Setting sail back to 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The film's most enduring legacy is Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. Instead of a traditional hero, Jack is a roguish, morally ambiguous figure who uses wit and "parlay"—a pirate code right—rather than just brute force. This performance transformed a standard adventure into a character-driven spectacle.
The immense success of the first installment comes down to a perfect alignment of script, casting, and directing.