Pirates of the Caribbean series is put in an unenviable position, even disregarding Depp’s well-publicized ongoing personal troubles. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise needs Sparrow to function in the same way that Scream 2022 didn’t need Sidney Prescott onscreen at all times, or Fast & Furious was able to retool the franchise after the untimely death of Paul Walker. Jack’s unchanging persona is the primary selling point for movies, meaning he is in essence resented for not changing while also being unable to enjoy any character development that makes the inherently light-hearted Jack a more complicated or mature figure. In this way, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies can’t make Pirates of the Caribbean 6 work unless the creators either find a way to stop centering the series on Depp’s Jack Sparrow or find a way to change the character that audiences want to see.