The Pirates! Band of Misfits
2/4
Starring (voices): Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant
Rated PG for Mild Action, Rude Humor and Some Language
The existence of a British claymation comedy brings to mind Nick Park, the creator of the "Wallace and Grommit." While those shorts (plus the movie) come from the same studio, Aardman Animations, Park did not have any direct involvement with "The Pirates! Band of Misfits." They do however, share the involvement of Peter Lord, who produced Park's films and co-directed this one. This, however, is the only time that Park, Wallace or Gromit are going to be mentioned in this review because doing so is insulting to the inventor and his dog. This movie couldn't be more mundane.
The Pirate Captain (Grant) is an enthusiastic buccaneer with a hardy crew who adore him. Sadly, they're the only ones who give him any respect since he is not especially successful. The Captain wants to win the "Pirate of the Year" award, but to do that, he needs booty. Luck comes his way when he runs into Charles Darwin (Tennant), who realizes that the Captain's parrot, Polly, is in fact a dodo, which as been extinct for 150 years. Darwin wants to enter Polly into a science competition, but his motives are hardly pure. He wants the glory for himself to capture the attention of Queen Victoria (Staunton), who, by the way, has an obsessive hatred for pirates.
Where's Jack Sparrow when you need him? The loopy and offbeat pirate that caused the "Pirates of Carribean" franchise to gross over nearly $4 billion dollars (let's face it, once they saw the first movie, few people went to see it strictly for heartthrob Orlando Bloom) would have added some much needed humor to this movie. This pirate movie isn't completely devoid of wit, but grins are seldom and chuckles are even rarer.
The most interesting thing about this movie is that Hugh Grant is completely unrecognizable as the lead. There's no semblance of the stuttering Brit who popped up during "Four Weddings & a Funeral," "Nine Months" and the "Bridget Jones" movies. Had I not known previously that it was him, I would never have guessed it, and even now it's hard to believe that it's Grant voicing the role. He does well, and so do his cast members. Imelda Staunton goes so far over-the-top as Queen Victoria that she resembles "Alice in Wonderland's" Queen of Hearts (one has to wonder what the Royal Family thinks about her portrayal in this film). Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek provide cameos as The Captain's competitors respectively. British character actor Brendan Gleeson also has a small role as one of The Captain's crew.
The problem with the film is that the whole thing is pretty generic. There are a few clever asides and moments of wit (like the monkey who speaks with note cards), but those are rare. The filmmakers apparently think that it's more clever than it actually is.
The 3D is also a problem. The film takes place in darkness or at night for much of the running time (a bad setting for 3D...remember "Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides" or "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2?" Not only that, it's bad 3D. The image is constantly blurry, especially during the action sequences when the camera moves too fast for the 3D to pick up. If you must see it, which I don't recommend, 2D is definitely the way to go.
Starring (voices): Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant
Rated PG for Mild Action, Rude Humor and Some Language
The existence of a British claymation comedy brings to mind Nick Park, the creator of the "Wallace and Grommit." While those shorts (plus the movie) come from the same studio, Aardman Animations, Park did not have any direct involvement with "The Pirates! Band of Misfits." They do however, share the involvement of Peter Lord, who produced Park's films and co-directed this one. This, however, is the only time that Park, Wallace or Gromit are going to be mentioned in this review because doing so is insulting to the inventor and his dog. This movie couldn't be more mundane.
The Pirate Captain (Grant) is an enthusiastic buccaneer with a hardy crew who adore him. Sadly, they're the only ones who give him any respect since he is not especially successful. The Captain wants to win the "Pirate of the Year" award, but to do that, he needs booty. Luck comes his way when he runs into Charles Darwin (Tennant), who realizes that the Captain's parrot, Polly, is in fact a dodo, which as been extinct for 150 years. Darwin wants to enter Polly into a science competition, but his motives are hardly pure. He wants the glory for himself to capture the attention of Queen Victoria (Staunton), who, by the way, has an obsessive hatred for pirates.
Where's Jack Sparrow when you need him? The loopy and offbeat pirate that caused the "Pirates of Carribean" franchise to gross over nearly $4 billion dollars (let's face it, once they saw the first movie, few people went to see it strictly for heartthrob Orlando Bloom) would have added some much needed humor to this movie. This pirate movie isn't completely devoid of wit, but grins are seldom and chuckles are even rarer.
The most interesting thing about this movie is that Hugh Grant is completely unrecognizable as the lead. There's no semblance of the stuttering Brit who popped up during "Four Weddings & a Funeral," "Nine Months" and the "Bridget Jones" movies. Had I not known previously that it was him, I would never have guessed it, and even now it's hard to believe that it's Grant voicing the role. He does well, and so do his cast members. Imelda Staunton goes so far over-the-top as Queen Victoria that she resembles "Alice in Wonderland's" Queen of Hearts (one has to wonder what the Royal Family thinks about her portrayal in this film). Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek provide cameos as The Captain's competitors respectively. British character actor Brendan Gleeson also has a small role as one of The Captain's crew.
The problem with the film is that the whole thing is pretty generic. There are a few clever asides and moments of wit (like the monkey who speaks with note cards), but those are rare. The filmmakers apparently think that it's more clever than it actually is.
The 3D is also a problem. The film takes place in darkness or at night for much of the running time (a bad setting for 3D...remember "Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides" or "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2?" Not only that, it's bad 3D. The image is constantly blurry, especially during the action sequences when the camera moves too fast for the 3D to pick up. If you must see it, which I don't recommend, 2D is definitely the way to go.
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