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The All-Time Greatest Swashbuckling Pirate Adventure Films

The All-Time Greatest Swashbuckling Pirate Adventure Films

Published: by

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

50. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

49. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

Rich Fury / Getty Images

48. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (2008)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

47. Swashbuckler (1976)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

46. Scaramouche (1952)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

45. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Ian Gavan / Getty Images

44. Hook (1991)

Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

43. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

42. Robin and Marian (1976)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Corporation

41. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

40. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

39. Sinbad, the Sailor (1947)

Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

38. The Boat That Rocked (2009)

Courtesy of Focus Features

37. Moonfleet (1955)

Getty Images / Moviepix via Getty Images

36. The Pirates of Somalia (2017)

Courtesy of SP Distribution

35. Captain Kidd (1945)

Courtesy of United Artists

34. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)

Theo Wargo/NBC / Getty Images

33. Robin Hood (1973)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Distribution Company

32. Treasure Planet (2002)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

31. Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

30. Rob Roy (1995)

Courtesy of United Artists

29. Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

28. Peter Pan (2003)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

27. The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974)

Photo by Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images

26. The Pirate (1948)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

25. Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)

Michael Ochs Archives / Moviepix via Getty Images

24. The Mask of Zorro (1998)

Courtesy of Tristar Pictures

23. The Black Swan (1942)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

22. The Mark of Zorro (1920)

Courtesy of United Artists

21. Peter Pan (1953)

Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

20. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

19. The Pirates of Penzance (1983)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

18. The Three Musketeers (1973)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

17. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

16. Time Bandits (1981)

Courtesy of AVCO Embassy Pictures

15. Treasure Island (1950)

Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

14. The Black Pirate (1926)

Courtesy of United Artists

13. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

12. Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World (2003)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

11. Treasure Island (1934)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

10. The Goonies (1985)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

9. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

8. Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

7. Serenity (2005)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

6. The Crimson Pirate (1952)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

5. The Sea Hawk (1940)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

4. Captain Phillips (2013)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

3. Captain Blood (1935)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

2. Castle in the Sky (1986)

Courtesy of Fathom Events

1. The Princess Bride (1987)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

50. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
49. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
48. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (2008)
47. Swashbuckler (1976)
46. Scaramouche (1952)
45. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
44. Hook (1991)
43. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
42. Robin and Marian (1976)
41. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
40. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
39. Sinbad, the Sailor (1947)
38. The Boat That Rocked (2009)
37. Moonfleet (1955)
36. The Pirates of Somalia (2017)
35. Captain Kidd (1945)
34. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)
33. Robin Hood (1973)
32. Treasure Planet (2002)
31. Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
30. Rob Roy (1995)
29. Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
28. Peter Pan (2003)
27. The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974)
26. The Pirate (1948)
25. Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)
24. The Mask of Zorro (1998)
23. The Black Swan (1942)
22. The Mark of Zorro (1920)
21. Peter Pan (1953)
20. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
19. The Pirates of Penzance (1983)
18. The Three Musketeers (1973)
17. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
16. Time Bandits (1981)
15. Treasure Island (1950)
14. The Black Pirate (1926)
13. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
12. Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World (2003)
11. Treasure Island (1934)
10. The Goonies (1985)
9. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
8. Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
7. Serenity (2005)
6. The Crimson Pirate (1952)
5. The Sea Hawk (1940)
4. Captain Phillips (2013)
3. Captain Blood (1935)
2. Castle in the Sky (1986)
1. The Princess Bride (1987)

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.

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