Pirates of the Caribbean (Pearl, Chest, & World's End)

Sometimes coming up with new ideas for movies companies and producers have to turn to some of the most unlikely of places. Here the original source was a theme park ride, that really didn't have a story to go along with it to begin with, but with the two things that Disney is best known for, ingenuity and imagination, one of the greatest film franchises was born. With a strong cast from the first movie to the last we're taken on a ride that just doesn't stop, and as each movie closes you get the feeling that there is no way they can out do themselves next time. But when the special effects bar is set higher each time the next chapter appears the audience is the ones that benefit from the amazing visual artistry that at times takes your breath away.
Curse of the Black Pearl - Captain Jack Sparrow fights against the crew that stranded him and stole his ship, but with Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan's help they must battle with the demons the crew has become. Beyond the special effects that are pretty amazing for a Disney film this story is fun from the moment the movie starts. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow is so beyond anything else he's ever done that the viewer is blown away by the performance. With a supporting cast that includes Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush, the audience is transported to a time where high adventure and free spirits are all that was needed to live.
Dead Man's Chest - After reacquiring his ship the Black Pearl, Captain Sparrow must battle against Davy Jones and his demon crew for the blood debt that he owes. Bringing to life three figures from ancient mariner's tale, Davy Jones, the Kraken and the Flying Dutchman, was a daunting task for the animators at Disney, but with the latest technology in computer animation they pull it off with flying colors. Throughout the film there are times that your left wondering what you just saw, and with the feeling of how did they do that. Having this second film end with a cliffhanger was perfect and left the audience chomping at the bit for the story to continue, and all they had to wait was one year.
At World's End - Will and Elizabeth team up with Captain Barbossa and ally themselves to rescue Jack from Davy Jones' Locker and fight against Jones and the British Navy, who are trying to end the pirates reign on the sea. As a finale to this trilogy the third film pulls out all the stops in order to entertain and amaze the audience, from far reaching special effects to plot twists that leave you stunned this movie has it all. Even though this is the final film the new characters that are introduced have important parts to play in completing the legend that is as rich as any historic tale from this time period.
The three films are so complete that they come across as real stories that we would have heard sitting around a bar with sailors in the 1700s. The cast is so well designed in these movies that if it were possible they could continue with this franchise as long as they had good stories to keep the actors and audience glued to their seats. Unlike most movies with subsequent sequels Disney hit a home run with Black Pearl, and then continued to hit them out of the park with the two follow ups. I for one was amazed with each film in this series, between the rich story, that after watching all three films its hard to think of them as separate movies now with a story that's so interconnected, and the action sequences, that seamlessly used special effects and live action to create some of the best action on film.