 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
- Review Date: April 26, 2012
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2012
Common Sense Media says
Pirate adventure blends Victorian history, high-seas fun.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
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.
What's the story?
Every year, the Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh Grant) enters the prestigious Pirate of the Year contest and loses because his crew prefers to lie low and enjoy the simpler pleasure of "Ham Night" rather than engage in the bloody but profitable work of hardcore pirateering. When the contest's other contenders for 1837's title -- Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek), Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven), and Peg Leg Hastings (Lenny Henry) -- poke fun at the Pirate Captain, he decides to embark on an aggressive campaign to take over other ships. But the plan is a failure ... until the captain storms the ship of Charles Darwin (David Tennant) and is told that his pet parrot is actually the thought-to-be-extinct Dodo bird. Darwin convinces the Pirate Captain and his crew to make landfall in London so the Dodo can win "untold riches" at an annual science conference. But what it really does is bring the pirates to the attention of the pirate-hating Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton), who has her own surprisingly nefarious reasons to want to keep the Dodo.
Is it any good?
Fans of Aardman Studios' signature style of stop-motion clay animation (a la Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit), will find THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS a delightful mix of swashbuckling pirate adventure, Charles Darwin biography, and twisted Victoriana lesson. This isn't the kind of Queen Victoria anyone has ever seen before; this one is young, angry, and ready to squash anyone who gets in her way -- especially those dirty, outdated pirates. Tennant's Darwin is particularly hilarious and Machiavellian (which perhaps is in keeping with the legendary naturalist's theories) in his quest to control the Dodo bird. But the real scene-stealer is Darwin's trained butler, a monkey called Mr. Bobo who communicates via a series of index cards. "Uh" and "oh," he holds up whenever danger is imminent.
In his first voice-acting role, Grant is perfectly suited to his part as the Pirate Captain with a "luxuriant beard" and well-appointed pirate garb. His misfit crew includes an albino (Anton Yelchin), a "surprisingly curvaceous" pirate (Ashley Jensen) who's actually a woman with a fake beard, and a pirate with gout (Brendan Gleeson). The animation is what you'd expect from the detailed animators behind Wallace & Gromit, but it's the inventive story that makes The Pirates! so much fun for parents and kids alike. It's got plenty of grown-up jokes (mostly historical ones), but the humor is still accessible to little mateys, although those who've heard of Darwin will be in for a particularly "plunderful" treat.
What families can talk about
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?
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Kid, 12 years old
April 27, 2012
AGE
Well Played
It is really good this website did not mention it but they are on a boat with naked people. I also did not hear cursing
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AGE
CHARLES DARWIN is in this movie?!
As a fan of Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit, I thought this movie was pretty good! As a pirate movie, there's some violence, not to mention that two people get stabbed by swords and die, but this is all British humor! Also, one female pirate may look a little bit inappropriate for little kids, but the movie doesn't show her a lot. At the beginning, there is a scene where the pirates drink beer, but they don't get drunk. Other than that, I like this movie and you will too if you like claymation!
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AGE
Could be a bit scary for younger kids
The feel of the film may be a bit dark and creepy for some younger kids. My 5 year old needed to leave the theater several times when he felt it was getting too scary, but he was also interested enough that I was able to coax him back in to finish out the story. He did talk about the movie quite a bit afterward, and I realized there was a lot that he didn't understand. We ended up discussing endangered species and even colonialism, so for us it was a good catalyst for broadening his understanding of the world.
As an adult, I preferred some of my son's other recent favorites like Puss in Boots and Tin Tin.
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AGE
Pirates! Band of Misfits
Overall has funny (but not hilareous) moments and good examples of loyalty and sticking together (for the most part), the monkey is cute and funny, (spoiler alert) there are a few disturbing things like references to eating rare animals including pandas:(,... tight clothes bare midriff shirt on girl pirate, brief kissing scene (those two things were not a big deal but just thought I would give a heads up),... one time use of the "a" word:( not exactly necessary but it isn't super obvious. Cartoony violence and danger.
Overall not a bad movie if you go be sure to stay for the credits as there are some good moments in there.
If you haven't seen The Lorax I would say go to that instead (we loved it) before it's gone and save this one for DVD if you want to see it.
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bhukl
Claymation is back in the Best way posible.
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AGE
educational
I like it for kids its good and educational.
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Kid, 9 years old
April 30, 2012
AGE
mmm hmmm
More good than bad but really, NOTHING happened that was that good. And Charles Darwin loves the queen because of her huge butt and say "her buns does it for me" but, in the end, turns out to be robotic and fake. The "Surprisingly Cervaceous Pirate" is shown in the bath.
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Kid, 12 years old
May 1, 2012
AGE
Review: "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"
Violence/scariness: A little bit of swordplay is involved in the movie, but very little. Very sick people are shown on a boat. Some cartoon violence, including falling off roofs and pursuing a chimpanzee while sliding down the stairs in a bathtub. Sexy stuff: The Pirate Captain flirts with a girl pirate briefly. Queen Victoria has a large butt. Charles Darwin has a crush on Queen Victoria and says, "It's the buns that do it for me". Language: Charles Darwin says "a*s" and the Pirate Captain says a rude word (can't remember is it was "h*ll," "d*mn," or "cr*p") but it's not that big a deal. Drinking, drug, and smoking: Pirates are depicted drinking alcohol.
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AGE
Meh-save your money.
I may be weird with this, but I am so sick of women characters whose clothing covers little more than their breasts. The female pirate is always either gawked at or all over the male pirates. It would just be nice if male and female characters could relate platonically like so many of us do in every day life. (My kids are just old enough to pick up on the 'sexy' part of the movies. I think the young ones won't necessarily pick up on it.)
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AGE
Slow, Mediocre, but a family film
This movie was slow. All the best scenes are in the preview. I went to see it with my 7 & 9 yo boys, and we enjoyed it, but it wasn't over the top funny, action packed or insightful. Money's tight in my house and I wish I hadn't paid full price for this in the theater. We will be sticking to the CSM's suggestions for must see from now on!
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| Topics: | adventures, misfits and underdogs, pirates |
| Studio: | Sony Pictures Animation |
| Directors: | Jeff Newitt, Peter Lord |
| Cast: | Hugh Grant, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 87 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 27, 2012 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mild action, rude humor and some language |
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