Aye, grab yourself a pint, laddie, and let us enjoy this list of the ten best movies about the scourge of the seven seas – pirates in USA! Pirates, as we know it well, are a part of history and many famous seamen were, at one point in their careers, pirates. Now, portrayals of pirates in fiction are, more often than not, exaggerated but that is what fiction is all about, that is why we actually have it. In this article, we are going to bring you a list of the 10 best pirate movies of all time in USA, giving you a list that you can thoroughly enjoy if you like this topic.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean
There are several movies in this franchise, but since they all tell a wholesome, integral story of Jack Sparrow, we have decided to group them together. No other pirate movie has been so successful as this franchise, and thanks to Johnny Depp’s amazing performance in the main role, Pirates of the Caribbean has become a part of modern popular culture and a phenomenon that is absolutely known to every modern cinephile.
2. Muppet Treasure Island
Now, this is not your classic action-packed pirate movie, but Muppet Treasure Island is a fun pirate adventure that combines the Muppets with Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel Treasure Island. The Muppets are a part of modern pop culture, that much is known, and the whole cast has had a plethora of different adventures where they actually played different roles than their usual ones. Treasure Island is an example of how the Muppets can blend with almost every story and a great example of how one can enjoy a pirate setting even if it’s not an action movie filled with special effects.
3. Treasure Island
While we’re on Stevenson’s novel, Disney’s 1950 adaptation is a true classic of the pirate genre and by most standards, it is arguably the best pirate movie ever made. Sure, the movie doesn’t really have any amazing effects and the story is not as action-packed as that of the Pirates of the Caribbean, but that’s the charm of this movie, that simplicity that allows you to enter the world of Stevenson’s imagination and authentically live out the experience of a pirate treasure hunt and all it brings with it.
4. Peter Pan
Now, Peter Pan isn’t really a pirate movie per se, but pirates feature heavily in this 1953 animated classic – also by Disney, mind you – which is why we simply had to add it to the list. Peter Pan is an adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s story of the same name has become an animated classic, with Captain Hook and his gang of pirates, who are the primary antagonists of the movie, becoming a part of popular culture. The story has been adapted, readapted, and remade several times, but the animated classic remains the best and most popular adaptation of this novel. Its one of the best pirate movies of all time in USA
5. The Pirates: Band of Misfits
Another animated movie on this list, this 2012 pirate flick was made using stop-motion technology and it actually looks a lot like Wallace & Gromit, but with pirates. The voice acting was great and unlike Peter Pan, which only featured pirates, this animated movie was actually about the pirates, which is why we had to include it on the list. The movie has rightfully been praised by critics and fans, and is a true pirate classic, despite being an animated feature, and we’re sure you’ll thoroughly enjoy the funny side of being a pirate, as it was depicted in this movie.
6. Captain Phillips
Captain Phillips is both the most realistic pirate movie on this list and the most atypical one. What we usually associate with pirate movies are large wooden ships, eyepatches, ugly crewmen, parrots, canons, etc., but this movie doesn’t have any of these elements. Captain Phillips is a story of how modern pirates function and how dangerous it can be to sail near the African coast in the 21st century. Tom Hanks’ performance was absolutely amazing and Captain Phillips is a story that’ll both shock you and entertain you.
7. The Crimson Pirate
This 1952 movie is, by most modern standards, outdated and predictable, but with Burt Lancaster in the main role, The Crimson Pirate was a true classic back in its day. The movie fulfills all the requirements of a classic Hollywood movie and is quite rudimentary from today’s perspective, but is nonetheless a classic that you simply have to see if you want to call yourselves a true pirate movie fan in USA.
8. The Sea Hawk
This movie takes us back even further in history, in 1940 when The Sea Hawk premiered and ended up being nominated for four Oscars. This is more of a historical movie about the conflict between Queen Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada, with Errol Flynn starring as Elizabeth’s best seaman, Geoffrey Thorpe. Alongside a lot of ships, sword fights and ye olde sea, this movie is also a good lesson in history that you can thoroughly enjoy.
9. The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride is a fantasy classic and like Peter Pan, it’s not a pirate movie per se, but it features enough pirates for us to include it on this list. The Princess Bride is a movie that defined a whole generation and is today lauded as one of the best movies within its genre. We all loved the story, the actors, and Inigo Montoya, of course, whose famous phrase has become a popular pop cultural reference.
10. Blackbeard’s Ghost
We decided to end the list on a funny note, with Disney’s bizarre 1968 film about a track coach who has a surprise encounter with the ghost of the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Full of humor and Disney’s usual magic, this movie might not be what you expect from a pirate movie at first, but the critics at the time loved it and so do we, which is why we put it on this list.
