Blogfromthebarn

Piratical plasticine play, plundering and poltroonery

Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush have, in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, created such a stylised and romanticised version of piracy that much of the truth of the buccaneers existence has been lost to us. However, three cheers to Aardman animation for their recent offering which sets the record straight, a plasticine based romp from the freebooting West Indies to foggy London town and a very, very silly story involving neurotic maladjusted seafarers, a homicidal Monarch and a duplicitous Charles Darwin.

Not the greatest of the Aardman offerings and quite juvenile when compared to some more sophisticated cgi efforts, think Shrek, Toy story, Monsters inc and Ice age. Pirates is good-natured fun and Aardman are very good at this stuff, the story is daft, the characters silly, the pace is frantic and the gags are, well, OK I guess.

I've hoped in vain, and will continue to do so, for an Aardman movie that captures the genius of Gromit laying track in front of his speeding toy train or the beady eyed malevolence of the penguin in the Wrong Trousers. This is nowhere near as good but it's no disappointment either.


Pirate nutters
Plasticine,animators
All mad as hatters

posted by Stuffy @ 4:02 pm