“The Pirates! Band of Misfits”

Rated PG

 

What is most impressive about “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” is the incredible degree of craftsmanship required to make a stop-motion animation film. What is regrettable about the aforementioned movie is that many folks who will go see it will not appreciate this work-intensive cinematic artform. Pity. But when all is seen and experienced, all that matters is if these Claymation figures entertain. To me they do, and also to me, the Claymation artform amazes. But I fear that I shall be in the minority. This is British humor from the same chaps who brought us “Wallace and Gromit” and “Chicken Run.” If you liked them, you will be delighted by “The Pirates!”

To describe these kinds of films, and “The Pirates!” in particular, adjectives would have to include “droll” and “irreverent” and “witty” and “cheeky” and most certainly “clever.”

The plot is rather simple but most certainly sprinkles anachronistic gags to deliver its satiric punch. Pirates compete annually for “Pirate of the Year” award, amazingly as shallow as the Academy Awards today. Captain Pirate (voiced by Hugh Grant) has never won — mostly because he is a bit of a loser with a motley crew described in the title. Mocked and ridiculed, he loses all hope until he stumbles across Charles Darwin who realizes that Pirate Captain’s pet parrot “Polly” is actually a dodo bird and if went to London with the bird, he would win a scientific award bringing fame. Queen Victoria, however, is on the throne and really hates pirates. But Her Majesty is worse than being just a pirate bigot.

The pacing of “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” is frantic. Gag leads to pratfall which leads to gag then pratfall … and then repeat … all very low humor and in case I did not mention it before … very British indeed.

I was struck by the abuse of the historical reputation of Queen Victoria. She would not have been amused. And since the pirates’ heyday was before her reign by several decades, I wondered why they didn’t go after an earlier monarch who would be an easier and more deserving target of ridicule … somebody like George II. Who cares about him? Some bloggers are whining about sexism…but that takes the debate a bit too seriously, I think. Victoria had to be the target since they dragged Mr. Darwin into the plot.

This is not a children’s film; it can be, but I felt it a little long for wiggly tykes and the humour (note the spelling) too sophisticated for them. So bring the MENSA munchkins and leave the loveable but non-chess players at home.

I enjoyed the film very much but my escort kept saying, “I find this film quite charming; don’t you think?” What I actually thought was that she was being overly influenced by the Brittishness and deserved a smack of a tea pot to return her to her naturalized American status.” I enjoyed it but I wasn’t exactly having the vapors over it. I thought it was a tiddly-bit too long.

During my extensive research on “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” — research that I always conduct before I write my column for my beloved readers — I got to see how they made this stop-action, malleable figure film; truly impressive and even more interesting than the movie … to be blunt. But that should not dissuade you from seeing it. It is as I described it: entertaining, funny, and even stunning … but it is an acquired taste … with the laughs laced with a British accent.

“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” is granted three and a half bow ties out of five.