#The Best Moments from the Franchise

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“The Best Moments from the Franchise”

It is fair to say that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has lost some steam over the years, but that doesn’t mean that it has any shortage of wondrous moments. The series began in 2003 with Johnny Depp (who won’t return) remarkably taking on Captain Jack Sparrow in The Curse of the Black Pearl. He was widely acclaimed in the role and was even nominated for an Oscar for his brilliant portrayal.

Naturally, after five movies, the series has made billions of dollars and may have run its course over the years. However, Johnny Depp masquerading as a flamboyant pirate is usually what brings people to the theaters, along with the epic direction from Gore Verbinski, and it’s only fair to recount some of the series’ best moments from the pirate chest.

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Chest Fight

What seemed like a misunderstanding broiled over into an all-out sword fight in this scene between Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Commodore James Norington, as they all fight to use Davy Jones’ heart for different purposes. Sparrow is looking to blackmail Jones with the heart to escape his insurmountable debt, Turner is looking to stab Jones’ heart to free his father from servitude aboard The Flying Dutchman, and Norrington wishes to use the heart to restore his name as Commodore.

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Of course, this was a fight that stuck out highly in the series. People see sword fights in movies all the time but very rarely do audiences see a three-way sword fight. It’s funny and well-paced, but also a great action sequence.

Let’s Get Kraken

Pirates of the Caribbean Kraken — Buena Vista Pictures

Another sequence in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest sees Davy Jones’ pet Kraken nearly demolish The Black Pearl with Will Turner in command, as Sparrow flees to save himself. Turner attempts to try and kill the beast by using explosive gunpowder to fend off the monster. Sparrow comes back to shoot the gunpowder causing an explosion and ends with the monster slinking back into the sea.

One thing that can’t be said about this scene is that it is boring. This is one of the most thrilling moments in the series and had all Pirates of the Caribbean fans on edge, feeling at any time they will walk the plank into the depths with the Kraken.

Maelstrom

What’s bigger and scarier than a Kraken that still swallows up ships in the middle of the ocean? The answer is a Maelstrom, which happens to be a giant whirlpool in the middle of the sea that causes thrilling aquatic terror. The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman go head-to-head hoping to best the other in the whirlpool’s inevitable power.

Its spectacle and sheer brilliance is as dazzling as it is lovely to behold, and holds the audience’s attention like being grabbed by the shirt and shook over and over again. Its grandeur and dark tone is never undermined, even with Sparrow’s hilarious antics aboard The Flying Dutchman.

Davy Jones Intro

Pirates of the Caribbean character Davy Jones — Buena Vista Pictures

Something that has always stuck out in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe is the introduction to the squid-like swashbuckler Davy Jones, played by Bill Nighy. After Will Turner is hoodwinked into coming aboard The Flying Dutchman by Captain Jack Sparrow, he is attacked by Davy Jones’ heinous crew and is quickly detained. Soon afterwards, the audience is slowly introduced to the mysterious Davy Jones.

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Bill Nighy’s chilling performance is one of the most commended feats in the series, with visual effects that are still gorgeous to look at after 16 years. It’s almost impossible to watch the character without seeing Bill Nighy and his great performance behind all the colorfully-textured CGI.

Jack Skellington

Jack Sparrow as a Pirates of the Caribbean Skeleton — Buena Vista Pictures

If fans wanted to be in for a shock, this was a scene for one. After Sparrow decides to deviously team up with his nemesis Barbossa, Sparrow turns on him and sides with Will Turner. After the brief sparring between Sparrow and Barbossa, Sparrow is stabbed, but it’s only until he leans back into the moonlight that it is revealed that he is one of the undead like Barbossa’s crew, after he took one of the golden coins from the chest.

What makes this scene so absolutely spooky is Johnny Depp’s fantastical performance as what looks like a Walking Dead zombie. It almost seems like something out of a horror movie concocted inside a Disney lab that was somehow made for children.

Hello, Beasty

Johnny Depp on a boat fights a sea monster in Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest — Buena Vista Pictures

If fans were to ask for a monster of a sequence, it would be the finale to Dead Man’s Chest. After Sparrow returns to The Black Pearl to explode the gunpowder sending the Kraken back into the sea, Elizabeth thanks him by kissing him, but only does so as a ploy to feed him to the Kraken so that the others can get away safely.

Jack escapes from his chains but is cornered by the Kraken, which literally throws up on him. Sparrow, with a smirk, simply replies, “Hello, Beasty,” as the monster devours him and his ship. The wickedly amazing spectacle is something that packs enough emotional weight and visual splendor that the scene doesn’t just swallow Sparrow and his ship but also the attention of a whole crowd of people rooting for the pirate.