10 Movies You Were Shocked To See Didn’t Totally Suck

4. Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl jack sparrow will turner
Disney

If you can cast your mind back to 2003, the PR hype cycle wasn't working in favour of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean - a movie that, on paper, seemed destined for failure.

From the astoundingly lame trailers to the fact it was based on a ride and the general audience disinterest in the pirate genre, there was little expectation that Disney could spin the $140 million production into a one-off hit, let alone a movie empire.

But under Gore Verbinski's assured direction, aided by a witty script and fantastic performances - especially from an Oscar-nominated Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean ended up one of the most successful and acclaimed adventure films of the early 2000s.

It of course led to a series of increasingly desperate and lazy sequels, grossing a total of $4.5 billion to date, but the original movie's script came from an actual place of inspiration and creativity, despite its theme park origins implying something altogether more cynical.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.