The Pirates In an Adventure with Scientists

Ever since I was four, I've always found a facination for stop-motion animation. There was just something unique about it, that it really makes for such a wonder, especially in movies. Stop-motion has been around ever since the 1920's, and since then, it has many people who have taken a strong talent for it. One studio, in particular, is Aardman. In the late 80's, Aardman got it's name from one man, named Nick Park. He created the famous duo of Wallace and Gromit, making them two icons of Stop-motion, Britain, and animation in general. With the help of Peter Lord, Park has made such famous half-hour shorts of the famous duo, and even two feature films, with or without having Wallace and Gromit in it.

Recently, Peter Lord has returned with another feature film with Aardman and Sony to back him up. "The Pirates: In an Adventure with Scientists" or "Band of Misfits" for most people.

The film's about a pirate captain, named...the Pirate Captain...who has good charm with him, but isn't the best. He plans to enter the "Pirate of the Year" awards, after being mocked by better pirates than he is, by getting more treasure than all of them combined. After running into a ship owned by Charles Darwin, the crew discovers that their parrot is a dodo bird, and Darwin asks to show them in a "Scientist of the Year" award show, all while they deal with Queen Victoria. It definitely is an interesting plot, with it being based on the book of the same name, but I can't really compare the two, since I don't have it. What really makes the film alive, is how it's put together, and really has something for everyone to enjoy. It's got great animation, fantastic voice acting, clever subtle humor, good character development, as well as hidden jokes that make you want to see the movie over and over again to get all of the jokes.

The casting was well done, due to it being mostly British. Hugh Grant as the Pirate Captain is an enjoyable character, and has a great sense of humor. His strategies and theories are all the more hilarious as time goes on. Imelda Staunton, who you may remember as Dolores Umbridge from "Order of the Phoenix," plays Queen Victoria, and was...okay, to say the least. I mean, she was entertaining when she was on screen, but didn't have much to go through. What redeems her the most is the climactic battle, and BOY is it a thrill and surprise! This isn't her first time working with Aardman though, since she had appeared as Bunty from "Chicken Run," which was also an okay character to play. David Tennant plays Charles Darwin, and seems to deliver the best part of the movie. He and his monkey, Mr. Bobo, are really funny to watch. I'm already a big fan of David Tennant, being an actor who's pretty underused in the media, but I guess it's for the best. Anton Yelchin also appears in the film as "the Albino Pirate," even though the character was previously played by another, making you ask what was the point of it. Brendan Gleeson plays "the Pirate with Gout" and does a good job as always. He has his moments, and knows to when to give the right lines.

Though there are some problems I had with the movie. Salma Hayek and Jeremy Piven, who play the Pirate Captain's rivals in the film aren't in it that much. I had expected more to come out of this, thinking there might be some kind of dual that would be in the award ceremony. Another problem I had with the film, was the 3D. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think it's bad or anything. In fact, I actually love stop-motion films in 3D. It worked for "Nightmare Before Christmas" for it's re-release and it worked for Coraline, but the thing was, it didn't feel the same. Plus, I love Aardman's movies, but the dark 3D glasses just don't seem to go well together. Not to mention, not much does pop-up at you, so it's a little underwhelming.

However, all of that doesn't take away from the one thing that holds this film together. The animation of it. It is just a pleasure to see stop-motion animation on the big screen again! This film is the first stop-motion film Aardman has done since "Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit" and it brings so much to the table. It's also slicker animation, looking more polished, and having only a couple touches of CGI in it. As long as it was mostly stop-motion, I don't care if they use CGI.

Overall, "The Pirates: In an Adventure with Scientists" is so far the best animated film I've seen this year, and also one of my favorite films of the year. It's got great animation, great voice acting, a good story, and that great clever and subtle humor that only Britain could provide. I highly recommend this film in anyway possible, with or without 3D.

Rating: 4.5/5
9/10