OK for kids 6+
Pirate adventure blends Victorian history, high-seas fun.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Pirates! Band of Misfits isn't your typical pirate adventure, but there's still action, mild high-seas peril, a little bit of colorful language ("hell," etc.), and some parent-targeted jokes about the two historical characters depicted in the movie: Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin. Although the pirates use guns and swords and have hand-to-hand fights, they don't face any real danger until the climactic battle with the queen; before that, their enemies are schoolchildren, lepers, and ghosts. That said, the queen is quite menacing, and Darwin is greedy in his attempts to steal from the pirates. But the pirates themselves, rather than being bloodthirsty and selfish, are more like a family that sticks together, loot or no loot.
- Families can talk about why pirate movies are so popular. What is it about pirate tales that continues to be so compelling for movie audiences? How are the crew members in The Pirates! different than other movie mateys?
- How does the movie depict Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria? Do you think that the characters are portrayed accurately? Is it OK for filmmakers to take liberties with historical figures for the sake of humor?
- Some of the movie's jokes are specifically aimed at grown-ups; do you think too much of the humor is historical or for adults? Do you think jokes for parents are necessary in kids' movies?
The good stuff
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Educational value: If they're paying attention, kids will learn some historical facts -- like that in 1837, Queen Victoria ascended the throne, or that that's when a young Charles Darwin was keeping his early notebooks about the environment. Obviously, there are some exaggerations and liberties taken with the truth, but the portrayals of the queen and Darwin are so amusing that kids are bound to want to learn more about whether they're real and what their place in history is.
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Messages: Subtle messages about unconditional friendship, loyalty, tolerance, and what constitutes a family. The Pirate Captain's crew is indeed a bunch of misfits (an albino, a woman pretending to be a man, a peg-legged pirate, and a captain who can't seem to find any booty), but they stand by one another, even when times are dire.
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Role models: Pirates aren't exactly positive role models, but a couple of them act honorably. The Pirate Captain rescues his pet from the clutches of the movie's villain, even though he could have ended up in prison or dead. And pirate Number Two and the rest of the crew save the day, even though the Pirate Captain had betrayed them. On the flip side, Darwin is depicted as weaselly and selfish, and young Queen Victoria is homicidal and bloodthirsty when it comes to endangered animals.
What to watch for
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Violence and scariness: Some gun, sword, and hand-to-hand violence. There are explosions and close calls, but no one is killed or permanently injured, although the queen must be subdued in order to save the Dodo bird that was going to be slaughtered and eaten. The pirates face off against ghosts.
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Sexy stuff: Female pirate Cutlass Liz has noticeable cleavage, and the male pirates stare at her curves in one saloon scene. Darwin has an overwhelming crush on the queen and says her severe bun "does it for him." The Pirate Captain flirts with one of Darwin's female friends during a night at the pub. The "Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate" is actually a woman, and she ends up in a tub, but nothing is ever shown.
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Language: Language includes infrequent use of "hell," "ass," and "crap," plus "idiot" and "stupid."
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: The pirates are often shown at a saloon or celebrating the Pirate of the Year Awards, so there's a noticeable amount of drinking (what looks like beer, wine, or mead/grog). The Pirate Captain gets drunk hanging out with Charles Darwin and his friends.
Fan Reviews provided by
3
Cute Mommy and Me/ Dad and Me Movie by Reece002
I took my 9 year old daughter out to see this movie, she did not really laugh or comment during the movie, (shes a pretty quite kid though) but she did say after watching it that she liked the 3D. I personally liked the movie. It was age appropriate and the animation was fun to watch (ALMOST like clay-mation makes me think of Gumby when I was little, but digital enhancement helped with the overall visual affects) It was worth the 11 bucks to see in 3D only wish the previews weren't as long my daughter kept asking "when is the movie going to start?"
4
A fun movie -- both times we saw it :) by KCBender
Clever dialogue, but not too clever... lots of quotable moments. It kept my two sons (ages 8 and 10) giggling the whole way home. My SO and enjoyed it both times we went. A definate "Yes!"
5
This movie is totally funny by gunnut1
This Ardaman movie is a hoot. It is funny, action packed, and a little sad in parts. My wife and I went and laughed at most of the movie. But, what we were laughing at are the inside jokes that no young kid or any one under about 40 would catch. There are a lot of things in the background that elude to and earlier time in out lives.
So you can take the kids but they will not understand a lot of the jokes and innuendos.
I give this movie 10 out of 10.
I loved it and hope to see it in 3D.
1
Worst movie ever No Ishtar was the worst but this is close by kentreiger
No wait you know this is the worst movie ever, becuse I could walk out of Ishtar. Because I brought my kids, I was stuck in this awfull movie unitl the end.
4
The Pirates! by KBWebster
I took my 6 and 8 year old granddaughters and they loved it. On the down side, sure, there's a few "bad" words (but nothing they haven't heard at school) and there's a bit of violence (but nothing as bloody as what they see on tv).
On the up side, there's a story of loyalty and friendship, and they learned a few historical things, too. Plus, I enjoyed it, and that was an unexpected bonus!
I suppose my 6-year-old granddaughter said it best: 'Pirates ROCK!!!"
It's worth seeing if you get a chance.
2
Boring by rmwithey
There were moments of cuteness but half way through I was bored and considered actually leaving the show. It might be a little funnier with a glass of red wine on a Friday night at home with your kids after spending $1.29 renting it from Redbox. But it wasn't worth the $5 I paid on the discount day I saw it on. Wallace and Gromit and even Chicken Run was better. The trailer had the only funny parts, if you thought it was funny, of the movie. Don't get me wrong, I love British humor but this fails...miserably. Even the three year old in the theater, who loves these kinds of movies, was talking about the next movie they were going to go see at another theater.
4
The Pirates! by wbeatty
It's jam-packed full of wit and clever dialogue, delightful and endearing characters, and plot surprises. I highly recommend it for all ages, though adults will appreciate more of the humor. This one has heart and bite!
4
The Pirates by bigsid02
Good enough but not necessarily for younger kids (took my grandson who is 4) and he didn't 'get' the jokes in the everyday conversation of the pirates. The characters in the movie are darling; so many funny stereotypes. But cute and worth the money.
3
the pirates! bans of misfits by gailcash
cute little film, but nothing new in it. Good for young child's early movie-going, or time-filler on a rainy afternoon
5
The craft of animation is alive and well by lola74
This movie is visually sumptuous. It is hard to believe that it is stop-motion animation--using actual clay and puppets to achieve a richness and life just not there in now-regular digital animation.Plus, the movie is not all effects.Unlike a lot of glitzy movies with stupid plots, this one makes sense and holds the attention. The comedy is very British--wit rather than slapstick.So it works for adults. As my 11 yr-old said, "It was not *quite* as funny as I expected, but it was a much *better* movie than I expected." It wears well. I would see it again.