2012,
Aardman Animations
Stop-motion animation
Rating:
PG
Approx.
88 mins.
THE STORY:
The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) is a laughing stock with no talent for getting booty. His lack of success has him on a mission to win the Pirate of the Year award to redeem himself with his crew and peers. To this end, he waylays a ship, which belongs to a young Charles Darwin. Wimpy and sexually frustrated, Darwin is also on a mission to gain acclaim and earn the affection of the object of his desire, a spoilt and selfish Queen Victoria.
When Darwin spots the captain's parrot, Polly, he recognizes it as a dodo, a bird previously presumed extinct. He realizes the bird is the key to riches and acclaim for them both, and convinces the captain to head to London to present the bird. The captain agrees, but he and his crew have to be creative since the queen has ordered all pirates seized.
When she sees the dodo, the queen wants it at any cost. Against his better judgment, the captain betrays his morals in order to gain enough riches to win Pirate of the Year. When he gives up Polly, however, he loses everything: status, riches, crew and identity. Things get worse when he learns Queen Victoria plans to eat Polly at a meeting of world leaders who eat rare animals. The captain has a crisis of conscience and sets off to rescue Polly.
The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) is a laughing stock with no talent for getting booty. His lack of success has him on a mission to win the Pirate of the Year award to redeem himself with his crew and peers. To this end, he waylays a ship, which belongs to a young Charles Darwin. Wimpy and sexually frustrated, Darwin is also on a mission to gain acclaim and earn the affection of the object of his desire, a spoilt and selfish Queen Victoria.
When Darwin spots the captain's parrot, Polly, he recognizes it as a dodo, a bird previously presumed extinct. He realizes the bird is the key to riches and acclaim for them both, and convinces the captain to head to London to present the bird. The captain agrees, but he and his crew have to be creative since the queen has ordered all pirates seized.
When she sees the dodo, the queen wants it at any cost. Against his better judgment, the captain betrays his morals in order to gain enough riches to win Pirate of the Year. When he gives up Polly, however, he loses everything: status, riches, crew and identity. Things get worse when he learns Queen Victoria plans to eat Polly at a meeting of world leaders who eat rare animals. The captain has a crisis of conscience and sets off to rescue Polly.
QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:
- idiotic
- blasted
- stupid
- hate
- trollop
VIOLENCE:
- lots of weapons
- arm falls off man in plague boat
- Pirate King punches effigy of Queen to cheers
TEACHING POINTS:
- Success achieved immorally is not real success
THE UPSHOT:
I loved this movie. It is smart, subtle, funny, visually appealing and unique. Even the soundtrack is fabulous: Flight of the Conchords, the Pogues, the Clash. In short, it is very adult-friendly. Therein lies the problem for my 4 year-old. Although the pirate concept is familiar, the pirate vernacular (scurvy, booty, shanty, etc.) was completely over her head, as was Darwin and his theories. Also, the humour is quite black at times (e.g. Queen Victoria chasing down the last known dodo to eat).
The only thing that made me wince was Pirate Liz (Salma Hayek), a curvaceous, midriff baring "trollop." I liked the idea that she was a pirate on equal footing with the other captains, but was disappointed when she appeared in a sexualized dream sequence. Likewise, Queen Victoria is a strong, powerful woman, but is hardly a female role model.
Ultimately, my 4 year-old enjoyed it. Just not as much as I did.
The only thing that made me wince was Pirate Liz (Salma Hayek), a curvaceous, midriff baring "trollop." I liked the idea that she was a pirate on equal footing with the other captains, but was disappointed when she appeared in a sexualized dream sequence. Likewise, Queen Victoria is a strong, powerful woman, but is hardly a female role model.
Ultimately, my 4 year-old enjoyed it. Just not as much as I did.
4/5
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