The Pirates: Band of Misfits (2012)

 

You can hardly do wrong with a project by Aardman Studios. Even their 'lesser' films are still charming and fun and their best work is simply stunning. This one falls a bit in between: it's fun and you will be thoroughly entertained ànd on repeated viewings you will discover more and more jokes peppered throughout, but it isn't as awesome as let's say 'Chicken Run'. Why, we'll discover.

Pirate Captain is a lovable yet pretty inept pirate, but his crew, a motley collection of weirdos and, well, misfits love him because he is a kind-hearted soul. A bit on the vain side of things but still, his heart is in the right place. Pirate Captain has set his heart on winning the Pirate of the Year-Award, something at which he has failed time and time again, and when he sees the contestants of this year, he does lose hope. 

Things change when he unwittingly attacks the ship carrying Charles Darwin, as Darwin quickly realizes that the ship's parrot Polly is in fact a dodo, a bird that has been thought to be extinct. Darwin promises Pirate Captain untold riches if they venture to London and display Polly. Just a slight snag: Queen Victoria absolutely hates and despises pirates, and Darwin wants all the fame for himself. 

Eventually through shenanigans, Pirate Captain sells Polly to the Queen and returns home, only to find that the other pirates don't take too kindly to him being pardoned of all crimes. But when he hears that Polly is scheduled to be eaten by the Queen, he plans (well, sort of) a daring rescue of his beloved bird. 

Once again, Aardman has assembled a spectacular cast to carry the main roles. Hugh Grant is excellent as Pirate Captain and Martin Freeman is ideal as the voice of reason, being the Second Mate. But the sidecharacters also work well, with a special wink at the Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate, which is a gag that never gets old. And Aardman being Aardman, the animation is spotless and recognizable. The attention to detail is once again staggering, which you will discover when perusing the backgrounds on repeated viewings. 

But it doesn't all click. By the time this one was released, people were starting to be a little underwhelmed by pirates thanks to the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise. Of course, this is not Aardman's fault, but fatigue for the subject had begun to set in. And what is perhaps the most egregious of all, is that it's tough to like the characters on display here. Pirate Captain is funny, but he's still a self-obsessed egomaniac and Darwin is a weaselly loser. Not exactly people one would root for, and yet this is what the film asks of us. If you can't truly connect with your main characters, then you won't care as much about what happens and this does bring the film down a notch or two.

But still, it's lovely, charming and amusing. So why not give it a go?