With Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl making a massive splash at the box office all the way back in 2003, the series has jumped from victory to victory in the time since. And though the quality of the series may vary and it isn’t the most critically beloved franchise, there are millions of fans of the series, and it’s the only truly great franchise about pirates that has ever been on the big screen.
For a series that was originally based on a theme park ride, Pirates has come a long way, and the future of the series looks even bigger. But some Reddit critics and overly enthusiastic fans have a ton of hot takes about the movies, good and bad. Whether it’s comparing the series to other stronger franchises, criticizing fan-favorite characters, or singing the praises of the later movies, there are many unpopular opinions about Pirates.
The Franchise Is Better Than Star Wars
Billion-dollar franchises are becoming more and more common, but the king of the box office has always been the Star Wars series. It has been beloved from the late 70s, and there have been celebrated movies of the franchise released every decade since then. And though PotC can take Stars Wars punch for punch at the box office, it is far from as beloved as the space saga.
However, one Redditor believes that Pirates is much better, citing that it has fewer plot holes and a less toxic fanbase. But though the two franchises have more in common than meets the eye, such as sword fights, weird creatures, and magic, there’s no denying how much better the Star Wars movies are, and they’ve had a much bigger impact on pop culture too.
Will And Elizabeth Are Annoying
It’s easy to forget that though Jack Sparrow is the shining star of the series, the first three movies aren’t exactly about the anti-hero pirate captain. The original trilogy is about Will’s family and his relationship with Elizabeth, but a few Redditors weren’t overly impressed with the way the two lovebirds were depicted.
They argue that they are annoying throughout the movies, and in Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End, they don’t have any character arcs, as their only role is to screw over Jack.
On Stranger Tides Was An Interesting Departure
When it was announced that the Pirates series would continue without any of the cast of the original trilogy except for Jack Sparrow, nobody thought it would necessarily be too much of a departure. Though the rest of the characters in the first movie were great, the heart of the movie was really Jack. But it was with the release of On Stranger Tides that audiences realized just how imperative the original cast was.
However, though it received a tepid reception because of exactly that, there are some who come to its defense. They claim that On Stranger Tides was an interesting departure, and to their credit, with it being a completely unfiltered Jack Sparrow movie and the addition of Penelope Cruz, it’s certainly different.
The British Are The Good Guys
The British colonized almost the whole world and went about despicable acts in the process, and in The Curse of the Black Pearl, they are at it again. But one user feels like the British are the good guys.
The user actually puts across some good points, as they explain that they wanted to destroy piracy and protect the country from thievery and murder. But as the movie hides all of the terrible stuff that pirates actually get up to and the characters are portrayed as loveably goofy, the audience just sees the British as bad guys.
The First Three Movies Are Better Than The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
In what is clearly one of the biggest unpopular opinions ever, one Redditor argues that The Lord of the Rings trilogy is worse than the original Pirates trilogy. It’s easy to compare the movies as they’re both fantastical, and Orlando Bloom even starred in both franchises.
It caused a massively heated debate, as the post has over 1500 replies. But ultimately, the Lord of the Rings movies have a more dedicated fan base, made more money at the box office on average, and have way higher scores on IMDb, with The Return of the King considered the seventh greatest film of all time.
Barbossa Is The Best Character Of The Series
After rewatching the first three movies recently, this Redditor has come to the conclusion that Barbossa is easily the best character of the series. Though most fans would immediately deny this and claim that Jack Sparrow is the best, the user believes it’s thanks to the acting skills of Rush.
And to be fair to the user, when Rush surprisingly reappears as Barbossa in On Stranger Tides, it’s a big moment and it briefly steals the show from Jack Sparrow.
Jack Sparrow Is Terrible
Though the character was almost played by Michael Keaton, Jack Sparrow was totally brought to life by Johnny Depp, and it’s impossible to see anyone else in the role. The character is the most lovable pirate in cinema, but one Redditor thinks that he’s a jerk.
They argue that he’s simply the lesser of two evils when it comes to the other villains of the series. However, though Jack is clearly selfish and greedy, that’s exactly why he’s an anti-hero. At the end of the day, he will do the right thing, however reluctant he may be, and in Dead Man’s Chest, he even sacrificed himself.
Salazar Has Potential
Even with On Stranger Tides, as poorly received as it was, most fans still thought that Blackbeard was a fascinating villain, but with Dead Men Tell No Tales, the story is a lot different. Despite the villain’s name even being in the movie title in some areas (the subtitle for the movie in Europe is Salazar’s Revenge,) the character didn’t live up to the hype.
However, this Redditor enjoyed watching the antagonist in the fifth movie. Even though the user even admits that Salazar made no sense and that he’s a stupid excuse for a villain, other Redditors agree that he was still cool and entertaining.
Dead Man’s Chest Is The Best Of The Series
It might be the highest-grossing movie Depp has starred in, but it’s far from the most well-received, and though it comes before the Pirates’ dip in quality, Dead Men’s Chest is mostly seen as inferior to Black Pearl.
Dead Man’s Chest was criticized mostly for being too confusing and messy, but this user argues that it was actually complex. They posit that because the characters are already established, it’s the perfect middle chapter of the series and it’s great to see the crew tackle new challenges.
The Studio Should Make More Pirates Movies
Though most think the series should be left alone, at least for a while, as the quality is decreasing and the series is seeing diminishing returns at the box office, some think the exact opposite.
The Redditor has an interesting take on the direction they should go in, as they believe each movie should be an anthology, with a different captain and crew in each one. But the Redditors are getting what they want, as there isn’t just one new movie in the works, but two movies currently being developed.