Julie Samrick
Kid Focused
It's 19th century England and a claymation Queen Victoria, known mainly for her rigid moral code, opens The Pirates! Band of Misfits with how much she loses control when she thinks of her hatred for pirates. But how can she hate a bunch of fun-loving misfits? The Pirate Captain (Hugh Jackman) leads a pirate crew of gruff looking, biker dudes who are harmless. Instead of theft and murder, they get excited about things like "ham night" while traversing the high seas. The group decides they must win the "pirate of the year competition," with hopes that the title will give them more credibility, yet they encounter plenty of obstacles along the way.
The movie is set nearly 200 years ago, but there's nothing dated about it. It's filled with modern humor and music, and the stop-motion animation with clay characters is fun to see. The lifelike impressions the clay characters make are easily the best part of the film.
"Pirates" is mostly just a silly film - think the "Airplane" movies but with pirates and not as many funny one-liners. There aren't many lessons to be gained, but you can talk with kids after seeing it about how when you do the right thing, good people are there to support you.
The plot is choppy and only kids over 10 will get the references to science and Charles Darwin's main role in the movie.
It is rated PG for some rude humor and loud action sequences. Cannon blasts and swords are drawn - there is also one part when The Pirate Captain narrowly escapes getting his head chopped off in the gallows that may be scary for younger viewers.
All in all, this movie is fine for kids 7 and over to see, but kids 10 and over will get the most out of it.
Julie Samrick is a stay-at-home mom of 4 young kids and the founder of Kid Focused, a site devoted to children and family issues. Subscribe to the free Kid Focused newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox and connect with us on Facebook too. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
