Movie Review: The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Movie Review: The Pirates! Band of Misfits                                                                                 1-7-18

In this forgotten gem from Aardman Animations, after getting humiliated by his rivals Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) and Black Bellamy (Jeremy Fiven), the Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) is determined to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award. With his trusted dodo Polly and his ragtag crew by his side, the Pirate Captain must battle a diabolical queen, save a young scientist, and never lose sight of what pirates love most: Adventure!

Now what do I think of The Pirates! Band of Misfits? Well, I like it more than Brave, but less than Wreck-it Ralph. As with every Aardman film, the stop-motion animation is top notch. However, the writing and humor can be hit-and-miss, but there are funny moments. This is my personal favorite piece of dialogue in the film.

Pirate Captain (dressed as a scientist): Hello! We're here for the science show. We're scientists.

Convention judge: If you're a scientist, name three elements.

Pirate Captain: Oh. Let's see now. There's gold, ham, and tears of a mermaid.

Convention judge: Yeah, two out of three. Close enough. First on your left.

The sets for the film are also nice. Even the scenes with Pirate Captain's ship on the sea is lovely, since water is difficult to get right in stop-motion animation.

Remember that this was Aardman's first stop-motion film since Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

There are also some memorable characters, such as the pirate-hating Queen Elizabeth, Charles Darwin and his pet chimp Mr. Bobo, Pirate Captain's crew-mates, and probably one of the most attractive Aardman characters to date, Cutlass Liz. Too bad she gets little screen time.

In conclusion, The Pirates! Band of Misfits may not be Aardman's best, but it might put a grin on you and your child's face.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5