Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

ramkoil This show is suppose to be mostly for children. The plot is all over the place and the characters are mores suited for adults. There are no funny parts there are no positive messages and most importantly the story is at most uninteresting. Usually Hollywood animation production at best is forgettable but you get to laugh a little, in this production when we finished watching not only I could not remember the main characters names I could not even remember laughing. I think I am going to watch Castle in the sky to forget this so called movie.In response to another reviewer who was complaining that females in the show were stereotyped for men: Remember this is suppose to be entertainment not a political statement. People like you have turned women to one dimensional characters in movies so now they are men with bo-obs. Wish some people would grow up.

Loxlie-2 Such a very very weird movie for Aardman to make. So here's the plot: Hugh Grant plays a desperately, dangerously insecure mass-murdering moron who violently assaults and thieves from anyone he stumbles upon.One of the victims is Charles Darwin who, of course, is a nerd, who cares only for seeing a woman's boobs. (Coz - you know - he's a nerd! What an absolute loser!! He's into science and stuff! Like Wallace from off of Wallace and Gromit, and EVERYONE hates Wallace! Especially Aardman, apparently now...)And at that point it should all invert, and Darwin becomes the hero, but no. Grant's awful character carries on being the hero, by continuing being the absolute moron that he is. Obviously it's animated impeccably, and there's a few excellent jokes (though plenty is lifted wholesale from Muppet Treasure Island) and it was made in my home city, and I'm friends with one of the animators, so I don't say this lightly, but it's quite horrid compared with what Aardman usually is, and absolutely should be.And Darwin would *never ever* call a chimpanzee a "monkey"... I mean, what...??!!

bob the moo Since I am British, it is mandated that I love Aardman Animations and accordingly I do. This film sat in my queue for a while though as I had heard mixed things about it and I don't think it performed particularly well. I eventually got around to watching it recently and found a film that has as many great moments as it doesn't – one where consistency is a problem, not just in terms of delivery and laughs but also the tone of the film itself.The comedy here is pretty smart at times as indeed is the plot – not too many other films feature Darwin and have Queen Victoria as a villainess. However this rather clever comedy is delivered with pop-music and a bit of a swagger that doesn't match it well at all. The result is that the film feels like it was written by someone who didn't get the final product they were after – almost like someone tried to make it more accessible and "fun" in its style. I preferred the classic Aardman material and jokes and although they didn't bother me too much, some of the music and bridging material didn't work for me and seemed out of place. The animation is great though – just as one would expect. It has character and I loved it for its lack of total smoothness and realism.The voice cast is impressive in terms of their names but also mostly for their performances. Grant doesn't overdo it while Tennant gets a lot of the best lines. Freeman underplays while Staunton has a great old time. Support from Piven and Hayek works but seems unnecessarily starry next to Lenny Henry. Generally the characters are fun although I personally loved the non-speaking roles of the monkey and the fish in a hat.This isn't a classic by any means, mostly due to it being a tad uneven in the delivery; but it is still fun and produced quite a few laughs as well as a general sense of amusement. The soundtrack and some other aspects make it feel like it is trying too hard to please, but it does will work and those that enjoy other Aardman animations will find much to like here too.

p-stepien The aptly and unimaginatively named Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) embarks on a mission to claim the prestigious Pirate of the Year Award. Thus he scours the seven seas, avoiding sea monstrosities (as per map) and attempting to grab hold of boot loads of treasure. Luck fails to assist him, instead commandeering ships full of orphans and such. However his ham-loving crew fronted by the Pirate with a Scarf (Martin Freeman) are satisfied and deeply loyal to their awkward captain, despite his apparent lack of success. A chance encounter has him capture Charles Darwin (David Tennant), who brings to the Pirate Captain's attention, that his trusted parrot Polly is in fact a long extinct dodo. Convincing the captain and crew that this is an epic discovery, the ship soon sails into port in London setting up an unavoidable encounter with Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton).Aardman Animations returns with another stop-motion gem, which may not have the same shade of brilliance as some of its other picture, but nonetheless keeps them on top of the international animation pile. Featuring a diverse set of characters with apt names such as The Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate or The Pirate Who Likes Sunsets and Kittens, "Pirates" is essentially British humour much influenced by the Monty Python heritage. Despite not bringing about a box office success (possibly due to poor marketing of the end product), the movie is extremely appealing and makes for a satisfying watch regardless of age or intellectual prominence. Jokes range from the silly to the subtly brilliant, at times incorporating both, easily meshing slapstick with witty humour. Nonetheless "Pirates" fail to achieve the same heights as previous outings, as the focus on absurdity is too intense thus failing to create the same dramatic backdrop as earlier entries. Basically the jokes themselves remain and although satisfying and at times audacious they fail to entice with the bigger picture, although it is also briskly laden with action. Nonetheless still my favourite animated feature from 2012 skillfully juggling pirate conventions to create a freakishly silly fanfare.