The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists

I love animation. I do. I have grown up watching every Disney cartoon, and all of the Warner Brothers Looney tunes and so on. When I first saw Wallace and Gromit, I was thrilled at the claymation. The depth it have having actual figures animated. The shadows and interaction of solid objects was great, it added to the animation effect. Then there was Chicken Run, a feature film with all that is Claymation. The scripts appealed at several levels, making it entertaining for adult and child alike. They strayed too far with the where rabbit film. It was too computerised and had lost its depth, in more ways than one. But the Pirates is a joyful return to Aardman of old. Filmed on sound stages with plasticine models, beautifully detailed sets, clever scripts and great voice actors. The plot is engaging, the humour abounding, and the whole movie leaves you smiling. I won't describe plot or stars, you can look at IMDB for that. But I will say that it's worth the money. The blu ray is beautiful in its depth of colour. The whole point of this movie is the backgrounds are just as interesting as the foregrounds. The shadow often hold details that are witty, posters on walls, things happening, clever characters. The documentary is a wonderful insight into the makers behind the classics. They are as amusing to watch as the movie itself. Wonderfully eccentric, and extremely talented. I for one am thrilled thy have returned to the beautifully detailed work they became famous for.

Even though I thought this was another excellent Aardman effort I saw this film first at the pictures I think it takes another viewing to pick up all the components that make this so funny. The opening 20 minutes are exceptional and the combination of amusing storyline and the cast of brilliat characters voiced by a very strong collection of actors certainly makes you think this is as good as "Wallace & Gromit." However, there is so much detail that I found myself stopping the DVD to read some of the background information, whether it is the amusing categories on the "Pirate of the Year" application form, the names of the bars and shops in both Blood Island and London or the billboards that offer to get rid of unwanted urchins. Even if you pick up the Irish pirate (a brillaint Brendon Gleeson) wearing a Blue Peter badge, there is plenty more that is not readily apparent - D Y Ying the dentist, for example. The use of the map to illustrate the travels of the Pirate Captain is also a stroke of genius. I would have to say that this knocks the spots off most Pixar films which tend not to be quite so sophisticated with the humour nor throw in the odd joke that younger kids might not understand but which will appeal to adults. The flow of jokes is practically non-stop and the action scenes are dealt with style and panache. The shear stupidity of the film is a delight and I love the references to the way that real-life characters like Charles Darwin, Jane Austen and the Elephant Man all manifest the storyline. Pirates of the Caribbean is obviously a point of reference too but that franchise of films were never as much fun as this effort. British humour at it's absolute best and amusing up to the very last credit.

Bought it for my two Grandsons and they loved it

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists is a delightful blend of humor, charm, and impeccable stop-motion animation from Aardman Studios. Whether you're a long-time fan of their work (Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep) or new to their whimsical style, this film is a treat for all ages. The story follows the lovable but slightly inept Pirate Captain (voiced brilliantly by Hugh Grant) as he embarks on a quest for fame and fortune, crossing paths with historical figures like Charles Darwin and even Queen Victoria. The humor is clever and full of witty one-liners that adults will appreciate, while the zany antics and colorful characters keep kids entertained throughout. The Blu-ray version brings out the incredible detail of the stop-motion animation, from the intricate pirate ship to the expressive faces of the characters. The vibrant colors and sharp resolution make this a visual masterpiece. The sound quality is equally impressive, immersing viewers in the high-seas adventure with crystal-clear dialogue and a fun soundtrack. Packed with laughs, action, and heart, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists is a must-have for family movie nights. The bonus features on the Blu-ray, including behind-the-scenes looks at Aardman’s creative process, are the cherry on top of this brilliant release. Highly recommended!

This is a delightfully clever film, with more visual gags than you can spot in one sitting, which had me and my three kids (aged between 10 and 15) hooting with laughter. As we left the cinema the eldest said, "That's the funniest film I've seen in a long time." And you know how hard it is to impress a teenager. The plot is wonderfully daft and deliberately predicatable in its main thrust (pirate wants Pirate Of The Year award, pirate gets POTY award, pirate loses POTY award etc etc), but with all sorts of unexpected turns along the way. And those, as with all Aardman films, are the absolute joy of this: countless ingenious visual jokes, plenty of brilliantly funny lines, lots of lovely little nods to other films, plenty of downright silly gags. As usual, what's going on in the background is often as funny as the foreground. Just to give one example, when the Pirate Captain fills in the POTY application form you might just notice - if you're quick enough - that one of the questions asks the contestant to indicate how they shout. The tick-box options are: loud; incessant; Brian Blessed. You'd have to watch this film several times to spot everything, which is why I'm on amazon the day after seeing it in the cinema to pre-order a copy on DVD.

This is really superb family viewing and one that none of us have yet tired of watching. Classic animation, great acting and real warmth mean its been on or near the top of the DVD pile since we got it. Hugh Grant is hugely funny, Our 4yo found Queen Victoria a bit scary the first time (and it's probably played havoc with his grasp of history), but he's completely obsessed with it now. Highly recommended!

Amusing at times, but very weak plot. Animation well up to Aardman standard, and impressive sets, but 3D effect was poor - my wife watched whole movie without glasses. John Cleese would have made better pirate than Hugh Grant, but other voices fitted characters well. I thought the best part of the movie was the amusing backdrop behind the credits at the end. I expect the audience at the cinema would have missed this as they rushed for the exits, but it's well worth watching. The biggest downside of this DVD was the interminable advertising and logo-popping that has to be endured before getting to the Start Menu. Best to put it into the Blu-ray player 15 minutes before you want to watch it. Overall, at less than five pounds, I suppose it was fair value, but I doubt it will be watched again.

I have seen this film 4 times at the cinema now. As an Aardman fan I desperately wanted to like it and wasn't quite sure how good it was the first time I saw it, but it is so packed with detail, ideas and striking images that I believe it repays repeated viewing. Obviously there is a problematic aspect to this though, which is that most cinema-goers will only go and see it once. Perhaps for some people the film is not what they were expecting from a pirate adventure - these pirates are not exactly the swashbuckling, ruthless outlaws of popular fiction, although anyone who has read Gideon Defoe's books on which the film is based will have more idea what to expect. Also, as with "Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit", the emotional core of the film is not so much in the plot, but rather in the relationships between the different characters. Underlying the action of the film are moral messages, only subtly expressed - the middle of the film turns around "the danger of people only liking you because you're famous" (as Gideon Defoe puts it in his children's book version of the film). Ultimately, though, the mood of the film is more positive than this, the characters' actions and their consequences elevating romantic love above the love of money, and placing the value of true friendship above both of these. And I think that's beautiful.

Chouette film sur les pirates qui revisite l'époque victorienne. C'est une bonne aventure dans un univers riche en pâte à modeler. Un digne héritier aux Wallace et Gromit. Très rigolo, à conseiller pour les enfants.

Agradable película de sello Aardman, creadores de wallace & Grommit, Chickenrun, y el borrego Shaun. Humor británico con algo para mantener a los adultos igual entretenidos. Recomendada.

Produced by the same people who created Shaun the Sheep. This stop-motion story is very visually appealing & complex. The characters are interesting & varied. The plot is tight & engaging about the Captain who wants the accolades of people whom he is jealous over. It also has the typical Aardman British humour sprinkled throughout. Very family-friendly & non-stop action. And a lesson that one should never allow other peoples opinions to define your own self-worth!

Ganz großes Animationskino, das für jede Menge Überraschungen sorgt. Da haben sich die Wallace & Gromitt-Macher wieder ordentlich ins Zeug gelegt. Wie auch in den anderen Knetmasse-Movies, gibt es auch in diesem Machwerk eine Menge Zeug zu sehen, das einem beim ersten Mal zusehen gar nicht so auffallen mag. Ein zweites oder drittes Mal ansehen zahlt sich also aus. Schon allein des Soundtracks wegen, der besser nicht sein könnte. Also Augenklappen hoch, Holzbeine abgeschraubt und vor den Flat-TV pflanzen und sich rund 90 Minuten Trickfilmspaß gönnen!

In questi giorni di "esilio" forzato in casa per passare il tempo sto dando libero sfogo a tutte le mie passione e per questo sto letteralmente "sbranando" film, serie tv, videogiochi (vecchi e nuovi), fumetti, graphic novel e chi più ne ha più ne metta. Di questa indigestione "cine-video-fumetto-ludica" voglio parlare su questo spazio cominciando da un film di animazione che ho acquistato quasi casualmente, ma che già dopo pochissime scene mi ha letteralmente rapito! sto parlando di "Pirati - Briganti da strapazzo", una pellicola poco pubblicizzata ed apprezzata in Italia che io invece ho trovato veramente bella e divertente. A realizzarla quelli della Aardman (gli stessi di Wallace & Grommit per intenderci), gente che ha fatto la propria fortuna "giocando" con la plastilina! ed è proprio l'idea che tutto il film sia realizzato con la pasta modellabile colorata (e l'aggiunta solo di un pizzico di computer grafica) che mi esalta e lo fa non da oggi, ma da quando ero un ragazzino e giocavo col pongo plasmando improbabili personaggi inventando storie. Prima di scrivere questo breve commento mi sono un pò documentato su questa tecnica di animazione che (non) potete immaginare quanto sia impegnativa e complessa da realizzare, ma che a prodotto finito fa veramente un grande effetto! grande effetto che in questo caso viene anche reso più spettacolare da una perfetta stereoscopia associata ai pupazzetti di plastilina. Oltre a questo poi c'è anche uno script intelligente e solido, una regia senza sbavature ed un ritmo sostenuto e divertente che rendono Pirati un gran bel film che vi coinvolgerà dall'inizio alla fine magari convincendovi ad acquistarlo in 3D blu-ray come è successo con me. P.S. anche il doppiaggio è stato molto criticato e sicuramente con l'accento inglese originale di Hugh Grant e compagnia bella sarà stato molto più bello, ma a me il Capitan Pirata doppiato da Christian De Sica mi ha fatto troppo ridere!