Rules Jack Sparrow Has To Follow In Every Movie
Since he first posed majestically aboard a sinking ship while staring out into the horizon, Jack Sparrow has been a film icon. The role put Johnny Depp back into the spotlight with his exemplary performance as the pirate captain in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The movie hit the big screen in 2003 and began a series of blockbusters that would go on to become one of the biggest influences in the action-adventure genre.
There are currently a total of five films set in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe, with Jack Sparrow featured as the lead in all of them. The producers of the first film could not have predicted just how popular the character would become, but they would go on to use Jack's notoriety as their North Star as the films progressed. Each movie showcases Jack's unique character quirks, his ambitions, and his hairbrained schemes — which often lead to unexpected results.
Jack Sparrow (sorry — Captain) may be as unpredictable as the tides, but the crew of the Pirates of the Caribbean films took special care to make sure that each movie followed a special set of rules regarding the infamous pirate.
Jack Sparrow has to make a entrance
As already mentioned, Captain Jack knows how to make an entrance. Each new Pirates of the Caribbean movie has come up with a unique and clever way to bring Jack onto the screen.
Dead Man's Chest had him breaking out of a coffin. In At World's End, the pirate captain doesn't make an appearance until about 30 minutes into the film, and the first thing on-screen is Jack's nose sniffing out a morsel of food. And in Dead Men Tell No Tales, after a British officer brags about how high security is at St. Martin's bank, a large safe is opened to reveal Jack passed out and snoring inside with a bottle of rum in his hand.
It makes sense that the films' writers would want to keep the audience guessing how and when their favorite character will show up. Not only does it build suspense, but also showcases all of the crazy situations that Captain Jack often finds himself in.
Jack has to commit a daring escape
Speaking of crazy situations, Jack Sparrow seems to be in a lot of them — including the ones he creates himself. Whether it's outrunning British soldiers, outsmarting other pirates, or battling mythical creatures, Captain Jack always manages to either talk or fight his way out of the most dangerous circumstances.
More often than not, Sparrow runs from his problems rather than facing them — and he's very good at it. After all, he managed to escape a horde of hungry cannibals with a giant skewer tied to his back in Dead Man's Chest, not to mention avoiding the wrath of Davey Jones for ten years. Perhaps one of the pirate captain's most impressive escape feats happens in On Stranger Tides, when he worms his way out of the clutches of the King of England himself. The sequence has everything: Jack swinging from a chandelier, pushing people out of windows, and riding on the top of a speeding carriage, all while an army of Redcoats chase desperately after him.
One thing is for certain — Captain Jack Sparrow always finds his way out of danger. Whether that fact is based on his skill or just by dumb luck is anyone's guess.
Jack has a "way" with the ladies
Although Jack has said that his one and only love is the sea, that hasn't stopped him from leaving a trail of disappointed women in his wake.
It was apparent from film one that Jack has a history of wooing women, albeit unsuccessfully. The series of slaps he receives upon entering Tortuga in The Curse of the Black Pearl is a testament to his wily ways, not to mention his questionable attempt at seduction while he and Elizabeth are marooned on an island together. He even once found himself in the lap of the illustrious Dame Judy Dench, whispering sweet nothings in her ear before making off with her jewelry.
The closest Jack ever came to a real relationship was perhaps with Angelica, daughter of the notorious Captain Blackbeard, who was played by Penelope Cruz in On Stranger Tides, but that romance ended with Jack abandoning her on a forsaken island, rowing into the distance as she stands on the shore screaming obscenities at him.
Although Captain Jack's charms may not be immediately apparent to everyone, there's no doubt that he has a certain something that seems to draw in the ladies ... even though they never stay for long.