Fans of Aardman, the British stop-motion animation group that created the “Wallace and Gromit†films, “Creature Comforts†and “Chicken Run,†will salivate over “The Pirates! Band of Misfits†as if it were a ripe wedge of Wensleydale cheese. Unlike last year's sleek, computer-generated “Arthur Christmas,†“Pirates†has the look and feel of classic Aardman. It generates good will on its distinctive visual charms, but many laughs are lost at sea.
Hugh Grant voices the Pirate Captain in “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.†IMAGE PROVIDED
Based on Gideon Defoe's series of comic novels about incompetent pirates and their historical and literary-themed adventures, “The Pirates! Band of Misfits†centers on the Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh Grant), an amiable bumbler who leads a group of ham-loving high seas adventurers identified only by their most striking physical trait. For instance, there's Pirate with a Scarf (Martin Freeman), Pirate with Gout (Brendan Gleeson) and Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (Ashley Jensen). These mateys cannot get anything right and find themselves constantly outclassed by rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek).
In one of these pirates' many mistakes on their endless quest for gold, they train their cannons on the HMS Beagle and take captive Charles Darwin (David Tennant, the 10th Doctor from “Doctor Whoâ€) and his “man-panzee.†Darwin makes a startling discovery about the Captain's parrot that merits presentation to the Royal Society back in London, but that means the heroes must face the pirate-hating Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton). “The Pirates! Band of Misfits†was named “The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists†in the rest of the world, and the Darwin-related plot was deep-sixed in the U.S. marketing for the film.
Directed by Peter Lord, “The Pirates!†is missing the off-center wit of Lord's Aardman partner, Nick Park, who co-helmed “Chicken Run†and created the Wallace and Gromit characters. Despite an enviable collection of voice talent, Defoe's screenplay is playful but not reliably funny, and the premise seems based on the notion that, after four “Pirates of the Caribbean†films, the public's desire for pirate-related humor is deeper than Davy Jones' Locker.
There are a few direct hits, including a fantastic whale-beaching scene involving Black Bellamy and a wild ride down Darwin's staircase that calls to mind the climactic chase in “The Wrong Trousers,†but compared to the sharp wit of other Aardman films, “The Pirates!†goes for sloppy quantity of laughs rather than precise quality. There is treasure buried within, but it's surrounded by chests overflowing with fool's gold.
â€" George Lang
Mom publishes simple wrinkle secret that has angered doctors...
ConsumerLifestyles.org
No comments:
Post a Comment