Despite the franchise's general box office success, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is widely hated by fans and critics alike - but what exactly is it that makes the sequel so despised? Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl reignited Hollywood's fondness for swashbuckling high-seas adventure after the disastrous failure of Cutthroat Island, and it seemed that Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow was destined to become one of pop culture's favorite pirates. However, after a successful trilogy of films and a four-year hiatus, the franchise returned with Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and fans were not impressed.
Despite Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 meeting with mixed reviews, fans of the first film generally enjoyed the continuation of the franchise's story, which saw Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) complete their romantic narrative arc. Critical opinion of the films steadily declined as the franchise went on, as did that of fans, causing many to wonder exactly what went wrong with the Pirates sequels. On Stranger Tides has the lowest audience score of all five Pirates films on Rotten Tomatoes, and the second-lowest critical score, making it the franchise's overall most-hated film.
The exact reason why is a combination of a number of factors. On Stranger Tides was the film that saw the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise continue past its original trilogy, and it also was the first film to move away from the franchise's original cast. The fourth film in the franchise might have attempted to recapture the magic of the original, but it was a noticeable step down in quality in more than one way, and fans and critics alike were less than impressed with the resulting film.
After the box office success of the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, the plans for On Stranger Tides changed numerous times. These changes saw stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley opt not to return, which in turn caused the casting of new characters: Penelope Cruz as Angelica, Ian McShane as Blackbeard, and Sam Claflin as Philip Swift. Swift, in particular, was an obvious stand-in for Bloom's character, and a shoehorned love story with a mermaid was a transparent attempt to recapture the romantic element of the preceding trilogy. However, this blatant imitation of the franchise's earlier success felt cheap and rushed, and it did more harm than good for On Stranger Tides.
One more reason for On Stranger Tides' status as the most-hated Pirates of the Caribbean sequel is how unnecessary it was. The original trilogy, while not critically adored, still rounded out the story that began in The Curse of the Black Pearl in an organic progression of the narrative. When Elizabeth and Will's actors declined to return for On Stranger Tides, it saw the franchise limp on as a shadow of what it once was without two members of its original core cast. Bloom and Knightley later returned in minor supporting roles for Dead Men Tell No Tales, which went some way to legitimizing the fifth film in the franchise, pointing to the possible reason it was better received by fans.
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise might not be the most critically acclaimed series of films, but its lasting popularity is a testament to its ability to capture audiences' imaginations. The franchise might appear to have been in steady decline since its conception, but the fourth film stands out as the most despised - Pirates 4 was even almost banned in China. Exactly what the franchise's future looks like remains to be seen, but whatever upcoming installments do, they likely won't be as hated as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.