Pirates of the Caribbean Ignored Its Best Character Arc (Because Of Jack Sparrow)

Pirates of the Caribbean Ignored Its Best Character Arc (Because Of Jack Sparrow)

Pirates of the Caribbean’s overreliance on Jack Sparrow undermines its strongest character arc, as Norrington transforms from navy snob to noble hero.

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Pirates of the Caribbean Ignored Its Best Character Arc (Because Of Jack Sparrow)

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies juggled numerous characters and several twisting plot threads, but an increasing emphasis on Captain Jack Sparrow meant the franchise overlooked its best character arc. Johnny Depp’s iconic portrayal helped ensure the franchise’s longevity, but the pirate’s story sometimes eclipsed the rest of the ensemble, meaning not everyone received a satisfying resolution. Despite this, one character still managed to secure the most transformative arc.

Commodore James Norrington debuted in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, acting as a secondary antagonist whose duty was to capture Jack and uphold the law, while also being a rival suitor for Elizabeth’s affections. He represented the prudish high society that bored Elizabeth but was continually ignored even when evolving into a disgraced fugitive and, eventually, noble rebel more deserving of her love. The sequels revolved around the chaos of Jack Sparrow, while interesting subplots only transiently connected to Jack received less attention.

Norrington’s desperation to reclaim his integrity provided the clearest arc, perhaps because his path diverged from the convoluted double-crossing aboard the Black Pearl. His deviating loyalty and journey towards redemption saw the most complete display of Pirates of the Caribbean’s theme of ambiguous morality, as he ultimately discovered his priorities were misplaced. Norrington eventually moved beyond his bitterness, but the POTC films were still obsessed with Jack Sparrow.

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Norrington’s fall from grace challenged his rigid views. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, his stint working for Jack Sparrow on the Black Pearl taught him to play dirty to get what he wanted, meaning by At World’s End, he was no longer in Jack’s orbit, therefore relegated to essentially two sequences. Nonetheless, his resentment and guilt resonated through Jack Davenport’s performance, making the most of disapproving glances and carrying himself with greater disgrace than his drunken period in Tortuga. He realized he made a deal with the devil in serving Cutler Beckett’s pursuit of Davy Jones’ heart and was the only officer to rebel or give any hint of dissent among Beckett’s ranks. The East India Company was presented as uniformly villainous, but Norrington’s contempt was evident even before reuniting with Elizabeth. He illustrated that not all soldiers approved of Beckett’s bloodthirsty campaign, marking a significant change from his previous attitude towards criminality.

For his every good deed, Norrington’s suffering was ignored. He did provide Beckett with Davy Jones’s heart, enabling Beckett’s massacre of pirates, but his conscience always prevailed. He lost Elizabeth after helping her save Will from Barbossa, then relinquished his job after allowing Jack to escape Port Royal. Norrington even sacrificed himself, but his honorable death was swiftly forgotten. He freed Elizabeth and her pirate crew from the Flying Dutchman’s brig, perfectly displaying in just one scene both his evolution and Pirates of the Caribbean’s themes of morality and tragedy. The movies emphasized Jack’s “honest streak” leading him into trouble while ignoring his similarities with Norrington. They both betrayed Beckett, but an opportunity to explore common ground was excluded, with At World’s End instead expanding on Jack Sparrow for comic relief. Elizabeth was torn between feelings for Will and Jack, but it’s Norrington whose love was less corruptible.

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Norrington overcame his heartache to ensure Elizabeth’s survival, while Will became more focused on his ill-fated quest to save his father. The main trio all have fitting endings, but their journey was over-complicated. In contrast, Norrington had a much more straightforward narrative that lost no impact. He gave Pirates of the Caribbean some of the franchise’s most emotional weight, forgetting status to die saving those who he would have once seen hanged for piracy.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/pirates-caribbean-movies-james-norrington-story-ignore-best/

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