7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
With a rag-tag crew at his side, and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Pirate Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz to the much coveted Pirate of the Year Award. It's a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen and team up with a young Charles Darwin.
Starring: Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jeremy PivenFamily | 100% |
Animation | 91% |
Adventure | 70% |
Comedy | 52% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Before now, the only time "Pirates" and "misfits" were used in the same sentence was in reference to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Major League Baseball's plunderers of blunder, the organization that hasn't whiffed success (let alone a winning record) since nineteen-hundred and ninety-two, before there was Balco, buffed-up Barry Bonds, The Florida (Miami) Marlins (two World Series wins since the Buccos were last any good), the Colorado Rockies (one World Series appearance since the Buccos were last any good), the Arizona Diamondbacks (one World Series win since the Buccos were last any good) and the Tampa Bay Rays (a surging model of small-market consistency and an annual playoff contender). The Pirates have been the laughing stock of pro sports, racking up 19 consecutive losing seasons, highlights of which include inept general managers more concerned with hair than team; "Operation Shutdown;" a "Freak Show" loser that almost made the playoffs on the back of folks like Kevin Polcovich (who?); a base-stealing manager and his computer-generated lineups; a zombie skipper in a baseball uniform; countless trade, draft, and "Rule V" blunders; mascot camels named Doug; and a shiny new ballpark with no honest team to play in it. Now, it's the era of Jerry Meals and Zoltan Z's and a manager stubbornly playing washed-up veterans over better, younger players, somehow guiding the ship to a winning record (knock on wood) despite a whole lot of in-game flubs. So that's what comes to mind with the words "Pirates" and "misfits," but now there's a new entity that's actually entertaining and fun and worth a few hard-earned dollars: it's The Pirates! Band of Misfits, a stop-motion animated Adventure film fit for the entire family, the movie telling the tale of a nobody Pirate Captain determined to win a coveted award and, at the same time, maybe meet up with a famous naturalist, save an endangered species, and put the Queen of England in her place.
I'm a better pirate than I am a 3D character, and I'm not a very good pirate!
The Pirates! Band of Misfits arrives on Blu-ray 3D with a fairly lackluster presentation. To be sure, the general attributes which rated
so highly
on the 2D-only version of the film carry over here. The Pirates! doesn't
suffer a
bit in 3D in terms of stability, detailing, and color. It remains an animation rock, yielding substantial details around most every frame. The
models are
replicated with startling precision, with every little nuance on characters, clothes, structures, and the like precise right down to the faintest
line, speckle,
and insignificant texture. Wooden boards, stone roads, tiled floors, and similar manmade environmental objects look fantastic. Colors are
strong, a hair
dim, perhaps (as was the case with the 2D transfer), but nicely balanced and true, whether an orange beard, the Captain's red overcoat, or
blue ocean
waters. Similar to the 2D transfer, banding is practically nonexistent even under the most challenging circumstances. The film looks great, but
unfortunately, the 3D elements don't do much to boost it into the next level of animated excellence.
Though Sony's 3D transfer serves up sufficient general depth, there's just not much aggressive 3D content to enjoy. Most shots yield a
somewhat
perceptible sense of space between objects, looking off into the distance no matter how relatively short or long, but the slight added depth
isn't really
enough to warrant a watch (or a 3D purchase). Sadly, there's not much else, and nothing that truly dazzles in the third dimension. There are
a few
good 3D-specific effects. The Captain brandishes his sword and points it towards the audience near the beginning, but the effect is minimal.
Cutlass
pushes a diamond towards the audience upon her introduction, but again only to noticeable, not "eye-popping" effect. Fake eyeballs pop out
of a Pirate
flag right before the pirates board the Beagle, which represents probably the single-best 3D effect in the film. There's some scattered
debris that
efforts to pop out of the screen throughout, and a few minor but impressive moments such as when the Queen holds a pair of sunglasses in
front of her
eyes in the final act and viewers can really see and feel the spacing between the glasses and her eyes. Otherwise, there's just nothing to
get the blood
pumping. This is a pedestrian 3D image that doesn't approach the excellence of the finest Blu-ray 3D discs. It's a serviceable 3D watch, but
chances are
3D veterans won't be too thrilled with the end result.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits floats onto Blu-ray with a wonderful DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack, the same found on the 2D-only release. The track plays big, spreading out easily across the front end while employing rich, detailed sound through the entire range and across a number of sonic elements. Cramped and well- spaced elements alike enjoy the same quality detailing and placement, whether the somewhat closed-in "Ham Nite" aboard the Captain's vessel or the bigger, rowdier bar in which he signs up for the contest. Listeners always feel a part of the environment, even if the rear speakers don't quite play with as much volume or information as they might should. Music is well-spaced and crisp, too. The Rock-inspired tunes that play throughout the movie feature excellent clarity and a good, balanced low end. Bass rattles in several instances, notably when the whale crashes into the bar and introduces Black Bellamy. Crashing waves punish the soundstage, cannonballs whiz across from one speaker to the next, and other action/comedic mayhem moments are played with an energetic cadence and superior clarity. Dialogue is smooth and center-focused, but nicely reverberates when the situation dictates, such as heard later in the movie at the scientific symposium and awards show. This is a good, entertaining track that's just about everything an animated movie sound presentation should be.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits contains a nice array of extra goodies aimed at both kids (games) and adults (technical making-of pieces).
All of
the supplements are located on the included 2D-only disc. 3D previews are available on the 3D disc.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits is a pleasant, jolly-good movie. It's not really original -- the story rips off older, better movies and the characters are animated movie-generic -- but a movie like this aims for sheer entertainment value above all else, and in that capacity The Pirates! is a success. It'll likely dazzle the kids and satisfy adults. It's very well put together, painstakingly so by the looks of it, and it's perfectly voiced and brilliantly polished. It's not a new animated classic, but it should hold some replay value and entertain the kids on more than one occasion. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Pirates! Band of Misfits carries over the same strong general attributes that make the 2D transfer a dazzler, but the 3D elements are uninspiring at best. The soundtrack is excellent, and the extras are good, even if there are no added 3D goodies. This is certainly not the worst 3D release out there, but frugal buyers might want to skip and purchase the 2D-only disc, which comes highly recommended.
2012
Bonus disc & eyepatch
2012
Bonus disc & bandana
2012
2012
2012
2012
with 2 Poppin' Penguins Toys
2014
2019
2010
1998
1990-1991
2016
2016
The Signature Collection
1961
2011
2017
2011
2018
2003
2012
2014
2012
2009
2015