User blog:TheGoatPresident/Why the PotC sequels went wrong

I'm a massive Pirates of the Caribbean fan, and I love all of the films (well, I love four of the films). However, there's no denying that the second film and the ones that came after it aren't flawless. Well, neither is the first film, but the others especially aren't. In this post, I will go over why the sequels aren't as well loved as the original film, and where they went wrong.

Jack Sparrow- Jack was memorable in the first film as being a good supporting character, but it was obvious that the film was really Elizabeth Swann and William Turner's story. However, in the other four films, Jack is treated as the main character, especially in the fourth film as Will and Elizabeth do not appear. In the fifth instalment of the series, though the film is meant to be about Henry and Carina, it is clearly still Jack's story.

Themes- Though each film seems to have its own theme, and each film has new characters, settings and stories, there is no doubt that many plot points have been copied and pasted from the original. Cursed crew, love story, a treasure that needs to be uncovered, drunk pirates, the navy (or East India Company) chasing the main characters, cursed crew walking underwater, etc.

Jack Sparrow's escapes- Throughout the series, Jack's escapes, mainly from the navy, get gradually less and less realistic. In the first film, though they were a tiny bit over the top, they were still quite realistic. In Dead Man's chest, Jack pole vaults himself over a cliff to escape the cannibals, then survives falling down the cliff. In On Stranger Tides, he uses a palm tree as a slingshot to escape the Spanish Royal Navy. Not just his escapes, but some other events in the films are rather unrealistic; Henry manages to paddle all the way from the Devil's Triangle to Saint Martin. Five or six horses manage to pull a two story building through a town, while not hurting any civilians. I know we're talking about a film with undead pirates and ships that can travel underwater, but still, the original film was a lot more realistic.

Well, I love the second, third and fourth films, (can't say the same about the fifth), but they aren't nearly as well-written or believable as the original. Post your opinions on the films in the comments.