The Pirates of the Caribbean Movies In Order — A UK Streaming Guide
Pirates of the Caribbean is one of Disney’s most iconic and successful movie franchises. The series was originally based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks with a story inspired by Tim Powers’ 1987 historical fantasy novel ‘On Stranger Tides’. Since the release of Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, the Pirates movies—all of which were produced by Hollywood legend Jerry Bruckheimer—have grossed $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office. Not bad, mateys.
Since the release of Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017, however, we’ve yet to see a new installment—but with a rumoured (and surely inevitable) reboot supposedly in the works at Disney, what better time to to brush up on this swashbuckling saga. Read on to discover more about the Pirates franchise and hit the guide below to find out how to stream each one on services like Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the movie that introduced Johnny Depp’s infamous Captain Jack Sparrow to the world—and whatever your thoughts on the actor these days, the character (who was famously based on Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards) is undeniably an icon of 21st Century cinema.
Directed by Gore Verbinski from a screenplay by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, the first Pirates movie is pretty iconic, too—and whether you’re a fan of older classics like The Adventures of Robin Hood or more recent classics like The Princess Bride, you’re really in for a treat here. Geoffrey Rush (as Captain Barbossa), Orlando Bloom (as Will Turner) and Keira Knightley (as Elizabeth Swann) round out the stellar cast.
Three years after the enormous success of Black Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow returned for more escapades in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest—and if you liked the first movie for its sense of fun and adventure but felt it could have used a slightly spookier vibe (think The Host meets Master and Commander, or something like that), this might be the one for you.
The 2006 film sees Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom return alongside newcomers Stellan Skarsgård and Jonathan Pryce; but the movie’s MVP is easily Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones—a man with an octopus for a head, and a character who some believe to be one of the greatest achievements in the history of CGI.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is Gore Verbinski’s third and final entry to the Pirates franchise and it kind of does exactly what it says on the tin. The story is set just a few months after Dead Man’s Chest and focuses on a mission to rescue Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker—and as the title suggests, this allows for some exciting set pieces in a kind of pirate limbo, as well as a spectacular final battle over a swirling whirlpool.
On the other hand, like most final installments, At World’s End is nobody’s favourite of the Verbinski movies—but if you enjoyed the first two and you want to see some of the most elaborate CGI work ever put to screen, you owe it to yourself (and to Gore) to complete the cycle.
In 2011, the Pirates movies got a new look with Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The movie, which was directed by Rob Marshall (who got an Oscar nomination for Chicago in 2002), introduces a host of new characters into the mix while jettisoning Bloom’s Will Turner and Knightly’s Elizabeth Swann—so if you liked the original trilogy but felt it was time for some fresh blood, you’ll might be into this one.
Amongst the fresh faces are Penelope Cruz (Volver), playing Sparrow’s former lover Angelica, and Ian McShane (Deadwood) as the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Just be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a certain Rolling Stone.
Six long years after Stranger Tides, the longest gap in the series to that point, Sparrow returned for a final adventure (at least for now) in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. This was an attempt to reboot the Pirates franchise for a younger audience—so if you enjoyed everything up to this point but felt it was time for Sparrow to hand the wheel to some new protagonists, you might fancy checking this one out.
Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, the story follows Sparrow’s quest to find the mythical Trident of Poseidon while being hunted by a ghostly new foe, Captain Armando Salazar (played by Javier Bardem, bringing some of the menace of his performance in No Country for Old Men). Kaya Scodelario (Skins) and Lewis McGowen hop on board as Carina Smyth and Henry Turner, respectively.
