pjvanes69

(2013-05-19 01:06:32)

Enjoyable but no Wallace and Gromit.

Pirates! Band of Misfits is another fun romp from Aardman with the topclass acting, animation and all round production values we've come toexpect from the studio. Unfortunately Pirates was missing one key ingredient usually found inAardman productions and that is a rock solid story. There wasn'tanything particularly wrong with the story, it's just that there wasn'treally anything special about it either and as such it failed to engageme as it plodded along very predictably. There's some nice action pieces as you'd expect but again these justfelt like they were shoved in because 'that's what you do' and therewas more than a bit of 'let's top our last chase sequence' going onbehind the motivation as well.Ultimately Pirates! Band of Misfits was an enjoyable way to spend anevening but it's not going to leave a lasting impression the wayWallace and Gromit or Chicken Run did.

MYeah_Plaza

(2013-05-18 21:18:08)

Arrr! Aardman's stop motion charm and humor be back in full force.

ARRR! The quirky scallywags of Aardman animation be at it again! Afterseven years of waiting, they've at long last made port with theirreturn to stop motion. The Pirates! be a scurvy, swashbuckling, andlaugh-out-loud funny high seas adventure, with Charles DARRRwin. Okay,I promise to stop talking like a pirate now.I must say, even though it doesn't have the same originality as ChickenRun, or the same comedic bite as Wallace and Gromit, The Pirates is avery entertaining movie. It's easy enough to compliment the animation,and Aardman's signature style of slapstick, or a terrific voice cast aswe've come to expect. All that aside, it remains a constantly funnyadventure, with only a few jokes that ever fall flat. It's great tohave you back Aardman.**** / *****

Dillon Harris

(2013-05-18 03:42:22)

Aardman at its finest,

The Pirates In An Adventure Scientist is a brilliant movie with greathumor and fantastic animation,I always enjoy Aardman Animation filmsand they never let me down and I believe The Pirates can competeagainst Wallace And Gromit and Creature Comforts as some of Aardmansfinest works.Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh Grant) and the rest of his crew aredetermined to make sure there captain wins Pirate Of The Year.But theyend up getting involved with Charles Darwin when he claims that theCaptains parrot Polly is actually the last living Dodo bird,they setoff to England to win treasure in a science fair,although QueenVictoria has a huge hatred for pirates.

jadepietro

(2013-05-17 12:46:38)

Avast and Be Entertained!

This film is recommended.Having somehow missed the theatrical release of The Pirates: Band ofMisfits months ago, I was finally able to partake of this charmingfrothiness in its recent DVD format. Here's my take on this band ofcomic buccaneers:Those Brits and their wry sense of humor! Aardman Studio of London hascreated its first 3- D stop-motion clay animation film, althoughcomputer graphics were evident in background shots to heighten thevisual elements of the film. Solidly directed by Peter Lord, ThePirates: Band of Misfits is a crowd-pleasing diversion. The clever sight gags are numerous and the slapstick shtick isnon-stop. That alone should entertain youngsters who really will missmost of the sly humor in this delightful romp. Savvy adults should not.No, the laughs aren't gut-busting or, in fact, very audible. They'remostly slight chuckles and the constant grinning variety of humor.Written by Gideon DeFoe, who loads his script with plenty of comicverbal and visual asides, The Pirates: Band of Misfits doesn'tdisappoint. It's droll fun, terribly British, and I had a dopey smileplastered on my face from beginning to end.With his World's Best Captain mug in hand and his big-boned parrot,Polly, who is really a dodo, on shoulder, the Pirate Captain has hiseye on a bigger prize: The Pirate of the Year Trophy, which he has lostyear after year. This time will be different. This time he has a fool-proof plan. His hare-brained scheme to win this coveted award leads himand his crew on various foolish adventures and chases.The animation excels in its background work and its detailed sets,while its characters still have those pudgy dough-like generic featuresthat have become a trademark of Aardman Studios. Photo-realistictouches that have become commonplace with today's animated films arenot the direction that these animators wish to go. They concernthemselves foremost with a story that has some creative outlet fortheir animation to augment and flourish. It continues to be a winningcombination.British thespians ably lent their voices to this film. Their voice-overwork resonates with Hugh Grant doing a dead-on Monty Python-likeCaptain, Imelda Staunton as a pirate-hating Queen Victoria, and DavidTennant as Charles Darwin, who more than coincidentally resembles hismonkey friend, Mr. Bobo. Adding still more support are Brian Blessed,Brendan Gleeson, and a wonderful Martin Freeman, who more thancoincidentally resembles Martin Freeman ( ala a cartoon version ofhimself ). Still others brought an international flair to the venture,such as Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, and Al Roker.The Pirates: Band of Misfits thoroughly entertains. A good time was hadwith this motley crew of cutthroats and cut-ups. Set sail and prepareto be amused. GRADE: BVisit my blog at: www.dearmoviegoer.comANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com

Dave Rogers

(2013-05-16 18:10:00)

The Pirates! is a top notch slapstick adventure that anyone can enjoy

With the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise seemingly driftingrudderless (ho ho) for at least the last two films, it's about timesomeone came along to remind us why we all fell in love with pirates inthe first place. It seems that "someone" is Aardman Animations of allpeople, whose awkwardly-titled new film The Pirates! In an Adventurewith Scientists! has just hit cinemas across the UK. While it's notquite on the level of Chicken Run (Aardman's best theatrical work)you'll be happy to hear that this is an energetic, fast-paced comedythat almost everyone will enjoy. The film tells the wonderfully sillystory about a bunch of lovably incompetent pirates teaming up with ayoung Charles Darwin (yes, you read that right) to make a ton of goldand win the Pirate of the Year Awards and become the most fearedbuccaneers in all seven seas.Hugh Grant is just fantastic as the Pirate Captain (yes, that's hischaracter's name). Some audience members might be worried about himplaying "H-H-Hugh G-G-errr-G-Grant, the charming, uh, nervous uppermiddle class p-p-pirate" but worry not. Grant throws himself into therole 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 piratecaptain to be. His showmanship and overconfidence make the character ariot the whole way through (my favourite bit is at the scientists'convention). Martin Freeman (as "Number Two") and David Tennant (asCharles Darwin) put in great supporting performances, both providing agreat balance to the Pirate Captain's arrogance and bravado, and therest 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 otherthan Queen Victoria, and I won't even say who plays the Pirate Kingbecause it's just too damn perfect.None of these characters are especially deep or interesting, butthey're likable and funny and in this kind of film, that's all youneed. Like the first Shrek film or the golden age of The Simpsons, ThePirates! is just packed with laughs, getting more good gags into 85minutes than most sitcoms manage in a year. If you're a fan ofAardman's very-British-yet-utterly-accessible style of humour you'llbarely have time to breathe between laughs. The pacing is lightningfast without ever feeling rushed, which is typical of Aardman's work,and its constant forward momentum is will keep most viewers hookedthroughout its short running time.Stop motion animation has never looked better either, with charactermovements being every bit as lively and fluid as they are in any Pixarfilm. In particular, Charles Darwin's nervousness is brilliantlyconveyed with facial expressions and mannerisms that are more detailedand convincing than you'd even think possible for an animatedcharacter. Of course, being an Aardman film, there are a few slapstickaction scenes thrown in, and a chase through Darwin's house is a workof such beautifully choreographed chaos that it might be straight outof classic Tom & Jerry, and is probably the best bit of action thestudio 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 aspectacular film to look at and even though it's "just" a comedy it'swell worth seeing on the biggest screen you can.If I have to criticise the film at all, I would say it lacks theemotional resonance of Chicken Run, and while Pirate Captain iscertainly fun to watch and you do feel sorry for him for being sohopeless, audiences won't really connect with him as protagonist thesame way they did with the hens in that film. In Chicken Run you reallywant Ginger and her gang to escape, and that gave the film the addedemotional weight that marks a truly great family film.In addition,while Queen Victoria is a great villainness she's nowhere near asterrifying as Mrs Tweedy. Compared to the latter, The Pirates! is justa rip-roaring slapstick adventure. And that's fine, really, because thefast pace and great jokes are enough to carry the day.I can heartily (har har) recommend The Pirates! if you want a damnfunny time at the cinema. I expect that it will stand up well to repeatviewings, as there are so many clever background jokes that you'llnever catch them all the first time through (take a look at the entryform for the "Pirate of the Year Awards" in the brief few seconds it'son screen). It's not quite the studio's best film, but it's still thework of a bunch of talented people at the top of their game, and isalmost certainly one of the funniest films you'll see all year.

antoniomagallon90

(2013-05-16 12:12:36)

I Couldn't Stop Laughing at This Film. One of the Best Films of 2012

Disgrace pirate Captain Pirate (Hugh Grant) is trying to win "Pirate ofthe Year Award" for the last twenty years. His plan is to steal andcollect piles of gold and "booty" (which is another word for coins) inorder to win the award. After failing to get some "booty", he stumblesupon Charles Darwin (David Tennant), who is a well known scientist.Charles notice that Captain Pirates pet Polly is the last living dodo.He then convinces the Captain to go to London for the annual RoyalScience Society Convention to show the last dodo to the scienceindustry. There is one problem though, Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton)hates pirates and if they get caught, there heads will be chop off. I saw this film at advance screening and here are the results. AardmanAnimations Studio, the company responsible for creating Wallace andGromit Series, Chicken Run, Flushed Away, Shaun the Sheep Series, andrecently Arthur Christmas, once again created a new classic. They'relike Pixar and you have to give credit for their talent and theirdedication for making claymation. In terms of claymation, this isAardman first claymation film to be in 3D (Although Arthur Christmaswas their first 3D film, it was Computer-generate) and the results aregood. Rather be converted in post-production, it was shot usingminiature 3D cameras, which is satisfying for me and hopefully theaudience because lately the majority of big budget films are convertedin 3D, which causes blurriness and headaches. Personally I'm not a hugefan of 3D, but I didn't mind for this movie. Some of well known actorsuse their voice for this film like Hugh Grant, David Tennant, and SalmaHayek. It is absolutely funny. Almost every five minutes of filmdelivers good moments for you to laughs. It also have one of the mostrandom soundtracks I have ever heard. Because of it, it makes itfunnier. There is one song that the whole audience just could not stoplaughing. Its call I'm Not Crying by Flights of the Concords.Specially, I can't tell why it was used, but what I can say is that thesong is connect to one scene and it was so hilarious that the audiencejust could not stop laughing. Overall, Pirates: Band of Misfits is easily one of the best films of2012. Audiences for all ages will be entertained. Fans of Wallace andGromit will be extremely happy for what Aardman Studios created. Here'sthe truth, I'll pay to see this movie again.

TheGatsby

(2013-05-15 04:10:42)

A wonderful treat from Aardman

In recent years, the pirate genre has enjoyed something of resurgencein popularity all because of one series. You know which one I'm talkingabout. The first film became an unprecedented success and three sequelseventually followed, in total grossing nearly $4 billion at the boxoffice. It was then unsurprising that the pirate would foray intoanimation, however, this being an Aardman production meant this wouldoffer something different to Jack Sparrow and co.After their recent uses of CGI, it was uncertain whether the Aardmanwould return to stop-motion animation, thankfully, they have. It helpsto separate the film from the countless CGI-fests that so many kids'movies are today, giving it a magic all of its own. The immense effortput into every frame is so wonderfully on display, with the animatorsrevelling in meticulous detail and rewarding the sharp-eyed viewer withnumerous visual gags that flash by in blink-and-you'll-miss-it motion.Given that this film comes from the same production company thatdelivered the brilliant 'Wallace and Gromit', it comes as no surprisethat this film has two h's in abundance: heart and humour. It neverfeels cold or detached, with the main characters consistently charmingand easy to root for, aided once by again by the skilled animation.Succeeding just as well on comedic level, we are offered jokes forchildren, jokes for adults and fantastically, jokes the two can enjoytogether, that are equally broad and witty. Highlights include anamusing reference to 'The Elephant Man', Darwin's chimpanzee Bobo and agag which manages to make leprosy funny without being tasteless.It is rounded off by a great voice cast, lead by a delightfully gung-hoHugh Grant as the "luxuriantly"-bearded protagonist 'Pirate Captain'.He is complemented by reliable actors such as Martin Freeman, BrendanGleeson and David Tennant, with cameos from people like Lenny Henry,Salma Hayek and the unmistakable Brian Blessed.At only 88 minutes long, this fantastic film flies by in a flash, neveroutstaying its welcome and leaving the viewer (well, me anyway) wantingmore. I do indeed hope that the proposed sequel goes ahead, because I'dmuch rather watch this than 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' or any ofthose sequels any day.

drew_atreides

(2013-05-14 21:13:32)

Solid fun for the whole family

..took my 5 year old son, 3 year old daughter and wife to see"PIRATES!" this afternoon.Have to say it was a real treat for everyone. Good, smart light-heartedfun with a band of colourful, likable characters and a really cutestory.I was really surprised by the A-list cast of voice-actors (though Iguess I shouldn't have been.) Hugh Grant, David Tennant, Brian Blessed,Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek all provideGrade A voice work.If you're looking for a fun day out with the family, this willcertainly do the trick!

Neil Welch

(2013-05-13 16:03:59)

An absolute hoot from start to finish

This intriguingly titled film comes from Aardman Animation, creators ofWallace and Gromit. It tells of a Pirate Captain (who goes under thename of "Pirate Captain") whose ambition has, for years, been to winthe "Pirate Of The Year" title.I really don't want to say any more than that, for anything else Imight say about how the plot unfolds, or events which occur on the way,characters who get involved etc., is likely to spoil some of the verygood jokes which unroll throughout the length of this pleasingly daftfilm (suffice it to say that the exodus at the end was halted on thetheatre's stairs as they stood and watched the end credits all the waythrough - the gags are constant).Let me say that the animation (which looks to be a combination ofclaymation and CGI) is good, character and set design is excellent,voice talent is stellar, and - Oh, it's a joy. Go and see it. And the3D suits it very well, by the way.

HollywoodJunket

(2013-05-13 12:31:45)

Set Sail For Booty Adventure!

R ye sailing to the movies this Friday? See sick 3D adventures of thePirates: Band of Misfits crew in their quest for booty. "The Pirates!Band of Misfits" is the misadventures of two ambitious men out to winthe ultimate prizes in their fields. One, The Pirate Captain out forthe "Pirate of the Year" award, and the other, scientist Charles Darwindetermined to captivate his love interest Queen Victoria by winning themost stand-out discovery at a Science Symposium.The stop-motion puppetry was crafted by the leading artists in thisfield of "Aardman Animations" for Sony Pictures Animation in 3D. Theylast left us with "Arthur Christmas" which was a very good memory.Directed by Peter Lord, "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" is a stunningachievement in visual stop-motion, though some movements are jumpy.Our behind-the-scenes look at our visit to Sony Animation here:HollywoodJunket.comThe story of a self-absorbed Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) takes his crewof misfits along with Charles Darwin across the seas to London wherethe Captain expects to win a vast amount of monetary prize promised tohim by Darwin by simply showing off his Parrot, which is really theextremely rare Dodo Bird. The Pirate's plan is to show off his wonbooty prize to his villainous competitors – Black Bellamy (JeremyPiven) and Cutlass (Selma Hayek) to squeeze them out of the Pirate ofthe Year Award. Amongst fighting each other over possession of theextinct bird, they must also face Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) whohas her own unique agenda for the bird.When things take an unexpected turn for the worse, the Pirate andDarwin return to their paths of finding riches to validate theirsuccesses in life. They both soon find out that the treasures they havedon't consist of something they can count. This stop-motion 3Dadventure of a Pirate's search for the ultimate booty leads to asurprising discovery of unmeasurable wealth.This animated feature takes place in the 1800 with cameos fromreal-life figures such as author Jane Eyre and the Elephant Man bothpresent in London during the 1800s. "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" is afun chaotic, slapstick kind of cartoon-like movie that children shouldenjoy. However, the time frame inconsistencies made for littleannoyances during viewing. Time inappropriate references to Elvis, andurban slang were among the few. Much care and detail were put into thevisuals of this story but where sound is concerned, not so much. Thetalents of actors Jeremy Piven (Entourage) and Spanish sex symbolactress Selma Hayek (Pirates of the Caribbean) were bothunder-utilized.Audiences will be able to sail the high seas and see for themselves afirst-hand experience of "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" when it opensin theaters in 3D on Friday, April 27, 2012.www.HollywoodJunket.com

Jesse Ung

(2013-05-13 16:03:28)

Bursting with hilarity, fun, imagination and heart...

Behind only PIXAR, Aardman is the only animation company that I fullytrust to bring the best animated entertainment to the big-screen. Beinga genuine lover of all of their work, I was thrilled to hear of theiradaptation of THE PIRATES. I went in with, as always high expectations,and, as always, I was not disappointed.THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS centers around a pirate crew captained bynone other than the Pirate Captain (voiced by HUGH GRANT), along withhis second-in-command The Pirate with a Scarf (voiced by MARTINFREEMAN). Together, they attempt enter the PIRATE OF THE YEAR AWARDS,in the competition to become THE PIRATE OF THE YEAR.An absolutely delightful release from the highly talented AardmanCompany, THE PIRATES! exceeds in every aspect imaginable. Eachcharacter is lovingly crafted with depth, vividness, heart and sheerfun, while it's pure British cast is unique and overly qualified inevery way. While I personally loved HUGH GRANT'S character, I foundmyself to be most invested in MARTIN FREEMAN'S character. Somewhat thevoice of reason in the film, The Pirate with a Scarf is the utter heartand intelligence of the band, and definitely one of the most lovable,as is MARTIN himself. All in all this makes them an enjoyable band ofmisfits to be with throughout it's 88 minute run-time.Despite being visibly aimed for children and families, THE PIRATES!features hefty amounts of adult friendly humor. Of these are much ofthe satire, innuendos, and visual gags that had me in stitches withlaughter, more than most of the classy and also funny slapstickfeatured throughout, a more than welcome addition for young audiences.Look out for the Elephant Man in particular.Aardman doesn't fail to impress when it comes to visuals. Deftlyblending their unique stop-motion characters, props and settings with aCGI world make for beautiful eye-candy. Director Peter Lord maintains aconsistent feel of gentle comedy with the action sequences storming, asthe style of animation is kept throughout the film. From the high seasto groggy London town, THE PIRATES! succeeds with it's imaginativevisual style, contributing to an equally entertaining 3D experience.Lastly, behind all the comedy and hilarity that unfolds throughout thefilm, THE PIRATES! is ultimately a story of heart and friendship. It'sfeatured in practically all children's films, and can become a bit ofan eye-roller after a while, but with this film, this isn't the case.The band of misfits are a terrific showcase of friendship, more sobetween the Pirate Captain and The Pirate with a Scarf. A relationshipreminiscent of that of GUY RITCHIE'S SHERLOCK HOLMES AND JOHN WATSON.With a pure British cast, stunning visual eye-candy and sight gags, asurprisingly immersive 3D experience, comedy just as golden in everysense, a story and characters with a massive beating heart, THEPIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS is a delightful treat by the magicians ofAardman, and definitely one of the best of the year so far.

mrphillips570

(2013-05-13 05:15:00)

Yikes!

After reading a few of the critic and user reviews I decided to take my9 year old daughter and 4 year old son to see this film. The reviewswere favorable so I assumed it would be good. WRONG!!! This film isterrible! The theater was 75% full of kids and adults alike. The onlylaughter I could hear was during the trailer for "Dispecable Me 2". IfI had to guess no more than 10 people enjoyed it. All the reviews Iread enjoyed this movie but I had to speak up for the normal parent. Donot go see this movie in the theater. Wait for Blu-Ray or even for itto come out on basic cable. I usually enjoy seeing movies with my kidsand enjoy going to the movies in general. But this was notentertaining, clever, or funny in anyway.

Farid_Hijab_Nadweed

(2013-05-12 02:58:17)

A Sore Spot for Some, But ......

Talking Head is a movie purely for cinephiles. Even more specificallyit focuses on the production of animated features and perhaps suggestshow Aardman approaches the act of directing films when faced with theoverwhelming pressure of his weighty projects. To put it simply, thisis a movie for film nerds, and perhaps primarily for animation nerds atthat. (--)Make no mistake, this is not the Aardman of Chicken Run. That film issomething of an anomaly in Aardman's career, since most of his filmsaren't very commercial, unfolding with a slow contemplative pacereminiscent of the films of Andrei Tarkovsky (Stalker, Solaris) andeschewing extensive action set pieces. More a statement about thenature of creative work, this film would be better watched next to thelikes of F for Fake, as it is more an essay than a narrative film. (--)If you are coming from Chicken Run, and want to see more films fromAardman, I suggest checking out Rex the Runt: Dinosaurs, Fruitloop 1and 2, and Flushed Away (which he wrote but didn't direct) beforedeciding if you want to move on to his headier stuff (like Angel's Egg,Humdrum, Wee Wee, Early Bird 2: Beautiful Dreamer, and his bizarretrilogy of live action films; Red Cattle, Stray Dog, and TalkingPiglets. Gideon Defoe is a challenging writer, which for some peoplemeans "way too pretentious." But if you are willing to leave yourpreconceived notions of what a movie is supposed to be, his films canlike gorgeous landscapes, glimpses of monotoned worlds of beauty;intellectually involved characters, complex emotionality, and physicaland emotional abstraction, punctuated by sharp moments of violence andtension.

TheFiendsThatPlagueThee

(2013-05-11 09:24:12)

Not bad, but not as good as I hoped

Having really enjoyed Chicken Run and some of the Wallace and Gromitmaterial, and having seen a promising looking trailer, I had high hopesfor Pirates! Bandof Misfits.And then I watched it, and found it to be just okay. Technically, it'squality was high, and visually really quite pleasing. I liked thecharacters, from the Pirate Captain to the whole crew to the otherpirate of the year contenders to the characterizations so thehistorical personages like Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria.The story of the Pirate Captain leading his crew on a quest to makePirate of the Year certainly had potential.But most of the jokes fell flat for me. I just didn't find it funny,and being a comedy, that really damaged my perception of it. My kids(ages 13 and 15) also found it to be just...meh.I certainly don't regret watching it, because the animation is great,but overall it's not something that I'll re-watch any time soon.

jaemiewaters

(2013-05-10 14:14:57)

mazing 3D movie

it is an amazing 3D film i think you will enjoy this wonderful moviethat was incredible i never saw anything like this in my life it wasout of this world wonderful i never watched a movie like this in mywhole life it is one of the best 3D movies ever created it wasoutstanding i hope you enjoy this wonderful family film it was aamazing ride it was a ride of a life time it had incredible music in itbut if you do want to go see this wonderful movie you may want to getyour tickets ADV because when i went to go see it there wear 30 seatsfrom being Sold Out i think this is one of the coolest movies ever madeit was a hoot it is OK for the kids i never saw anything like this inmy life the 3D was wonderful this movie was much better than ChickenRun i hope you enjoy this wonderful but there was some rude hummer init and a lot of grown up stuff i like this movie a lot and i hope youenjoy it too i really enjoy this 3D movie i am going to buy this movieon DVD for sure have a outstanding day

zetes

(2013-05-10 07:13:13)

A ton of fun

The new film from Aardman Animations, the studio responsible forWallace & Gromit. Director Peter Lord previously made Chicken Run,Aardman's first feature film, back in 2000. This is his first work as adirector since. I remember being kind of disappointed with Chicken Runat the time, perhaps just because I wanted a Wallace & Gromit movie sobadly. I quite enjoyed this one, though. Based on a series of books byGideon Defoe, it involves a group of silly pirates who go bydescriptive names like Pirate Captain, Albino Pirate, the Pirate withGout and, my favorite, the Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (a womanwearing a fake beard). The Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh Grant) isvying for Pirate of the Year award, but he has some fierce competition.Honestly, he's kind of a screw-up, only having a price on his head for12 gold pieces. Things change when he stumbles upon the Beagle in oneof his raids. He finds Charles Darwin, who recognizes that hissuspiciously fat parrot is, in actuality, the last living dodo bird.Darwin tricks the Pirate Captain into returning to London, where hewill supposedly receive a big cash prize for finding a dodo. London isa particularly dangerous place, since Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton)has been hanging pirates left and right. For a long while, I wasenjoying this but thinking it should have been a lot funnier. As itwent on, though, I kind of fell for it. Sure, it's not the funniestanimated film ever, but it's a lot of fun, the animation is incrediblybeautiful and detailed (leaps and bounds surpassing the Wallace &Gromit feature in that aspect, although I like that one as a wholequite a bit more) and the voice acting is top notch. I'd definitelyrecommend it to any animation fan.

Vaughn Fry

(2013-05-08 10:36:01)

Breaks the Mold

The Pirates! Band of Misfits is another wonderful addition to theAardman Animations family of stop motion adventures, masterfullyfulfilling the needs of children and their parent's alike.Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) wants the Pirate of the Year awarddesperately. After seeing the booty pulled in by Black Bellamy (JeremyPiven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek), Pirate Captain goes on a lootingspree. After attacking worthless ships, Pirate Captain and his crewencounter Charles Darwin (David Tennant) who informs him that the realtreasure may be under his nose, but to claim glory the pirates willhave to enter London where Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) wants allpirates dead.The last family friendly film I reviewed was Arthur Christmas, anotherAardman animations productions from Sony. Arthur Christmas wasn't quiteas suggestive with the humor, and tried to make up for it with sheervolume. Much of the humor in The Pirates! plays out in the backgroundand well beyond the comprehensions of the children in attendance. Theycan grasp the plot, the fun of the sight gags, and the livelycharacters, but the parent can appreciate the grander aspects and dareI say historical elements.It's nothing for a computer generated animated film to do theimpossible, or rather what would be impossible with conventional means.It's far more the feat when modeled figures do just as much. Strippingaway the dialog, which is great, leaves a visual art that can stillmake a spectacle. Director Peter Lord is to his craft as Jim Henson wasto puppets. As amazed as this reviewer is of the animation, I wishthose promoting it had as much faith as the poster is computerrendered.Hugh Grant wasn't entirely necessary to make The Pirates! Band ofMisfits enjoyable, and his American pirate may be a misnomer. Piven andHayek might have 10 lines between them, and typically when a charactergets the star entrance, as they did, you expect them to have a moreprominent role. There might even be some fall out from feminists forthe lack of emphasis on the character known as Surprisingly CurvaceousPirate, but I find it refreshing to have such a character includedwithout making her an agent to introduce an agenda.The Pirates! Band of Misfits breaks the mold. What we have here is afun family film that entertains the kids and parents don't have tosimply tolerate it. There's going to be a lot of sequels and remakesthis summer, even an original computer animated movie or two, but theresurely won't be another feature like this.Check out my video review of The Pirates! and all my other reviews onmy site VaughnOnMovies.com

lagudafuad

(2013-05-08 01:24:23)

I guaranty you are going to have fun

One thing I can tell you is that, you will cherish the time spentwatching this movie.Pirates is a stop-motion film with CGI added, it was done by Aardmananimation who were also responsible for the 2000 hit movie Chicken Runand the financial hit Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit(2005). Peter Lord the director and co-founder of Aardman, has had longpractice on clay-motion with the Wallace and Gromit series that fromthe set go of this movie pirates you just never expect anything to gowrong.One thing that really got my attention is the way Pirate Captain (HughGrant) was able to blend with each situation no matter how hopeless itmay seem, and he always had a quick word for everything, you will nevercatch him speechless, but the whole cool thing was he was as foolish asa goat.The plot is simple, Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) wants so badly to betaken seriously in the pirate world and the world in general. Also hehas his eyes set on the Pirate of the year award an award he dreams ofwinning one day.But Pirate Captain's Booty was nothing compared to the other piratesgunning for the award, like Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and CutlassLiz (Salma Hayek) whose Booties were more than 50 times what PirateCaptain could bring in.With the aid of his crew and his parrot Polly (which happened to be thelast dodo alive) they set out on a quest to get as much Booty aspossible.This quest leads them to meet Chares Darwin (David Tennant) and hislove interest Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton). This also lead to ascience fair where Pirate Captain made the most remarkable discoveryever.Pirates has Hugh Grant starring in his first animated role as theluxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain, if what I saw in this movie issomething to write home about, then the news of Lord and Aardmanplanning a part two of Pirates is something to look forward to.As the part one had all the makings of a trilogy waiting to happen, Imean a movie that has you laughing from scene to scene, with remarkabletwist and turns that makes you look forward to the next thing that willhappen.

ASlightlyRedDisturbance

(2013-05-06 00:36:51)

Really fun

The only reason I heard about this film was because it got the Oscarnomination, and since I had seen the other four animated filmsnominated, I decided to give this a go. Really, really fun! I think ithas the most inventive wit and kids' humor from the five, but it'sreally clever and frequently hilarious. The characters are a hoot andreally entertaining, and the film takes quite a few turns in the storythat allow for more action and adventure. It's really quite great, andit reminds me of last year's The Adventures of Tintin in how it's the"action animated" film of the year (from what I've seen, which is the 5nominated ones). Really enjoyable film, a surprising delight!

hannahballerina310

(2013-05-05 08:27:01)

Great Film

My boyfriend and I took my younger sister to see this and she loved it!It was great for her as she loved all the child's aspects of the film,But for my Boyfriend and I it was also a good film, very amusing inparts I would definitely recommend this film for people of any age.Especially Wallis and Grommit fans ( As it is made by Aardman) My sister laughed through the majority of the film at the brilliantcomedy throughout as did we. I would most certainly give this film a rating of no lower than 7. And would also recommend people to go and see it with children as it isa brilliant film for all ages.