Pirates Of The Caribbean: 5 Reasons Curse Of The Black Pearl Is The Best (& 5 Reasons It’s Dead Man’s Chest)

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is one of the strongest that Disney has ever created in the live-action genre. The pirate adventure movies started out being based on the popular Disney attraction but ended up turning into a mammoth franchise full of incredible action and iconic characters. At this moment in time, there have been five movies in the franchise, and each installment has its own strengths and weaknesses.

However, when it comes to deciding which of the films is the best, it is the original and the first sequel that normally crops up in the discussion. They’re the two strongest movies and both of them tell a fantastic story in different ways. But which movie is the best? Well, within this list, we will give five reasons why it’s the Curse of the Black Pearl, and five reasons why it’s Dead Man’s Chest.

10 Curse Of The Black Pearl: It Set The Universe

The original Pirates of the Caribbean is the movie that set up the universe for everyone to understand and enjoy. Without this movie and the way that it showcased everything about the setting, the franchise may not have been able to become as popular as it did.

The movie does an amazing job of opening up the world straight away, wasting absolutely no time in creating a fun environment for all the movies to come later. It quickly made things clear, from the different sets of pirates to the navy, and to the tone of the film, it did it perfectly.

9 Dead Man’s Chest: Greater Special Effects

It shouldn’t be a big surprise that Dead Man’s Chest had better special and practical effects than Curse of the Black Pearl because the movie had the benefit of time. Being released later meant that Disney was able to utilize all the technology at its disposal and it really shows.

The technology on display within this movie really is breathtaking and looks tremendous. The attention to detail and effort that was put into the film is clear to see and it really helps make the film feel even more special.

8 Curse Of The Black Pearl: Iconic Fight Scene

When people think about the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as a whole, one of the most iconic scenes that took place happened in the original movie. That was the moment that Jack Sparrow and Will Turner first engaged together in Turner’s place of work.

The two men end up having an amazing fight scene that really utilizes the space to perfection. Whether it is awkwardly balancing or sending a donkey in a spin, they blend comedy and tremendous swordsmanship into one moment.

7 Dead Man’s Chest: Kraken

While the Curse of the Black Pearl had one of the most iconic fight scenes in the history of the franchise, Dead Man’s Chest managed to one-up that by adding the legendary Kraken. The sea monster that is the stuff of legend and myth was brought into this world and Disney did a terrific job in doing so.

The Kraken was made to seem like the most terrifying monster possible which added an extra villain to the movie. The beast didn’t need to be given a big personality, it was just an ominous threat going on in the background that popped up to cause terror at occasional moments.

6 Curse Of The Black Pearl: Captain Barbosa

Captain Barbosa is one of the most iconic characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which is why Disney made the decision to bring him back after this film. The fact he was part of more movies proves how much of an impact he had.

However, even though he is in many other Pirates of the Caribbean films, the original is the one where Barbosa shines the brightest. This is where he is a true main character with everything revolving around him, and he really was an excellent villain.

5 Dead Man’s Chest: Davy Jones

Sure, Dead Man’s Chest didn’t have Captain Barbosa (until the final scene of the movie), but it more than made up for that with Davy Jones. This character was absolutely incredible and brought together some of the greatest CGI that had ever been seen until that point.

The performance by Bill Nighy was absolutely superb in this film, helping to make Jones a scary, yet equally sympathetic character. He could terrify you in one moment and then make you feel sorry for him the next, which made him an unbelievably compelling character.

4 Curse Of The Black Pearl: The Jack Sparrow/Will Turner Relationship

While the relationship between Jack Sparrow and Will Turner is one of the big storylines throughout the first three movies, it is never more prominent than it is in the original. This is the movie where they first meet and agree to help each other, and this is the film where they go on their journey together.

Jack is the man responsible for setting up Will on a path to become a pirate and it all starts in Curse of the Black Pearl. They spend tons of time together in this film and have a brilliant back and forth relationship that sees them both respect each other, and hate each other at the same time.

3 Dead Man’s Chest: More Emotions

Another reason that Dead Man’s Chest is the better of the two movies in question is that the emotional aspect of the film is ramped up. One of the big reasons for that is because audiences are already connected to the characters by this stage, which allows the movie to delve more into the relationships and history of each character.

The emotional aspect of Davy Jones’ character, which makes him quite a vulnerable character is another layer of emotions that is lacking in the original. On top of that, there is also the emotional addition of Will Turner and his father Bootstrap Bill, which provides plenty of inner conflicts.

2 Curse Of The Black Pearl: It’s Funnier

When Curse of the Black Pearl first burst onto the screen it wowed audiences with its brilliant mix of action and comedy. It felt serious at times which is why people were able to invest in the action, however, the movie also had tons of comedy spliced through the film.

It is arguably a comedy at times, it is that funny, and while humor remains a consistent theme throughout the franchise, none of the other movies gets close to being as funny as the original. This was the first time Jack Sparrow was shown and because of that, it felt fresher than at any other point.

1 Dead Man’s Chest: It’s Scarier

In a complete counterpoint to the previous argument, the reason that the Curse of the Black Pearl is able to be a funnier film is that Disney ramped up the scare factor in the sequel. Some of the franchise’s scariest moments are within this movie which makes it incredibly enjoyable to watch.

While fear and scary moments aren’t for everyone, for most people that is one of the big reasons that this film stands out more over the rest of the franchise. Having the scare factor in the movie just made it all the more intense and felt like it suited the pirate film a little more.

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