Honestly, I didn’t think this movie would be my cup of tea. Wallace and Gromit swapped with some pirates and fancier visuals is fine and dandy, but does it make an entertaining ninety minute adventure for all audiences? Read on to find out!
The story is fitting enough: The Pirate Captain (Hugh Jackman) is on a quest to win “Pirate of the Year Award” and outshine his pirate rivals. To do this, he and his crew lead a raid of various ships, none of which present him with the booty he needs. So, he accompanies Charles Darwin to London, trades his pet Dodo bird, the last of its kind, to Queen Victoria and leaves with a large sum of dabloons and a shoe-in case for POTY. When he catches word that the Queen intends on eating the Dodo along with a bunch of other endangered animals as part of a secret society banquet, he immediately sets off to right his wrongs. It’s always the claymation films with the creepiest plots (considering I’m a vegetarian). Not that I don’t like the story, but I’m sure that an elementary school child with enough effort could pick up on what’s going on and be scarred for life.
Regardless of the questionable story, the dialogue that accompanies it is fantastic and is what makes this movie more than just a kid’s film. The humor used in Pirates: Band of Misfits is full of the silly slapstick comedy you’d expect, but is riddled with clever and clearly adult-oriented jokes. Not adult-oriented as in suggestive or rude, but instead sophisticated and well thought out. With that said, it makes the movie a good watch for both kids and the parents stuck taking them. The action level is good too, not stealing the show but enough to keep explosion-happy youngsters at bay.
Overall, there really isn’t much to say about Pirates: Band of Misfits. It’s a great movie if you’re looking for something to take the kids to, and is a fun throwback to those simpler times when Wallace and Gromit cartoons dominated the television.
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