Film Review: Clever, Fun Adventures of ‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’

Submitted by BrianTT on April 26, 2012 - 2:30pm

CHICAGO – “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” has that incredible Aardman energy and elegance of works like “Wallace & Gromit” and “Chicken Run” along with some of the best voice work you’ll hear in an animated film all year. It’s not a perfect piece of family entertainment (and Aardman has made a few of those in the past…like everything feature the cheese-lover and his skeptical dog) but it’s close enough and should satisfy all of those willing to sign up for this clever ride. It’s smart, funny, and, most importantly, entertaining for multiple generations.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The gallant yet goofy lead of “The Pirates!” is wonderfully known only as The Pirate Captain (perfectly voiced by Hugh Grant) and he’s kind of a lovable loser. His men stay by his side out of loyalty, not out of any actual success at being a pirate. Pirate Captain has nowhere near the looting or pillaging track records of legends like Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) or Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek), much stronger competition for the coveted title of Pirate of the Year. So when he applies for the prize, he’s basically mocked and ridiculed. Naturally, “The Pirates!” is going to be a story of an underachiever rising to the top. Although it will be so in the quirky way that only Aardman Animation can truly pull off.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” in our reviews section.

The Pirate Captain has a loyal and ragtag crew led by his number two, The Pirate with a Scarf (Martin Freeman), and including The Albino Pirate (Anton Yelchin), The Pirate with Gout (Brendan Gleeson), The Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (Ashley Jensen), and The Pirate Who Likes Sunsets and Kittens (Al Roker). The Captain and crew run afoul of the pirate-hating Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) when they arrive in Victorian London and cross historical paths with none other than Charles Darwin (David Tennant) and his faithful-yet-silent sidekick Mr. Bobo, who just happens to be a Chimp. A little bit of history, a little bit of science, a whole lot of silliness – the script for “The Pirates! A Band of Misfits” is so much smarter and more intellectually engaging for your kids than 99% of family entertainment that it makes it significantly easier to overlook the film’s flaws.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” review.

“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” features voice work by Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Anton Yelchin, Brendan Gleeson, Salma Hayek, Jeremy Piven, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen, and Al Roker. It was written by Gideon Defoe and directed by Peter Lord and opens on April 27, 2012.