The popularity of famous pirate movies in Australia is on the rise once more in 2022. Pirate movies were once a staple of Hollywood, and viewers continue to find enjoyment in their recurrent elements and themes.
Belonging, betrayal, forgiveness, love, shame, and grief are just a few of the fundamental struggles and feelings explored in the best pirate movies in Australia, which let us learn new things about both these nautical outlaws and ourselves.
Moviemaking has evolved as a result of technology and age, but pirate movies continue to be popular because they guarantee to love and adventure on the open seas. If you are on the search for the best pirate movies in Australiaand don’t know where to start, we’re here to help.
Here is our list of the ten best pirate movies in Australia:
Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Runtime: 2h 23m
The epic action-adventure tale Pirates of the Caribbean is set in a time when infamous pirates pillaged the Caribbean Seas.
A young guy named Will Turner is paired with renegade pirate Jack Sparrow in this action-packed franchise. Together, they have to fight a crew of the world’s most ruthless pirates, headed by the dreaded Captain Barbossa, in order to rescue Will’s beloved Elizabeth and find the buried treasure that Jack is searching for.
Will and Jack engage in ferocious, deadly battles in an effort to retake The Black Pearl ship, protect the British navy, and surrender a massive amount of prohibited treasure, breaking the Pirates of the Caribbean curse.
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Director: Brian Henson, David Lane
Writer: Jerry Juhl, Kirk R. Thatcher, James V. Hart
Cast: Kevin Bishop, Tim Curry, Billy Connolly
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Runtime: 1h 39m
The Muppets are back in business, sailing the seven seas with a unique twist. Young cabin boy Jim Hawkins, The Great Gonzo, and Rizzo the Rat embark on a frantic hunt for Captain Flint’s legendary great treasure on a strange island after hearing about it.
Squire Trelawney and Captain Smollett accompany Jim and his buddies as they experience their first glimpse of the excitement. However, they quickly learn of a terrible scheme by a crew of evil pirates, led by the crafty ship’s chef Long John Silver, who wants the treasure for himself.
When they finally get on the island, they discover that it is home to Benjamina Gunn and other dangerous residents. This is one of the most expensive movies till now.
Treasure Island (1950)
Director: Byron Haskin
Writer: Lawrence Edward Watkin
Cast: Basil Sydney, Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Runtime: 1h 36m
Young Jim Hawkins discovers a roadmap to the precious treasure of the renowned pirate Captain Flint in this Disney version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic book. Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesy are both hired by Jim to help with arrangements.
The group sets sail for the Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea with the help of notorious pirate Long John Silver, as well as other malicious swashbucklers.
The versatility of this film’s plot invites you to join Stevenson’s imaginative world and thoroughly enjoy a pirate treasure quest and everything that comes along with it, making it one of the best pirate movies of all time, and it is listed as one of the best drama movies of all time.
Peter Pan (1953)
Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
Writer: Ted Sears, Erdman Penner, Bill Peet, J. M. Barrie
Cast: Hans Conried, Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Runtime: 1h 17m
In this animated feature, Wendy and her two siblings are astounded when a magical youngster named Peter Pan soars into their room while allegedly pursuing his naughty shadow.
The movie opens in a London daycare where three children are approached by Peter Pan and is inspired by Sir James M. Barrie’s 1904 play about the kid who refuses to grow up. Peter and his fairy companion Tinkerbell are natives of Neverland, a remote location where kids never grow old.
The children are enchanted and decide to go to Neverland with Peter and Tinkerbell. But when Pan’s arch-enemy, the pirate Captain Hook, creates chaos, the children start to yearn for their former home.
Peter Pan is one of the best anime movies of all time but if you are getting bored with all this stuff and want to change your movies essence, you can go for Underworld movies also just to have a different flavor.
The Pirates: Band of Misfits
Director: Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt
Writer: Gideon Defoe
Cast: David Tennant, Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Runtime: 1h 28m
After decades of unsuccessfully competing for the title of “Pirate of the Year,” the Pirate Captain and his eccentric crew face off against the best pirates in a battle to seize the biggest loot.
Soon after, they come into contact with the romantically troubled scientist Charles Darwin, who convinces the Captain that Polly, the crew’s treasured parrot, could hold the key to the endless treasures they are looking for.
Their journey brings them to Victorian London, where they encounter the notoriously anti-pirate Queen Victoria and Darwin’s lackey Mister Bobo.
It soon becomes clear that Darwin’s motivations for advising the gang are not exactly what they first appear to be. Will the Pirate Captain choose to stick with his trustworthy crew or revel in the grandeur of being named Pirate of the Year?
Captain Phillips (2013)
Director: Paul Greengrass
Writer: Billy Ray
Cast: Faysal Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Runtime: 2h 14m
Richard Phillips, an American navigator, and his crew experience their biggest nightmare in 2009 when they are tasked with the risky job of navigating the defenseless cargo ship Maersk Alabama from Oman to Mombasa, Kenya.
For the first time in marine record, off the coastline of Somalia, a bold group of Somali pirates hijack an American ship and demand millions in compensation, involving Alabama’s crew, the hijackers, and the U.S. Navy in a five-day cat-and-mouse play.
Captain Phillips’ warship is sailing toward Somalia as the USS Bainbridge’s Navy SEALs are on alert. Will they survive the ordeal? This is one of the best pirate movies of all time to watch with your loved ones.
The Crimson Pirate (1952)
Director: Robert Siodmak
Writer: Roland Kibbee
Cast: Torin Thatcher, Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Runtime: 1h 45m
The Crimson Pirate, Captain Vallo, spots a business opportunity after acquiring command of a British warship. A man dubbed El Libre is leading a separatist movement in the Caribbean, and Baron Jose Gruda is on the deck of the British ship to bring an end to it.
Vallo’s strategy is to offer El Libre the ship’s stock of weapons and ammunition before instructing Gruda who and where he should look for the rebel to double his reward. When Vallo encounters the stunning Consuelo, who turns out to be El Libre’s daughter, things take a turn for the worse.
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Writer: Howard Koch
Cast: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Alan Hale
IMDb Rating:
Runtime: 2h 7m
Privateer Captain Geoffrey Thorpe is one of numerous Sea Hawks that guard the maritime routes for Queen Elizabeth I. The Queen becomes upset when he wrecks a Spanish cruise liner bringing the newly appointed Spanish ambassador to England, Don José Alvarez de Cordoba, and his niece Doa Maria because they are not at war.
Thorpe and his men encourage the Queen to expand the ship’s size since they are quite apprehensive about Spain. He travels to Panama with the Queen’s indirect consent in order to seize his rivals’ wealth, but they are misled.
This is one of the best pirate movies of all time. The Sea Hawk (1940) gives you the feeling of watching the best war movies.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Writer: Howard Koch, Seton I. Miller
Cast: Donald Crisp, Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Runtime: 2h 7m
A loving grandfather recounts a tale that has been passed down verbally from father to child for many years to his sick grandson while they sit together. The narrative comes to life while the granddad is reading it.
The lovely Buttercup, who is promised to the evil Prince Humperdinck, is abducted and kept against her will so that a war will break out in this timeless story of love and courage.
She must be saved by Westley, her former love who has resurrected as the Dread Pirate Roberts. Along the journey, he encounters a robber and his contracted accomplices, including a skilled swordsman and a large, extremely powerful giant, both of whom join Westley in his mission.
If for the time being, you want to change your movie genre, you can always go for the best cold war movies and can have fun while watching them.
Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
Director: Robert Stevenson
Writer: Bill Walsh, Don Dagradi
Cast: Elsa Lanchester, Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Runtime: 1h 46m
High school coach Steve Walker conjures the spirit of the legendary pirate Blackbeard after unintentionally uttering some magic words. According to the spirit, Steve was doomed by his bride to wander the Earth unless he completed one charitable act.
Steve is compelled to help Blackbeard with his mission because he is the only person who can see or hear Blackbeard. Together, they assist Professor Backer in trying to thwart a band of thieves who plan to take over an ancient lodge. If you’re in the mood for something unique, this is one of the best pirate movies of all time.
Conclusion
As you can see, the best pirate movies in Australia are guaranteed to be fantastic, whether they are silent or talkie, live-action or animated, and in black and white or color. As these ten famous pirate movies demonstrate, piracy will always remain timeless.
We hope that our list of the best pirate movies in Australia expands your imagination and introduces you to the culture of pirates. Enjoy your streaming!
Jane Davies
