The Pirates!

[Aaron B.]

A.I. news: Aardman's The Pirates! in Theaters / {watch}

'The Pirates! Band of Misfits' is the U.S. title of Aardman Animations' (UK) latest stop-action feature, this time profiling a goofy pirate captain and his extraordinarily ragtag gang of awkward, stumpy, treasure-hungry buddies. The Pirate of the Year award has always eluded our hero, Pirate Captain, but it seems his fortune is finally turning around. The film includes supporting digital artistry from Sony Pictures Animation.

[Cody S.]

I got a chance to catch this earlier in the week - it's a fun movie, if not a bit predictable. Certainly has more Aardman charm than Arthur Christmas (which, I did not care for). It sags a bit right at the start of the third act - but that's mostly because it's such a cliche beat for a family flick. Most folks won't notice - but I couldn't help but think how lame it was that they changed the leper joke from the trailer to 'plague', mostly because I'm a nerd and I remember reading about the "outcry" over the line in the trailers - but also because the scene seems kind of haphazardly changed.

Looks like the movie is tanking at the box office...which is a bummer; The fact that Avengers comes out next week (and Dark Shadows the following) is really going to cut and chance of the film having legs too. Aardman really needs a financial hit here in the states, I mean, it's been nearly 12 years since Chicken Run came out. Their movies are fantastic, it really is a shame how under-appreciated they are by the general public.

[Aaron B.]

I had middle-of-the-road expectations going into the theater. Coming out of the theater, "Meh, it was okay."

A lot of the humor was of the more simple, puntastic flavor than your more American brand of physical comedy, whose more aggressive timing usually elicits bigger laughs.

The review that seemed most on target, of those I have read so far, noted how many apparently missed opportunities there were in the story's rather loose web of character dynamics. Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate probably should have had a larger role... but the bathtub scene was pretty funny ("Um, anybody have a towel?").

(04-29-2012 01:29 PM)Cody S. Wrote:  It sags a bit right at the start of the third act - but that's mostly because it's such a cliche beat for a family flick. Most folks won't notice - but I couldn't help but think how lame it was that they changed the leper joke from the trailer to 'plague', mostly because I'm a nerd and I remember reading about the "outcry" over the line in the trailers - but also because the scene seems kind of haphazardly changed.

There were a couple of other parts of the film that I'm pretty sure were changed for American audiences as well. First, there's the title... since we all know that the original subtitle, "An Adventure with Scientists," would turn away those uneducated Americans who hate science, right? I also found it difficult locating the slogan of the science convention ("Playing God since 1807")... Perhaps I missed it, and I'm sincerely hoping that this was the case. Otherwise, removing or editing that portion of the film for conservative American sensibilities gives me an ulcer.

[Cody S.]

(04-29-2012 07:33 PM)Aaron H. Bynum Wrote:  I also found it difficult locating the slogan of the science convention ("Playing God since 1807")... Perhaps I missed it, and I'm sincerely hoping that this was the case. Otherwise, removing or editing that portion of the film for conservative American sensibilities gives me an ulcer.

I do think I recall catching this and chuckling - but I can't say for sure I remember it 100%. I'll see if I can catch the convention scene sometime while I'm at work and report back.

Things like the surprisingly cuvatious pirate (being shown, but never really being highlighted as being a girl dressed up until the tub scene) got the biggest laughs out of me. Just that she was there, they never really made a joke of it at the expense of it - an that alone was the joke. Just that you initially notice she was not quite right, then you're like "Is that a woman? It is! That's hilarious!".

'Manpanzee' was pretty great too - and Christ did I laugh when the queen crammed herself into the dumbwaiter and wheeled herself into view in the background. I was in tears. I was hoping for a bigger climax then we got - Aardman is great at actiony chase scenes at the end of their films but this one never quite built to it. I was hoping for something along the lines of the climax of 'The Wrong Trousers' or 'Wererabbit' - heck even Chicken Run has a fairly fast-paced conclusion; but the kitchen fight here was pretty short and the sinking of the ship didn't do much for me.