Avast, ye mateys! Grab your eye patch, peg leg, and tricorn hat, strap on your sword, and stick a parrot on your shoulder, because we’re walking the plank and diving headfirst into the 50 best pirate movies of all time.
At its simplest, a pirate movie is about, well, pirates. But a great pirate film is so much more than that. There’s just something about adventures on the high seas that immediately piques our interest, and there’s nobody we’d rather watch have them than some good old-fashioned pirates.
Great pirate movies share some common threads. They tend to take place during the so-called Golden Age of Piracy, which lasted from the late 1600s to the early 1700s, and are set on the high seas or in a tropical locale. Swashbuckling pirates, treasure hunters, and brave sailors are usually the main characters, and they’re typically hunting down buried treasure. There’s plenty of high adventure and thrilling action sequences, with plenty of stunts and special effects, with perhaps some mythical creatures popping up to stir up trouble now and then. And it wouldn’t be a pirate movie without an epic romance and some shocking betrayals thrown in.
To determine the best pirate movies, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of May 2024, weighting all ratings equally. Only movies with at least 1,000 reviews on IMDb were considered, and documentaries were not excluded. Cast information is from IMDb.
At their best, pirate movies are pure escapism at its finest, transporting us to a far-off place and a far-off time with larger-than-life people who we’d never even come close to encountering in the real world. And if you’re looking to keep the adrenaline going, check out the most underrated action movies of all time.
50. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (497,634 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (199,896 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (278 reviews)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane
49. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Source: Rich Fury / Getty Images
Source: Rich Fury / Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (280,731 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (131,016 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 30% (290 reviews)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem
48. The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (2008)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (2,782 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (79,580 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 43% (35 reviews)
- Cast: Tim Hodge, Mike Nawrocki, Phil Vischer
47. Swashbuckler (1976)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (1,631 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (1,469 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 44% (9 reviews)
- Cast: Robert Shaw, James Earl Jones, Peter Boyle
46. Scaramouche (1952)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (5,783 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (2,533 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 0% (4 reviews)
- Cast: Stewart Granger, Janet Leigh, Eleanor Parker
45. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Source: Ian Gavan / Getty Images
Source: Ian Gavan / Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (72,347 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (368,043 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 35% (167 reviews)
- Cast: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush
44. Hook (1991)
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (242,937 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (731,388 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 29% (66 reviews)
- Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts
43. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (614,403 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (2,738,491 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 44% (228 reviews)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
42. Robin and Marian (1976)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Corporation
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Corporation
- IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (12,364 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53% (8,431 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (33 reviews)
- Cast: Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Shaw
41. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (185,060 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (334,799 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 52% (56 reviews)
- Cast: Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
40. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (675,895 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (1,847,651 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 53% (229 reviews)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
39. Sinbad, the Sailor (1947)
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (2,008 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (1,203 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (5 reviews)
- Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Maureen O’Hara, Walter Slezak
38. The Boat That Rocked (2009)
Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (114,196 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (267,130 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 59% (167 reviews)
- Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost
37. Moonfleet (1955)
Source: Getty Images / Moviepix via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images / Moviepix via Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (3,524 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (505 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (13 reviews)
- Cast: Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Joan Greenwood
36. The Pirates of Somalia (2017)
Source: Courtesy of SP Distribution
Source: Courtesy of SP Distribution
- IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (10,358 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (298 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (21 reviews)
- Cast: Evan Peters, Al Pacino, Melanie Griffith
35. Captain Kidd (1945)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (1,849 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 46% (2,008 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (5 reviews)
- Cast: Charles Laughton, Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton
34. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)
Source: Theo Wargo/NBC / Getty Images
Source: Theo Wargo/NBC / Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (46,538 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (85,897 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (153 reviews)
- Cast: Hugh Grant, Salma Hayek, Jeremy Piven
33. Robin Hood (1973)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Distribution Company
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Distribution Company
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (120,583 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (271,772 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 54% (28 reviews)
- Cast: Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Roger Miller
32. Treasure Planet (2002)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (109,550 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (68,444 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (149 reviews)
- Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Thompson, Martin Short
31. Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (16,759 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (4,480 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% (20 reviews)
- Cast: Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Richard Harris
30. Rob Roy (1995)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (41,742 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (36,273 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (44 reviews)
- Cast: Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, John Hurt
29. Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (22,842 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (81,821 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% (27 reviews)
- Cast: Tim Curry, Billy Connolly, Jennifer Saunders
28. Peter Pan (2003)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (69,408 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (427,080 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (145 reviews)
- Cast: Jeremy Sumpter, Jason Isaacs, Olivia Williams
27. The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge (1974)
Source: Photo by Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images
25th September 1968: British director Carol Reed (1906 - 1976) talks to child actor Jack Wild, who plays the Artful Dodger in Reeds latest movie, the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! (Photo by Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images)
Source: Photo by Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (10,298 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (7,320 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (21 reviews)
- Cast: Michael York, Raquel Welch, Oliver Reed
26. The Pirate (1948)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (4,691 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (5,115 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (18 reviews)
- Cast: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Walter Slezak
25. Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Moviepix via Getty Images
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Moviepix via Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (5,702 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (6,446 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (11 reviews)
- Cast: Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette
24. The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Source: Courtesy of Tristar Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Tristar Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (175,401 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (375,391 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (75 reviews)
- Cast: Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones
23. The Black Swan (1942)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (4,275 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (1,355 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (6 reviews)
- Cast: Tyrone Power, Maureen O’Hara, Laird Cregar
22. The Mark of Zorro (1920)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (2,411 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (4,991 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (9 reviews)
- Cast: Douglas Fairbanks, Marguerite De La Motte, Robert McKim
21. Peter Pan (1953)
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (132,113 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (278,057 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (37 reviews)
- Cast: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried
20. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (15,225 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (41,502 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (22 reviews)
- Cast: John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur
19. The Pirates of Penzance (1983)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (3,383 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (8,477 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (16 reviews)
- Cast: Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt
18. The Three Musketeers (1973)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (17,467 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (9,698 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (14 reviews)
- Cast: Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain
17. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (32,250 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (68,939 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (28 reviews)
- Cast: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas
16. Time Bandits (1981)
Source: Courtesy of AVCO Embassy Pictures
Source: Courtesy of AVCO Embassy Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (66,415 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (49,833 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (51 reviews)
- Cast: Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, John Cleese
15. Treasure Island (1950)
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
N/A
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (7,817 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (8,746 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (7 reviews)
- Cast: Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney
14. The Black Pirate (1926)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (1,836 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (1,416 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (12 reviews)
- Cast: Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Tempe Pigott
13. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (133,085 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (209,440 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (143 reviews)
- Cast: Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Christopher Adamson
12. Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World (2003)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (211,366 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (141,196 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (219 reviews)
- Cast: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd
11. Treasure Island (1934)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (2,619 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (1,648 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (8 reviews)
- Cast: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore
10. The Goonies (1985)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (255,535 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (579,769 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (59 reviews)
- Cast: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen
9. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (1,045,274 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (33,125,722 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (221 reviews)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom
8. Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (7,231 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (1,201 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (9 reviews)
- Cast: Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty
7. Serenity (2005)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (289,170 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (313,280 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (187 reviews)
- Cast: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Chiwetel Ejiofor
6. The Crimson Pirate (1952)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (6,063 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (2,922 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (13 reviews)
- Cast: Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok
5. The Sea Hawk (1940)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (9,586 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (5,004 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (14 reviews)
- Cast: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains
4. Captain Phillips (2013)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (465,186 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (152,646 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (279 reviews)
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman
3. Captain Blood (1935)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (13,750 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (8,214 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (27 reviews)
- Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill
2. Castle in the Sky (1986)
Source: Courtesy of Fathom Events
Source: Courtesy of Fathom Events
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (157,473 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (79,551 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (26 reviews)
- Cast: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui
1. The Princess Bride (1987)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (408,278 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (527,843 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (78 reviews)
- Cast: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright