I have an unhealthy love of the first POTC, don't mind the 2nd or 3rd (I have to stop the 3rd one in the middle when I'm watching it.) Of course, I'm going to see the 4th. Even though they're giving Jack a love interest. I have all kinds of Issues with that. Add in that the love interest is played by Penelope Cruz, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I think not even Disney realized what a success the first POTC was going to be. In my tiny little college town, two months after the release of the movie, the movie was STILL in theaters in one of the largest auditoriums. This is a 9-screen theater and Big Fish didn't even come to that theater. And they had to do two showings when the university union showed it a month later. The DVD sold out the first day in our Walmart. To call it a success was an understatement.
The 2nd and 3rd suffer from "too many cooks in the kitchen" syndrome. I know Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio had to complete re-writes on the set, which ruined the cohesiveness of the film. I mostly watch the 2nd for the gorgeous scenery. I don't watch it for the plot. The third is just... a mess. I still enjoy it, but it's a mess.