I have to say, the first is and will always be the best. It was the lightest (which meant that Captain Jack cold be funny) and it also had th ebest story. It was engaging and at the same time thrilling. It involved aspects of the ride. Everyone always seems to forget that these movies are steeped in theme park tradition.
The second and third movies seem more like part one and part two of one very long movie, rather than part of a trilogy. They seemed almost unrelated to the first in terms of themes. There weren't a whole bunch of links--the plot was unrelated! The first one focused ont he medallions and curse. These focused on the role of piracy in society, the hunger for power, and the quest for immortality. I enjoyed AWE more than DMC, but still, I felt that the story was "rushed" in a sense. It was missing the CHARM of the first film. The third had very little Jack, first and foremost! The storyline lacked adeequate portrayal of the themes and motives. When I saw the third one on Thursday, at times I thought to myself "I didn't come here to watch them kill each other for SO MUCH of the movie." The first film had action sequences, which are necessary in a pirate movie, but still, it was crafted poorly in AWE. Sure these scenes are exciting, but at times, it became a little too overboard. my friends and I actually made fun of the movie as we watched it because it verged on corny in parts.
Luckily, they set up a fourth one, which looks to be a LITTLE better, except for the minor snag that Will...I won't ruin it for those who haven't seen it.
lol. 
