2. Pirates Of The Caribbean

It might seem like a surprising inclusion on the list, but a quick scan of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise’s Rotten Tomatoes page will explain all. Critically speaking, the Pirates franchise has been in steady decline since its inception, and its audience scores don’t fare much better.

Most common criticisms include nonsensical plot elements, overly noisy action sequences, and that the films are often guilty of pushing style over substance. While all of these are valid points, the franchise’s critics are missing something key about the Pirates films: they’re not meant to be taken so seriously.

Much of Pirates of the Caribbean’s charm is in its gleeful ridiculousness: it takes history and warps it into fantasy in true Disney style. One of Pirates’ biggest strengths is the spirit of adventure it captures, and those over-analyzing the films are missing the point entirely.

Still, five films in (and with more reportedly on the way), there’s certainly some demand for Pirates of the Caribbean‘s swashbuckling fantasy adventures. Regardless of which side of the debate you fall onto when it comes to Pirates of the Caribbean, they’re films that are a lot of fun which are unfairly criticized – and therefore, seriously underrated.