Why Pirates of the Caribbean 1-3 Work (and Why 4 and 5 Don’t)

In this video essay, I break down what made the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films so iconic and what happened to make the fourth and fifth movies sink.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Forgotten Franchise

There is a movie series based on a ride at Disney World which is the fourteenth highest grossing franchise of all time. It brought in over 4.5 billion dollars at the worldwide box office, was nominated for 11 Academy Awards with one win, and boosted the careers of two well-known actors while vaulting another into stardom. But three years removed from the series’ final installment, no one seems to talk about it.

Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I really can’t decide what I think of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The first Fantastic Beasts was a contrived story held up by good and likeable actors, fun fantastic beasts, and a return to the Wizarding World. Objectively, it’s a solidly average movie. But coming from the perspective of a Potterhead, it’s a good story that expands this amazing lore. This still doesn’t help me know where to land on its sequel.