It has been more than two decades since the Pirates of the Caribbean movies first set sail – achieving not one, but two goals that no other studio in Hollywood would dare to attempt at the time. Not only did the original installment from 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, prove that pirate movies could still be a hit after a long box office dry spell but also that movies based on theme park attractions could make a killing.
Since then, a current total of five swashbuckling adventures starring Academy Award nominee Johnny Depp as the goofy and drunken, but heroic, Capt. Jack Sparrow have been released – all of which are available with a Disney+ subscription. I have mapped out how to watch the best Pirates of the Caribbean movies in order of release date (which also aligns with their chronological order), including tips on all the different ways to watch them.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
The film that started it all, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (one of the best movies of the 2000s), sees the legendary Capt. Jack Sparrow (whom Johnny Depp based on Pepe Le Pew and The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards) enlisted by young blacksmith William Turner to help him rescue the woman he loves – the governor’s daughter, Elizabeth Swann – who is being held captive by Captain Hector Barbossa on the eponymous ship. What Will does not know, and what Jack has only just discovered, is that they are preparing to take on a crew of ruthless swashbucklers who are cursed with immortality and a ghastly, skeletal appearance under the moonlight.
How to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
- Stream Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on Disney+
- Rent or buy Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on Amazon
- Buy Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on Blu-ray on Amazon
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Stellan Skarsgård
Many of the most badass moments from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise come from Dead Man’s Chest, in which Capt. Jack Sparrow is enjoying his reclamation of the Black Pearl and Will and Elizabeth are about to wed. However, their new lives are upended when Jack learns from Will’s father, “Bootstrap Bill” Turner, owes a debt to the fabled, cursed seafarer, Davy Jones, and Will is forced to find Jack’s compass to prevent him and Elizabeth from facing the gallows.
How to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
- Stream Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest on Disney+
- Rent or buy Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest on Amazon
- Buy Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest on Blu-ray on Amazon
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Chow Yun-Fat
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End picks up relatively soon after the cliffhanger ending in Dead Man’s Chest, with the likes of Will, Elizabeth, and others forming an alliance with their enemy, a resurrected Hector Barbossa, to find a way to rescue Capt. Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker. Of course, that mission turns out to be only the beginning of their adventure, which involves a war for control of Davy Jones himself and the Flying Dutchman and an epic battle that will decide the fate of piracy as we know it. Also, Keith Richards makes his first appearance as Jack’s father, Captain Edward Teague.
How to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
- Stream Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End on Disney+
- Rent or buy Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End on Amazon
- Buy Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End on Blu-ray on Amazon
Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush
At the conclusion of At World’s End, Capt. Jack Sparrow is seen going off on his own in a search for the coveted Fountain of Youth but Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides shows that he is not only on after eternal life. Joining Jack to find a treasure unlike any other are his one-time rival Hector Barbossa, his one-time lover Angelica, and Angelica’s father – the one and only Blackbeard – as they set sail on the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
How to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Stream Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on Disney+
- Rent or buy Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on Amazon
- Buy Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on Blu-ray on Amazon
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Director: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Starring: Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario
Similar to the plot of The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales sees Capt. Jack Sparrow teaming up with a young thrill-seeker (William Turner’s son, Henry) and an ambitious young woman (amateur astronomer Carina Smyth) against a cursed, vengeful pirate from Jack’s past. This time, however, the cursed pirate crew is led by Captain Armando Salazar, who engages in a race against Jack, Henry, Carina, and Hector Barbossa to find the Trident of Poseidon, which grants the wielder rule over the sea. Plus, we get another rock star cameo – this time former Beatle Paul McCartney as “Uncle Jack.”
How to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
- Stream Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales on Disney+
- Rent or buy Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales on Amazon
- Buy Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales on Blu-ray on Amazon
For years now, there has been talk of a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie that will not involve Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow but Academy Award nominee Margot Robbie in a new role. If the project ever does come to fruition, hopefully, they can strike gold just like the original adventures of this franchise did.
