ARRRRR Mateees! The team that brought us Wallace and Grommit and Chicken Run decides to go swash buckle on us with The Pirates! Band of Misfits. Can it live up the quality of Wallace and Grommit, or is it going to another parody through clay animation?
Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt who has co-directed Chicken Run and has been activity involved with Wallace and Grommit series brings to life a Pirate called “Pirate Captain” who voiced by Hugh Grant feels like he has no luck in winning pirate of the year award. In fact, he is no match to his fellow pirates Cutlass Liz (Selma Hayek) and Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven). With a determination and kooky crew, Pirate Captain is determining to win Pirate of the year award after losing the last 20 years.
One of the biggest enemies to the Pirates is the Queen Victoria from England. With a deep hatred towards Pirates and then dealing with selfish intentions of Charles Darwin, the Pirate crew has a crazy adventure to learn about the importance of being a crew, loyalty, and friendship.
This movie was fun to watch from the beginning. The quirky humor that this movie brings reminds me of the classic movie of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Even with the quirkiness, the movie veers starboard and off course of why Pirate Captain is purpose of the film. If it was a bit tighter, it would’ve made the movie more entertaining and sharper. The band of misfits seems to have a lot of personality in the crew and in the foes they fight against, but unfortunately we didn’t see much of the supporting role. I want to know why Ham is so special, and a more about Pirate Captains rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz. I wanted to know the reason why the Queen hated Pirates then the explanation in the movie. There was so much more potential, I was surprised that it wasn’t more organized and allowed the movie the option to expand into more.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits has set itself up for more to come. It was fun to watch the interaction between the characters, and the creativity in the film. It was fun to laugh out loud during the film. The creativity of the creators of the film really was fun to watch. I hope there is a sequel to this, that the creators will continue the adventures on the high seas!
Grade: B
If you liked this film, I recommend:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Wallace & Grommit: Tale of the Weir Rabbit
Pirates of Caribbean