The addition of comprehensive lore was a big change to Pirates of the Caribbean, and it originally saved the franchise from being too repeтιтive. However, it was also the very thing that ruined the later films. With five Pirates of the Caribbean movies in total, and another film in development, the swashbuckling franchise has proven itself to be a fantastic success, both commercially and critically. In fact, there’s no doubting its reputation as one of the best-loved and highest-earning franchises in the industry, with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies amᴀssing $4.5 billion at the box office worldwide.

The success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl launched the 2006 sequel ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Men Tell No Tales, which was also a box office hit. As a result, Pirates of the Caribbean became a prolific multimedia franchise with an impressive legacy. However, this may not have been the case if Pirates of the Caribbean’s sequel had not changed after the first movie. Introducing ever-expanding lore and new treasures in Pirates of the Caribbean movies created a well-rounded and rather enjoyable universe, but this big lore change soon wore thin and arguably ruined the later films.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest Added A Lot Of Intriguing Lore To Pirates Of The Caribbean

The Sequel Expanded Pirates Of The Caribbean’s World

Released in 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest introduced a lot of intriguing lore to the established world. A year after the events of the first film, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest follows Captain Jack Sparrow’s debt to Davy Jones, and Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann’s quest for freedom from the East India Trading Company in exchange for Sparrow’s compᴀss. The introduction of Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean was a brilliant step forward after The Curse of the Black Pearl, as it expanded the pirate universe and mythologies, especially with elements like the Kraken and the Black Spot.

Furthermore, Tia Dalma was also introduced in Pirates of the Caribbean: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest; a pivotal character in the third film. With everyone out for their own interests, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest explored a new and interesting dynamic between characters, while also expanding on the lore. In contrast to The Curse of the Black Pearl, which centered around a single curse, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest showcased an open world full of possibility, and stopped the sequel from being a retread of the first movie. However, its positive reception also created a lore trend for subsequent movies that would later harm the series.

At World’s End Went Too Far With New Lore

Pirates Of The Caribbean’s Third Movie Was Too Busy

In 2007, Pirates of the Caribbean released a third movie тιтled At World’s End. Earning $963.4 million on a $300 million production budget, At World’s End was also a mᴀssive hit for the franchise, solidifying Pirates of the Caribbean’s reputation as a big name franchise. Following on from the previous film, Jack Sparrow is rescued from the afterlife to gather the pirate lords and their nine pieces of eight, forming an alliance in preparation for At World’s End’s all-out war between the Brethren Court and East India Trading Company’s Lord Beckett, who controls the sea’s biggest adversary, Davy Jones.

While the war itself was a welcome conclusion to Gore Verbinski’s trilogy, the introduction of even more lore made it feel like At World’s End had taken things too far. Continuing Jack Sparrow’s immortality arc to the afterlife, the addition of the Brethren Court and its rules, Tia Dalma’s secret backstory as the goddess Calypso, and Calypso and Davy Jones’ love story were only side stories in At World’s End, yet they made the film feel way too busy. Considering there was already a war planned, At World’s End could have done without all of the added lore on top.

Only A Few Elements Of Pirates Of The Caribbean Lore Received Satisfying Conclusions

There Are Many Unanswered Questions In The Franchise

With so much lore added to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the side stories and the mythology somewhat overshadowed the main action of the film. However, it didn’t stop there, as subsequent movies also added their own lore to the pirate-focused universe. Unfortunately, as a result, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise suffers from quite a few unsolved mysteries. There are plenty of questions that have not been answered, like the issues of Jack’s compᴀss, what happened to Jack Sparrow’s parents, and how Davy Jones and the pirate lords even managed to trap Calypso in her human form.

Some of the answers to these questions lie in scenes that were cut from the final film, such as the backstory between Jack Sparrow and Lord Beckett – a deleted scene which would have improved our understanding of Pirates of the Caribbean. However, most of these mysteries are yet to be solved. With each Pirates of the Caribbean movie expanding its lore and mythology even more, the series never really had time to conclude the things it had started. Therefore, while the additional lore was welcome in making Pirates of the Caribbean so well-rounded, only a few elements received satisfying conclusions.

New Lore Additions Quickly Made Pirates of The Caribbean Confusing

Pirates Of The Caribbean Suffers From Too Much All At Once

The constant addition of lore quickly made Pirates of the Caribbean more confusing as a whole. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was very straightforward with its plot and the rules of the cursed Aztec gold, which meant the film was easy to follow and highly enjoyable. While ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Chest expanded on this with Davy Jones, it still felt quite subdued and simple enough to follow. Yet, subsequent films introduced too much lore for the franchise and audiences to keep up with, and this led to plot holes in Pirates of the Caribbean’s movies.

At World’s End is, unfortunately, where this falls apart. On top of a complex war between parties of unsteady alliances, At World’s End introduced some rather significant pieces of lore, like the Brethren Court and Calypso. These lore additions in Pirates of the Caribbean’s third movie felt more like big plot points that deserved their own films as opposed to being side stories. Therefore, while the world-building is fantastic in the films overall, the harsh reality is that Pirates of the Caribbean’s franchise suffers from way too much lore all at once, despite its addition being the sequel’s saving grace.

The Last Two Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies Exacerbated The Problem

On Stranger Tides & ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Men Tell No Tales Were Full Of Plot Holes

The last two Pirates of the Caribbean movies only exacerbated the problem with lore. The fourth film in the franchise, a standalone sequel called On Stranger Tides, follows Jack Sparrow’s quest for the Fountain of Youth, which some felt disregarded the end to his immortality quest arc in At World’s End. However, the movie also suffered from lore dumping that, while extremely fun, never really got resolved, with the introduction of mermaids and Blackbeard being able to physically control his boat. Furthermore, Will and Elizabeth’s somewhat unnecessary cameo in Pirates of the Caribbean’s fifth film was also not elaborated upon.

In fact, Pirates of the Caribbean: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Men Tell No Tales was generally negatively received by critics, with a 30% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite trying to capture the same tone of The Curse of the Black Pearl, the fifth movie introduced a complicated backstory about Jack’s compᴀss which only added more plot holes with its lore. Therefore, it’s obvious there’s a trend for Pirates of the Caribbean trying to introduce too much complex lore in such a short span of time, and Pirates of the Caribbean’s next movie would benefit from letting the movie breathe to be fun again.