Pirates!: Band of Misfits

3.5/5

I liked it a lot. It's a clever, beautifully animated film with a lot of heart and a lot of great moments. It was really great eye candy, a nice blend of CGI with the Aardman trademark claymation. I appreciated the nice pace, letting the movie take its time and move with ease. I definitely liked the imagining of Charles Darwin. And the 3D was really nice, and really made it feel great. I just wish that there were fewer obligatory gags. Every two funny jokes had one rather tired joke. That really got in the way for me, although not enough to ruin the funny jokes. I also felt there was a bit more to be desired in the universe created. I loved the world of the farm in Chicken Run, I really loved the sewer world in Flushed away. I fell in love with the North Pole and its mission-control-like atmosphere. This world felt generic for a pirates world, even for a comedy. Still, I can definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a solid bit of slapstick here and there and with a stream of funny puns perfectly spaced apart, along with great voice performances, particularly from Hugh Grant and Anton Yelchin.