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4) Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)

What we know from trailers, for better or worse, is that Johnny Depp is back as Jack Sparrow in Pirates 5. We also know he is fighting an enemy from his youth, Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), and has the help of two new youngsters, Will Turner’s son Henry and Henry’s love interest. We don’t know how Bloom and Knightley will be back as Will and Elizabeth but we know they are returning. Lastly, we have a base understanding of the plot: Salazar’s crew has escaped from the Devil’s Triangle (aka the Bermuda Triangle) and Sparrow must acquire the Trident of Poseidon to stop him. As a Greek man with a beta fish named Poseidon in his bathroom, I can tell you that this kind of stuff is right up my alley.

You want family-friendly mythology set on the cursed seas of the Bermuda Triangle? Well the Devil’s Triangle and the Sea of Monsters both refer to the Bermuda Triangle, so both movies have what you want. In the Percy Jackson franchise Percy is the demigod son of Poseidon. In Pirates 5, it’s Poseidon’s Trident that Sparrow seeks. I’m sure they are drastically different versions of the true Greek legend that is Poseidon but, regardless, both franchises take their ships to the Bermuda Triangle which has great potential for blockbuster action. Percy Jackson may not be the best book adaptation but I’m not given many Greek mythology tales to choose from so I watch what I’m offered. The Percy Jackson movies are fun and entertaining, and a good way to prep for Pirates 5 with the family.

5) 300: Rise of an Empire (2015)

Though Percy Jackson has Greek mythology, the 300 films are literally about Greeks. Sure, they are a fanciful recounting of Greek history but they are not about the mythology. That’s okay, each movie can prep you differently. Percy Jackson shares the Bermuda Triangle with the Pirates movies but nothing can prepare you for ship battles at sea quite like the 300 sequel, Rise of an Empire. Maybe the mystical isn’t what draws you to Pirates but rather watching two ships and hundreds of men sink their way to the bottom of the ocean on the big screen.

If you’ve seen 300, then you know Greeks fight like beasts on the battlefield. What I didn’t know before seeing the sequel was how well we fought at sea. Rise of an Empire showcases several creative ways that heroes on boats are just as badass as those with a sword. They can use the weather to their advantage and surprise even the most knowledgeable Naval aficionado with offensive and defensive maneuvers never seen before on film. Both 300 films are wildly entertaining and visual feasts, with the sequel utilizing 3D to great effect. The Pirates producers should have watched Rise of an Empire before they started filming. With Pirates 5 currently drifting around 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, they would have been wise to up the ante on their aquatic action sequences since the plot is sure to be as complicated and uninteresting as ever.

The bar is set high for Pirates 5 with fantasy, mythology and battleship battles all having been done before and done well. Where Pirates 5 may eventually fail to compete against Transformers 5 for the “Battle of the Fifth-quel” might be in starpower. Depp’s recent celebrity scandal could hurt him and turn this sequel into the next Alice in Wonderland 2 (the first made $1 billion worldwide and the second couldn’t crack $300 million). Transformers 5 doesn’t have that obstacle but Pirates 5 promises the return of two franchise favorites. Only time will tell. Until then, have a great Memorial Day weekend and feel free to follow me on Instagram (RoseByAnyName)

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