The Pirates! Band of Misfits

When I saw this film the first time around, I was inundated with a lot of "life stuff", and so I sat in the audience not really reacting to much of anything, and thinking and feeling that I could predict every gag and story point that came me. I was just in the wrong frame of mind, and so I failed to enjoy my first viewing.

A few days ago I checked out the DVD, and man I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time.

Yes, this is borderline cliché in terms of a Pirate-Genre send-up, but it has a lot of good British subtlety in the humor to be both very fresh and highly humorous. Everything from the expressions of background characters, to obvious names for characters, to the occasional British talent of understatement in the dialogue.

There is no historical accuracy here, and the pirating is kept appropriately G-rated for a family outing, though the film and its humor occasionally skirt into PG territory.

Surprisingly Hugh Grant plays the lead role of the Pirate Captain, and the Hobbit's own Bilbo Baggins in the form of Martin Freeman plays his first mate Number Two, showing the audience that indeed talented actors can do anything, even play stop motion animated pirates for a children's film.

The big act III escapade is appropriately Aardmanesque (whom seem to take quite a few of their cues from Lucas's Star Wars and Indy Jones films) as we see the characters do battle to right wrongs and resume their brand of ill-conceived piracy.

Good laughs, good animation, lots of subtle and intelligent humor mixed in with good old fashioned gags, this film should entertain everyone in the family on some level.

Enjoy.

With the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise seemingly drifting rudderless (ho ho) for at least the last two films, it's about time someone came along to remind us why we all fell in love with pirates in the first place. It seems that "someone" is Aardman Animations of all people, whose awkwardly-titled new film The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! has just hit cinemas across the UK. While it's not quite on the level of Chicken Run (Aardman's best theatrical work) you'll be happy to hear that this is an energetic, fast-paced comedy that almost everyone will enjoy. The film tells the wonderfully silly story about a bunch of lovably incompetent pirates teaming up with a young Charles Darwin (yes, you read that right) to make a ton of gold and win the Pirate of the Year Awards and become the most feared buccaneers in all seven seas.

Hugh Grant is just fantastic as the Pirate Captain (yes, that's his character's name). Some audience members might be worried about him playing "H-H-Hugh G-G-errr-G-Grant, the charming, uh, nervous upper middle class p-p-pirate" but worry not. Grant throws himself into the role with gusto, and free of the constraints of his rom-com persona, he's just as enthusiastic and fun as you'd expect (and want) a pirate captain to be. His showmanship and overconfidence make the character a riot the whole way through (my favourite bit is at the scientists' convention). Martin Freeman (as "Number Two") and David Tennant (as Charles Darwin) put in great supporting performances, both providing a great balance to the Pirate Captain's arrogance and bravado, and the rest of the crew are all great fun even if they have less screen time. Finally Imelda Staunton is clearly having a great time as none other than Queen Victoria, and I won't even say who plays the Pirate King because it's just too damn perfect.

None of these characters are especially deep or interesting, but they're likable and funny and in this kind of film, that's all you need. Like the first Shrek film or the golden age of The Simpsons, The Pirates! is just packed with laughs, getting more good gags into 85 minutes than most sitcoms manage in a year. If you're a fan of Aardman's very-British-yet-utterly-accessible style of humour you'll barely have time to breathe between laughs. The pacing is lightning fast without ever feeling rushed, which is typical of Aardman's work, and its constant forward momentum is will keep most viewers hooked throughout its short running time.

Stop motion animation has never looked better either, with character movements being every bit as lively and fluid as they are in any Pixar film. In particular, Charles Darwin's nervousness is brilliantly conveyed with facial expressions and mannerisms that are more detailed and convincing than you'd even think possible for an animated character. Of course, being an Aardman film, there are a few slapstick action scenes thrown in, and a chase through Darwin's house is a work of such beautifully choreographed chaos that it might be straight out of classic Tom & Jerry, and is probably the best bit of action the studio has done since The Wrong Trousers's legendary model train scene. I'm not sure the 3D really adds very much, but either way it's a spectacular film to look at and even though it's "just" a comedy it's well worth seeing on the biggest screen you can.

If I have to criticise the film at all, I would say it lacks the emotional resonance of Chicken Run, and while Pirate Captain is certainly fun to watch and you do feel sorry for him for being so hopeless, audiences won't really connect with him as protagonist the same way they did with the hens in that film. In Chicken Run you really want Ginger and her gang to escape, and that gave the film the added emotional weight that marks a truly great family film.In addition, while Queen Victoria is a great villainness she's nowhere near as terrifying as Mrs Tweedy. Compared to the latter, The Pirates! is just a rip-roaring slapstick adventure. And that's fine, really, because the fast pace and great jokes are enough to carry the day.

I can heartily (har har) recommend The Pirates! if you want a damn funny time at the cinema. I expect that it will stand up well to repeat viewings, as there are so many clever background jokes that you'll never catch them all the first time through (take a look at the entry form for the "Pirate of the Year Awards" in the brief few seconds it's on screen). It's not quite the studio's best film, but it's still the work of a bunch of talented people at the top of their game, and is almost certainly one of the funniest films you'll see all year.

It's an Aardman film, so the animation is as faultless as ever. However, the characters aren't quite as warm and charismatic as our favourites, Wallace and Grommit. Hugh Grant is masterfully well suited to the Pirate Captain role and the film is entertaining for the most part. But, it failed to capture us unreservedly.

The main reason why lots of people will still end up feeling disappointed with this movie is because it's not up to par with Aardman's other work, such as the Wallace & Gromit series and "Chicken Run". But really, the movie in itself is far from a terrible one, though it still definitely has its weaknesses.

Good news is that the movie still features some of the very typical Peter Lord and Nick Park humor in it (though Nick Park wasn't involved with this particular movie). It features lots of very quick and clever visual jokes and some often great and funny dialog, all done in a very British style. And that's also a joke this entire movie relies heavily one; the fact that the pirates in this movie are all being very British, with their mannerisms and accents. This was something that I appreciated but I still did wish that the movie would had done some more stuff with it all.

For a pirates movie, that besides is also made for a younger audience, the story doesn't really ever feel adventurous enough. It doesn't take you to far off or exotic places and the action, which is something I normally really love in Aardman's movies, is mostly missing in this movie. Not that the movie is boring or anything, it's too short and fast paced for that but it still is all a bit lacking and prevents this movie from ever truly becoming a great one.

There just isn't really anything that stands out about this movie at all. Also its characters are being somewhat shallow and you just don't ever feel involved enough with them, or the overall movie. Some of the characters besides get terribly underused and the movie also really could had used a good, fun, strong villain in it.

But oh well, most important thing is that I at least was entertained by it, for almost its entire duration and the movie genuinely made me laugh. In that regard you simply just can't call this movie a bad one, even though it's being sort of disappointing still, in some departments.

7/10

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We haven't seen a full length clay animated Aardman film in a while. Their recent full length films are CGI. They are not bad though but we kind of miss seeing their stop-motion animation in the big screen with characters showing off their teeth and some visible fingerprints on the models. After six years, their traditional animation returns to cinema by this movie, The Pirates! Band of Misfits. There isn't much of a change. It's not as brilliant as their other films but the delight and excitement are still there.

Happily, the studio still has its greatness. Sadly, there are no "Easter Eggs" from their other films as they usually do. It doesn't quite matter though. At least they recaptured the fun and it has a big heart. The story is just simple but it's quite a ride. The connections with the history is silly but also kind of hilarious. Its ludicrousness already makes a good joke. The voice acting is predictably good. Hugh Grant gives The Pirate Captain a delightful personality. Martin Freeman is just wonderful as his backup. Russell Tovey and David Tennant also lightens the adventure. Imelda Staunton makes a threatening villain in this movie.

Their stop motion animation is always magnificent. They can give these clay models a wonderful personality by their looks and facial expressions. It also has the trademark character design with them showing off their teeth. We know that these are just clay and some other stuff, but even if they are small, it still can make a big and marvelous adventure. Everything is crazy and fun. The jokes are clever. There's hardly anything new about the film but it's still good.

It's just great to see another stop-motion clay animated film from Aardman in the big screen, but this time it's in 3D. The 3D is pretty good, but even in 2D the film is still wonderful to watch. These kinds of family films are rare these days. While kids these days like movies with talking animals and some other mediocre stuff, this one uses the ludicrous elements in a smart way. Like I said, it's not new but it's still an exciting and enjoyable film.