Since The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean has been a major franchise for Disney. However, ever since the end of the original trilogy, it's sort of lost its original flair. Should it continue? What should Disney do to revive interest when the fifth one does come out? Why make more?
Maybe detail a few of the major flaws from On Stranger Tides, and how the series has gotten worse from it's premier to it's latest flop. – luminousgloom9 years ago
I was surprised at how... flat and lifeless, and even copycat-ish "On Stranger Tides" both looked and felt in comparison to the Gore Verbinsky trilogy. Nothing about the production looked or acted authentic, and it seemed as if everyone was simply going through the motions in an attempt to recapture the same magic. Almost like the film could have better served as a TV special rather than a theatrical production. However, I think the two key flaws here are the director and the writer(s), as is quite often the case. A more imaginative writer and a more stylistic director would greatly improve the chances of Pirates of the Caribbean regaining its former footing again. I absolutely adore the first three films, almost all equally, because when it comes to movie magic, and great movie-going experiences, I just can't think of anything more perfect and indicative of the concept than Pirates. Pirate stories in general are pretty damn awesome. So I'd love to see them do more if they can make it work. Though, it might actually be nice if they moved away entirely from Jack Sparrow, and created a new lead character who's also a Pirate of some unique background, and gave him a new crew of misfits. That might allow the franchise to revive itself. I love Jack, I really do. But Johnny isn't going to be young and fit for much longer, and I really don't want another Indiana Jones 4, where we keep the same actor around just because they were the coolest part of a franchise. Yes, you will never be able to truly replace them, but you can at least try, or create a brand new character who can be played by someone with a bit more youthful energy. And for Pete's sake, can we please go back to the grimy, greasy green color grading? "On Stranger Tides" felt like the whole movie was lit with flourescents, and it was just too darn pale. Like... that's not what a "Pirate" movie should look like. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
Agreed, completely. Changes in directors made the Pirates movies feel more like a removed special, something far removed from canon into something else, something foreign to the Pirates magic. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
I hated the opening scene too. It was too slow, too bizarre, confusing, and shoehorning Jacks dad in again was unnecessary. The opening to Pirates 2 was much more quirky and entertaining. I also never fully understood why Barbosa looked so bad by Pirates 4. Was it all like... a side-effect of his ressurection, where he's hyper-aging and decaying right before our eyes? I don't get it. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
What about its original flair is missing? Maybe clarify on that. I can see how they are sort of going a different direction with the series now, but I did notice that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley will be back, which is actually really confusing. Try adding your thoughts on how they remove and bring back characters. – kendalld9 years ago
From the first film, Pirates of the Caribbean has basically focused on the inherent code of piracy. But there's a moral dilemma here. Does it defend piracy? Does it deplore it? What message does it send to kids who watch the movie? In the end, are the British Royal Navy really the bad guys?
Swashbuckling and looting on the high seas have always captivated readers. Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island told tales of seafaring outlaws that filled their days by having endless adventures. Their missions included visiting islands seeking riches, battling vicious savages and fighting the oppressive British Navy. The lifestyle of piracy was not entirely anarchistic because loyalty was carefully measured using laws; these supported by an honorable self-governed system. The pirate code of conduct was a way to punished captured enemies as well as providing a necessary social contract between the captain and his crew, an accord that if broken, resulted a stroll off the plank regardless of their rank. More importantly, why was this society revered or even respected by audiences? Is it the little guy taking on the big bad government? These were killers, rapists, etc. It seems odd that we vilify modern day Ethiopian pirates with machine guns yet Europeans are romanticized? Is only white piracy glorious? – Jason0527149 years ago
I believe in one sense the film also shows people's perception of what piracy was during the colonial era. For those who approach to write this particular topic, it would be essential to understand what were some of the circumstances that gave rise to piracy in this time period, and why people misunderstood pirates. – aferozan9 years ago
I don't think the film, in any way, actually condones the act of piracy. Because at no point do we ever see the "hero" pirates, actually steal anything of value (in large quantities anyway) from any innocent bystanders, towns, villages, or rich people. Barbosa's crew ransacks Port Royal because he's desparate to get back all of the gold pieces that belonged to the chest of Cortez, which had cursed them all. But after that point, not a single pirate is seen actually doing what Mr. Gibbs referred to as "a spec of honest piratin'. We DO, however, see them go on adventures, duke it out with a few ships through cannon fire, find ancient treasures and maps to yet more treasures, and involve themselves with curses and magic. All of which are perfectly acceptable things within a fictional story and universe. Yes, they are pirates. Yes, pirating is entirely and morally wrong. Yes, the British Navy and Lord Beckett are actually in the right (for the most part) but are portrayed as the antagonists, simply because we are meant to side with the pirates because our protagonists are with them, and we do not wish to see them die at the hands of this manipulative, egocentric, and pompous businessman. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
Also, I completely disagree with Jason052714's suggestion that only white piracy is glorious, or can be glorified in media. Clearly there were numerous ethnicities involved in the Pirates films, and who were part of many different crews. I took to liking each and every pirate in those films because of how entertaining they were. Their race never changed my perception of them. In fact, the films never once gave the impression that race mattered at all when it came to Pirate comradery or the Pirate laws. Everybody on each crew seemed pretty swell with each other. So in this way, I don't think race is the reason we don't glorify modern piracy: it's the fact that older piracy has been heavily romanticized by 19th century literature, and 20th century media. The pirate is an explorer: an anti-heroic figure with no rules and no life obligations. They simply go where the wind takes them. And much like Jason and the Argonauts or Sinbad the Sailor, Pirates have been known to encounter legendary mythical beasts and hazards which made their search for "burried treasure" all the more magnificent to read or learn about. Modern pirates have no such romanticising of their exploits, except perhaps among themselves, and maybe certain people who appreciate what they do for whatever reason. But this would have likely been the same back when Pirates really existed. You would have had a majority of people completely against their actions and existence, but a select few who thought they were a magnificent bunch: mostly likely because the pirates themselves were spinning tales about their travels just like any sailor worth his salt might have done once they reached port after each trip. In modern time, and modern society, however, we have much less room for appreciating people like them, ironically or romantically, and no reason to even romanticize the waters of our world, because we know so much more about them now. Ultimately, there is simply too big of a difference between the image of Captain Hook, Black Beard, or Jack Sparrow, and some angry guy on a rusty metal barge holding an automatic weapon in 2016. The time periods aren't the same, the circumstances and worldly awareness of society isn't the same, the costumes and vessels aren't as imaginative or majestic, and their choices of weapon don't leave the same visual or fanciful impression. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
I don't think the films so much defend piracy as much as it romanticizes it. It creates this opposition between Barbosa's crew and Sparrow's, and adds in the British Royal Navy as additional pressure for the protagonists, but if they weren't defending themselves from these two groups of people, they certainly would not be volunteering at homeless shelters and reading to the blind. Because the films romanticize Sparrow's group, it keeps the film from actually having to deal with the moral dilemma, especially since Barbosa's group is dehumanized when they are exposed as being living-dead.
As for the message it sends to kids, the films were rated pg-13, or at least the first one was. The fact that it is a sort of period piece displaces it from modern times to the point that the kids in the audience of the series might not recognize any content in the film that could be applied to current-day life.
The only thing, that occurs to me at the moment, that might affect kids watching these films is gender roles. Although the main male characters do not seem as violent as the enemy, Will is often driven by this need to keep Elizabeth safe, which is stereotypical for male roles. But Elizabeth does not play the role of the typical damsel in distress, and throughout the film, and the entire series, she finds clever, sometimes cunning ways to save herself. I'm not sure how that ties into the theme of piracy, but it does sort of perpetuate the stereotypes of males as the protectors, or seeking revenge, or being violent and courageous by nature, when, obviously, men vary a little more beyond that. – Jenn9 years ago
