I wasn't the biggest fan of PotC or thought it needed a critical review - but this retrospective has done a lot to give a new appreciation for the series. Might even rewatch some of the movies; thank you Stephen!
Fair enough. It's an amazing death on the visual side, but I neither hate nor love Beckett as a character, so that kind of blemishes that scene for me. It's the same way I feel about Locque's death in For Your Eyes Only; it's a really awesome way to go, but the scene isn't great because of the character involved.
I have a theory about the curse of The Flying Dutchman: Taking on crew members is a form of breaking the curse. His father elected to stay at the end of At World's End, but by Dead Men Tell No Tales you can hear a dozen or so voices in the background of his ship. Perhaps there was simply a temptation to allow more people to avoid dying, perhaps his empathy got in the way of doing the job. But whether your heart is in the right place or not, no pun intended, the curse will still activate. People are supposed to die, and he is supposed to guide them through it. Not hold them in limbo. Hence, he gets fish-i-fied.
So I can actually explain the Tia Dalma/Captain of the Wench compass scene! It was something that was explained in the books that went more in depth about Jack's childhood, as well as the childhood of James and Beckett, though the focus of most of the books is Jack. I haven't actually read any of them, so I'm not sure which book this is explained in, but essentially it went like this - Salazar was becoming a threat to Piracy much like Beckett did in the 3rd movie, but more hands on like James was because he was a commanding officer in the Spanish navy. So, the pirates got together a small feet of 10 ships to take Salazar, and his ship the Silent Mary, out for good. The captain of the Wicked Wench knew that 10 ships alone would not be enough to defeat Salazar, so he sought out Calypso/Tia Dalma to try and get his hands on a magical item that would seal their victory over Salazar. For whatever reason, the captain wanted the compass, but Calypso/Tia Dalma didn't want to barter with him, or the rest of his crew for it. But she would barter with a young Jack Sparrow, who was working under the Captain of the Wench at the time. But when the battle rolled around, the captain of the Wench was unable to use the compass to his advantage, which is why in the 2nd movie Calypso/Tia Dalma says Jack bartered the compass from her, but in the 5th movie, it shows the captain giving the compass to Jack upon his death, since Jack was the one who was able to get the compass from Calypso/Tia Dalma in the first place, and would probably be the best person to figure out how to use it to defeat Salazar. As for the betrayal of the compass... the best I can think is that all the other times Jack gave the compass away, it was all apart of his overall plan, and each time he always had every intention of getting it back. Or, at the very least, since he was passing the compass along in a way that was respectful to the compass, like how the captain of the Wicked Wench gave it to Jack upon his death, the compass didn't see those times as a betrayal. But in the 5th movie, since Jack is now giving the compass away without any regard for what happens to it, all for something as ridiculous as a single bottle of rum, the compass is greatly offended by that particular treatment, and thusly feels betrayed. As for the rest of your questions, I've honestly got no idea what the writers were trying to do there, and I'm a writer myself(although for books, not movies) so the fact that even I can't figure it out is a testament to how many problems this movie had
I don't like long videos. I liked *this* video a lot. Just ... keep doing what you're doing, Stephen. Your earnest and thoughtful analyses resonate with me a lot. Thinkers like videos that make them say, "I never even considered that!"
I really liked the first two movies. It reminded me of the first three Indiana Jones movies in how they were mostly grounded in a realistic world but with supernatural artifact driving the plot
Great video man, also love your bond videos, I really appreciate you taking the time to do these longer videos as you obviously put a lot of effort in them and please keep doing more! For me the first pirates is definitely my favorite and the best of the series and I still think the 2nd and 3rd are quite good as well, the 4th one is okay but not nearly as good as the earlier ones and I can't even finish the 5th because jack feels way off in that.
Thank you for the kind words. As long as I have the resources and time, you can bet on it. A human after my own heart when it comes to the Pirates films. I really don't think Pirates 5 is anywhere close to being one of the worst films I've ever seen, but it is one that makes me depressed when I think about it.
Yes the fifth is absolutely awful. Jack is literally a parody of himself he is an idiot. The first one he seemed very smart and slightly weird. The other ones amplified the weirdness but he was also still 1 step ahead of everyone. Even the fourth one he still has clever jack sparrow moments but the last one is just ridiculous. The humour as well is very over the top playing the crew off as absolute idiots for laughs
Great analysis. I happen to have rewatched the first two films just two weeks ago with my roommates because we wanted to rewatch the trilogy. After the first movie we were all very excited to watch Dead man's chest since we all remembered it so fondly from our childhood. After finishing it I do have to say that I completely agree with you and that the first movie is definitely the best. Still enjoyed it but the narrative in the first film just felt cleaner somehow.
You know what I have a problem with? Blackbeard NOT being in the Brethren. Like, he's the biggest player in all of piracy, so why isn't he there? Also, the pirates feeling so international is just... Weird. If the movies are historical somehow, then most pirates of the time were whites. Indians and Blacks were usually taken in by force and rarely engaged in piracy because of how much damage and risk that is. Also, Ching Sihs didn't even exist at that point in time.
I’ll admit that I didn’t watch this series until recently, but I’ve seen them all and I have a mixed but overall positive opinion. I like the series best when it’s over the top bombastic swashbuckling action, and when you throw in a ridiculous amount of lore and conflict it becomes a bit more tedious. I did like On Stranger Tides but didn’t like Dead Men Tell No Tales. Whenever I had a problem with any of the films, Johnny Depp is never one of them; I enjoyed his goofy presence and he often gets a chuckle out of me. Personally I think Johnathan Pryce was under-utilised past the first film, being relegated to a few short scenes before an offscreen death. Despite all this, I do wish we could’ve got a sixth film to wrap everything up, but unfortunately it looks like that won’t happen.
Hey just as a reference, I live in NC right hear where Blackbeards ship went down. I actually live 10 minutes from his historic house in Beaufort, NC. Yes it is a place you can visit. But Ocracoke Island is pronounced exactly as it is spelled. OAK-RA-COKE. Sorry, I’m just giving you a reference if you ever have to say Ocracoke Island again. Locals take it pretty seriously here, especially within the context of Blackbeard lore. Coastal North Carolina has a rich history of Piracy. If you ever get a chance there is also a county wide event every year called Pirate Invasion and it takes place right next to Blackbeards house in Beaufort, NC for an entire weekend at the end of the summer.
I know this isn't as related, but I'd love to know your thoughts on Muppet Treasure Island. It had a Hans Zimmer score seven years before the first PotC film came out.
And honestly, that score is pretty great. I have a real soft spot for that film; it was my first Muppets film. Sure, it's not even close to being the best Muppets film, but man, some of those songs and jokes are great. Also, Tim Curry was born to play Long John Silver in a Muppets film.
@@stephenjarvis534 To be honest, the only BAD bad Muppet film is Wizard of Oz. Muppets from Space worked its butt off despite all the setbacks. And The Muppets 2009 and Muppets Most Wanted are basically different halves of what a really good muppet film would be (heartfelt and funny, respectively), and I hope they get chance to do a third and meld those two halves.
I think Will becoming more sea-like was a massive retcon, as it goes in the face of Will's character because yee, Davy Jones (and by extension, Will) would onoy become like that from abandoning the duties. As for the 1 day, keep in mind that this was for eternity. It was foven to Davy Jones who earnestly loved the sea and Calypso, so 10 years on sea and 1 tocbe with Calypso wouldn't seem like a curse to him. Rather a blessing. Immortality and getting to be with Calypso every decade for a full day.
Robin Williams, Jim Carrey and Michael Keaton were considered for Jack Sparrow early on. I think the casting directors were looking for someone closer to Geffrey Rush's age. Would've loved to see Keaton's interpterion of Jack.
Given how much Johnny Deep brought to the character, I'd imagine it would have been a quite different film if anyone else played Sparrow, especially as it feels like he was meant to be a sidekick rather than the scene steeling main attraction he became.
@@kellenorourke2155 That figures-allegedly Disney at one point considered firing Depp mid film as they didn't understand what he was doing. The 'mentor' idea does feel a lot more conventional and I'm glad they went for something very different.
It's too bad we didn't get more films in 2010s and in the same vein of the ones in the 00s. I don't think the franchise can be redeemed from the last film. You're right that Elizabeth should have been part of the adventure. Jack, Will, and Her were the dynamic trio of the first three films and somewhat of a love triangle. I don't even remember the new girl's character in the fifth film. If there is no Johnny Depp in the next film, then I simply won't see it, just like the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which I still have not seen.
Well, I doubt anything I could say will convince you to watch them at this point (I'm an apologist for the sequels, though I will be the first to admit they don't work as a whole). Yeah, I think it would incredibly difficult, bordering on impossible, for the Pirates films to fix themselves at this point without simply ignoring previous continuity. I kind of doubt there's a lot of interest in seeing a Pirates film, with or without Johnny Depp at this point, so it may be best to leave the franchise be unless some brilliant plan for a reboot comes along that isn't just different for the sake of being different (which despite my optimistic views on things, I kind of doubt will happen).
@@stephenjarvis534 I am a George Lucas fanboy to a fault. I love the prequels, I love the republic. Maybe I will give the sequels a chance now that you mention it and since enough time has passed. As far as Pirates goes, I wouldn't mind seeing some side stories similar to Rogue One or the Mandalorian, but set in the Pirates world. But there isn't as much creative freedom with that. They've already played out most of the tropes with the movies. At least we have the first three movies and that is what really counts.
Great retrospective. The first is definitely the best, although I did enjoy 2 and 4 as well. The other two are a slog and I hope they leave the franchise alone. Lightning in a bottle can only go so far.
You need more subs :( also Great vidoe love the first Pirates Of The Caribbean films even if the last 2 films were ... not so great and had bad written scripts
I really enjoyed the original but it felt like diminishing returns from then on. Given it tells a single story, I've always felt that if 2+3 were combined into 1 film [running around 2 hours] it probably would have been really good but stretching it over 5+1/2 hours diluted it. By 2017 [especially post Lone Ranger] it really felt like a series out of date and needed to be retired [or more realistically-a reboot].
Probably a controversial opinion, I really like the 2013 Lone Ranger. I saw it before any of the pirates films, and I still think it captures the same essence, in fact it captures the essence better than some of the latter pirates stuff.
I was wondering about the end credits scene (with the kid and Keira, which has to be at least 10 years later) and the beginning of 5 (also with the kid).
I wasn't the biggest fan of PotC or thought it needed a critical review - but this retrospective has done a lot to give a new appreciation for the series. Might even rewatch some of the movies; thank you Stephen!
No mention of Beckett's death scene in 3? That shit was glorious and single handedly elevated the movie for me.
Fair enough. It's an amazing death on the visual side, but I neither hate nor love Beckett as a character, so that kind of blemishes that scene for me. It's the same way I feel about Locque's death in For Your Eyes Only; it's a really awesome way to go, but the scene isn't great because of the character involved.
I have a theory about the curse of The Flying Dutchman:
Taking on crew members is a form of breaking the curse. His father elected to stay at the end of At World's End, but by Dead Men Tell No Tales you can hear a dozen or so voices in the background of his ship. Perhaps there was simply a temptation to allow more people to avoid dying, perhaps his empathy got in the way of doing the job. But whether your heart is in the right place or not, no pun intended, the curse will still activate. People are supposed to die, and he is supposed to guide them through it. Not hold them in limbo.
Hence, he gets fish-i-fied.
So I can actually explain the Tia Dalma/Captain of the Wench compass scene! It was something that was explained in the books that went more in depth about Jack's childhood, as well as the childhood of James and Beckett, though the focus of most of the books is Jack. I haven't actually read any of them, so I'm not sure which book this is explained in, but essentially it went like this - Salazar was becoming a threat to Piracy much like Beckett did in the 3rd movie, but more hands on like James was because he was a commanding officer in the Spanish navy. So, the pirates got together a small feet of 10 ships to take Salazar, and his ship the Silent Mary, out for good. The captain of the Wicked Wench knew that 10 ships alone would not be enough to defeat Salazar, so he sought out Calypso/Tia Dalma to try and get his hands on a magical item that would seal their victory over Salazar. For whatever reason, the captain wanted the compass, but Calypso/Tia Dalma didn't want to barter with him, or the rest of his crew for it. But she would barter with a young Jack Sparrow, who was working under the Captain of the Wench at the time. But when the battle rolled around, the captain of the Wench was unable to use the compass to his advantage, which is why in the 2nd movie Calypso/Tia Dalma says Jack bartered the compass from her, but in the 5th movie, it shows the captain giving the compass to Jack upon his death, since Jack was the one who was able to get the compass from Calypso/Tia Dalma in the first place, and would probably be the best person to figure out how to use it to defeat Salazar. As for the betrayal of the compass... the best I can think is that all the other times Jack gave the compass away, it was all apart of his overall plan, and each time he always had every intention of getting it back. Or, at the very least, since he was passing the compass along in a way that was respectful to the compass, like how the captain of the Wicked Wench gave it to Jack upon his death, the compass didn't see those times as a betrayal. But in the 5th movie, since Jack is now giving the compass away without any regard for what happens to it, all for something as ridiculous as a single bottle of rum, the compass is greatly offended by that particular treatment, and thusly feels betrayed. As for the rest of your questions, I've honestly got no idea what the writers were trying to do there, and I'm a writer myself(although for books, not movies) so the fact that even I can't figure it out is a testament to how many problems this movie had
I don't like long videos. I liked *this* video a lot. Just ... keep doing what you're doing, Stephen. Your earnest and thoughtful analyses resonate with me a lot. Thinkers like videos that make them say, "I never even considered that!"
I really liked the first two movies. It reminded me of the first three Indiana Jones movies in how they were mostly grounded in a realistic world but with supernatural artifact driving the plot
Great video man, also love your bond videos, I really appreciate you taking the time to do these longer videos as you obviously put a lot of effort in them and please keep doing more!
For me the first pirates is definitely my favorite and the best of the series and I still think the 2nd and 3rd are quite good as well, the 4th one is okay but not nearly as good as the earlier ones and I can't even finish the 5th because jack feels way off in that.
Thank you for the kind words. As long as I have the resources and time, you can bet on it.
A human after my own heart when it comes to the Pirates films. I really don't think Pirates 5 is anywhere close to being one of the worst films I've ever seen, but it is one that makes me depressed when I think about it.
Yes the fifth is absolutely awful. Jack is literally a parody of himself he is an idiot. The first one he seemed very smart and slightly weird. The other ones amplified the weirdness but he was also still 1 step ahead of everyone. Even the fourth one he still has clever jack sparrow moments but the last one is just ridiculous. The humour as well is very over the top playing the crew off as absolute idiots for laughs
Great analysis. I happen to have rewatched the first two films just two weeks ago with my roommates because we wanted to rewatch the trilogy. After the first movie we were all very excited to watch Dead man's chest since we all remembered it so fondly from our childhood. After finishing it I do have to say that I completely agree with you and that the first movie is definitely the best. Still enjoyed it but the narrative in the first film just felt cleaner somehow.
You know what I have a problem with? Blackbeard NOT being in the Brethren. Like, he's the biggest player in all of piracy, so why isn't he there?
Also, the pirates feeling so international is just... Weird. If the movies are historical somehow, then most pirates of the time were whites. Indians and Blacks were usually taken in by force and rarely engaged in piracy because of how much damage and risk that is. Also, Ching Sihs didn't even exist at that point in time.
In my opinion Dead Man's Chest is the best movie of the francise. The movie is literaly breathtaking.
I’ll admit that I didn’t watch this series until recently, but I’ve seen them all and I have a mixed but overall positive opinion. I like the series best when it’s over the top bombastic swashbuckling action, and when you throw in a ridiculous amount of lore and conflict it becomes a bit more tedious. I did like On Stranger Tides but didn’t like Dead Men Tell No Tales. Whenever I had a problem with any of the films, Johnny Depp is never one of them; I enjoyed his goofy presence and he often gets a chuckle out of me. Personally I think Johnathan Pryce was under-utilised past the first film, being relegated to a few short scenes before an offscreen death. Despite all this, I do wish we could’ve got a sixth film to wrap everything up, but unfortunately it looks like that won’t happen.
Hey just as a reference, I live in NC right hear where Blackbeards ship went down. I actually live 10 minutes from his historic house in Beaufort, NC. Yes it is a place you can visit. But Ocracoke Island is pronounced exactly as it is spelled. OAK-RA-COKE. Sorry, I’m just giving you a reference if you ever have to say Ocracoke Island again. Locals take it pretty seriously here, especially within the context of Blackbeard lore. Coastal North Carolina has a rich history of Piracy. If you ever get a chance there is also a county wide event every year called Pirate Invasion and it takes place right next to Blackbeards house in Beaufort, NC for an entire weekend at the end of the summer.
I'd love to do that! And thanks for the clarification on the pronunciation.
I know this isn't as related, but I'd love to know your thoughts on Muppet Treasure Island. It had a Hans Zimmer score seven years before the first PotC film came out.
And honestly, that score is pretty great.
I have a real soft spot for that film; it was my first Muppets film. Sure, it's not even close to being the best Muppets film, but man, some of those songs and jokes are great. Also, Tim Curry was born to play Long John Silver in a Muppets film.
@@stephenjarvis534 To be honest, the only BAD bad Muppet film is Wizard of Oz. Muppets from Space worked its butt off despite all the setbacks. And The Muppets 2009 and Muppets Most Wanted are basically different halves of what a really good muppet film would be (heartfelt and funny, respectively), and I hope they get chance to do a third and meld those two halves.
This is very well done.
722 veiws is unbelievably small compared to the quality of the work
Thank you. I'm still relatively new at this, so I'm just grateful anyone chooses to watch my videos at all.
I think Will becoming more sea-like was a massive retcon, as it goes in the face of Will's character because yee, Davy Jones (and by extension, Will) would onoy become like that from abandoning the duties.
As for the 1 day, keep in mind that this was for eternity. It was foven to Davy Jones who earnestly loved the sea and Calypso, so 10 years on sea and 1 tocbe with Calypso wouldn't seem like a curse to him. Rather a blessing. Immortality and getting to be with Calypso every decade for a full day.
Awesome retrospective
Robin Williams, Jim Carrey and Michael Keaton were considered for Jack Sparrow early on. I think the casting directors were looking for someone closer to Geffrey Rush's age. Would've loved to see Keaton's interpterion of Jack.
I'm actually kind of glad Robin and Jim didn't get it, as much as I love them both. Keaton would have been an interesting choice.
@@stephenjarvis534 The role of Jack Sparrow was written for Hugh Jackman when the film was a striaght-forward swashbuckler.
Given how much Johnny Deep brought to the character, I'd imagine it would have been a quite different film if anyone else played Sparrow, especially as it feels like he was meant to be a sidekick rather than the scene steeling main attraction he became.
@@jamesatkinsonja Jack was orignally meant to be older (around Barbossa's age) and more of a mentor figure to Will.
@@kellenorourke2155 That figures-allegedly Disney at one point considered firing Depp mid film as they didn't understand what he was doing. The 'mentor' idea does feel a lot more conventional and I'm glad they went for something very different.
28:00 that’s the fault of the fifth film who was released by people who didn’t see the first three films. It’s not the fault of the third film.
It's too bad we didn't get more films in 2010s and in the same vein of the ones in the 00s. I don't think the franchise can be redeemed from the last film. You're right that Elizabeth should have been part of the adventure. Jack, Will, and Her were the dynamic trio of the first three films and somewhat of a love triangle. I don't even remember the new girl's character in the fifth film. If there is no Johnny Depp in the next film, then I simply won't see it, just like the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which I still have not seen.
Well, I doubt anything I could say will convince you to watch them at this point (I'm an apologist for the sequels, though I will be the first to admit they don't work as a whole).
Yeah, I think it would incredibly difficult, bordering on impossible, for the Pirates films to fix themselves at this point without simply ignoring previous continuity. I kind of doubt there's a lot of interest in seeing a Pirates film, with or without Johnny Depp at this point, so it may be best to leave the franchise be unless some brilliant plan for a reboot comes along that isn't just different for the sake of being different (which despite my optimistic views on things, I kind of doubt will happen).
@@stephenjarvis534 I am a George Lucas fanboy to a fault. I love the prequels, I love the republic. Maybe I will give the sequels a chance now that you mention it and since enough time has passed.
As far as Pirates goes, I wouldn't mind seeing some side stories similar to Rogue One or the Mandalorian, but set in the Pirates world. But there isn't as much creative freedom with that. They've already played out most of the tropes with the movies. At least we have the first three movies and that is what really counts.
Great retrospective. The first is definitely the best, although I did enjoy 2 and 4 as well. The other two are a slog and I hope they leave the franchise alone. Lightning in a bottle can only go so far.
You need more subs :( also Great vidoe love the first Pirates Of The Caribbean films even if the last 2 films were ... not so great and had bad written scripts
Can't argue with that. The drop off in quality is astounding.
@@stephenjarvis534 I thought The first 3 films were amazing and Davy Jones charter was really well written and he had an amazing story arc
16:18 Genuine LOL :)
i love all these movies reason they are just stupid dumb fun are they perfect no far from it but they are fun and that's all i can ask
I really enjoyed the original but it felt like diminishing returns from then on. Given it tells a single story, I've always felt that if 2+3 were combined into 1 film [running around 2 hours] it probably would have been really good but stretching it over 5+1/2 hours diluted it. By 2017 [especially post Lone Ranger] it really felt like a series out of date and needed to be retired [or more realistically-a reboot].
Probably a controversial opinion, I really like the 2013 Lone Ranger. I saw it before any of the pirates films, and I still think it captures the same essence, in fact it captures the essence better than some of the latter pirates stuff.
About 10 years pass between movies 3 and 5
I was wondering about the end credits scene (with the kid and Keira, which has to be at least 10 years later) and the beginning of 5 (also with the kid).