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[_Rob_]

I've been trying to find some decent pirate movies of late, surprisingly I'm finding it more of a struggle than I'd anticipated. I'm not fussed as to whether they are serious, comedic, dark, light, for kids etc... I just need to immerse myself in the theme (for reasons I won't go into here)!

So far the ones I've enjoyed the most are as follows:

The first one, somewhat predictably is Pirates of the Caribbean. Solid family film before they flanderized the character and missed the point.

Muppet Treasure Island. A nice adaptation from the book with a fantastic performance by Tim Curry and of course the Muppets, what's not to like?

The Pirates: An Adventure With Scientists. An amusing family film from Aardman; stop motion and classic British humour, yes please!

Hook. Spielberg, John Williams, Robin Williams & pirates; what's not to love?

Treasure Planet. Another adaptation from Treasure Island, but with gorgeous animation, fun twists and steampunk!

Does anyone have some suggestions that'd be worth adding to the "watch list"? Ideally stuff properly piratey, so although The Goonies for instance features pirate ships and treasure, I wouldn't really count it as a pirate movie. I hope I'm missing some good ones!

 

[Volimar]

Ice Pirates.

 

[jelly]

Count of Monte Cristo, sort of.

 

[neorej]

Stagnetti's Revenge

 

[Knch]

Not a movie, but the series "Black Sails" is really good.

 

[Donos]

Have you used imdb yet? Always used it with google to find lists from people for different genres there.

E.g. :http://www.imdb.com/list/ls033395810/ or http://www.imdb.com/list/ls000875897/

 

[Auto-Reply]

It's been ages since I've seen the movie Cutthroat Island with Geena Davis, I liked it back then.

 

[8bit]

Axxo's rips are usually pretty good.

 

[CloudWolf]

It's good to see some love for Muppet Treasure Island in the OP, it's my favorite.

 

[NeoGiff]

Not a movie, but since you've noted two Treasure Island adaptations as ones you've liked, I'd recommend watching Black Sails. As both a prequel to Treasure Island and a piece of historical fiction, it's brilliant.

 

[Chuckie]

Like others said, Black Sails. The first season is a bit meh, but after that it gets great. And I mean really great!

 

[soqquatto]

I've always loved Pirates by Roman Polanski and thought it was a great movie but apparently the Internet hates it. fuck you, Internet. you don't know nothing.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Not a movie, but the series "Black Sails" is really good.

Not a movie, but since you've noted two Treasure Island adaptations as ones you've liked, I'd recommend watching Black Sails. As both a prequel to Treasure Island and a piece of historical fiction, it's brilliant.

Like others said, Black Sails. The first season is a bit meh, but after that it gets great. And I mean really great!

I'm just gonna go ahead and co-sign these.

 

[UrbanRats]

I've always loved Pirates by Roman Polanski and thought it was a great movie but apparently the Internet hates it. fuck you, Internet. you don't know nothing.

I also always found it amusing.
Didn't know it was hated.

 

[Alx]

I also always found it amusing.
Didn't know it was hated.

Probably because of Polanski. But the movie is very good indeed.

 

[vern]

Pirates of Penzance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pirates_of_Penzance_(film)

 

[wazoo]

pirates and Cuthroad Island flopped hard, killing the genre for years, before Caribean movies.

You have to go very far in the past to find other movies in that genre.

 

[Diamond]

For such beloved characters, there's a distinct lack of actual great movies about them.

 

[hiredhand]

Captain Blood (1935) and The Sea Hawk (1940), both starring Errol Flynn and directed by Michael Curtiz.

 

[tattooed_dwarf]

Cutthroat Island is quilty pleasure of mine and overly hated film.

 

[blainethemono]

just watch Black Sails

it's one of the best and most slept on television shows of the past decade

 

[Shadax the wizard]

Black sails and crossbones.

 

[Daffy Duck]

Axxo's rips are usually pretty good.

Centropy is where it's at man.

 

[CaviarMeths]

If foreign language films aren't a problem, you could check out the South Korean film The Pirates. It was a pretty fun action-comedy.

 

[_Rob_]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, my list is definitely growing! I did try Black Sails back when it first aired, couldn't really get into it, but if the consensus is that it gets better I may give it another bash.

For such beloved characters, there's a distinct lack of actual great movies about them.

Right? This was the point that surprised me. I wonder if it'll ever pick up again, I fear not because if POTC didn't kick-start a renaissance I don't know what will..

 

[SatoAilDarko]

Despite One Piece being my favorite manga I don't really care for pirates.

My favorite pirate movie is Muppet Treasure Island which you listed.

 

[Rockondevil]

Pirates of the Plain (1999)

 

[23qwerty]

I've always loved Pirates by Roman Polanski and thought it was a great movie but apparently the Internet hates it. fuck you, Internet. you don't know nothing.

can't imagine actually stanning for polanski

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

It has already been mentioned but if you can look past Polanski, Pirates is a classic. It used to be a mainstain of french tv in the 90s, it was always on. Great film and great performance by Matthau. For any Tintin fan, he's pretty much the perfect Red Rackham.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

For such beloved characters, there's a distinct lack of actual great movies about them.

Right? This was the point that surprised me. I wonder if it'll ever pick up again, I fear not because if POTC didn't kick-start a renaissance I don't know what will..

Pirates were not considered popular or marketable until the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Basically the only two pirate movies were Roman Polanski's Pirates (which was a bomb that most people never heard of or didn't like) and Muppet Treasure Island, which was only a moderate success due to the Muppet factor. Even Treasure Planet, which came out a year before PotC and reviewed well, performed terribly.

The culture we have right now that relishes pirates as an essential fantasy figures is actually very new. It's hard to imagine what it was like before Pirates of the Caribbean sparked the "Pirate Renaissance." But it was nothing at all like what we now take for granted.

That's why there are so few Pirate movies before 2003.

Edit: This is actually true about dinosaurs as well. Until Jurassic Park, prehistory was a schlock mine with the occasional break for children's programming. They weren't at all anywhere near as popular and essential as they are today. That's why it's hard to find dinosaur movies that aren't about sexy cave women or stop-motion family adventures.

 

[Chuck Norris]

Just read one piece

 

[_Rob_]

Pirates were not considered popular or marketable until the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Basically the only two pirate movies were Roman Polanski's Pirates (which was a bomb that most people never heard of or didn't like) and Muppet Treasure Island, which was only a moderate success due to the Muppet factor. Even Treasure Planet, which came out a year before PotC and reviewed well, performed terribly.

The culture we have right now that relishes pirates as an essential fantasy figures is actually very new. It's hard to imagine what it was like before Pirates of the Caribbean sparked the "Pirate Renaissance." But it was nothing at all like what we now take for granted.

That's why there are so few Pirate movies before 2003.

Hmnn, that's interesting. I suppose I had assumed they'd always been a pop culture staple. I think that assumption stems from several toys I had growing up (including several Lego sets) were pirate themed. In which case, I wonder if we may see some more pirate movies now that things like POTC and Black Sails have become successful; I feel like that's already happened with games, after AC: Black flag we've got Sea of Thieves and Skull & Bones.

 

[BumRush]

On the last season of black sails right now, and like others have said, it's amazing!

 

[Azubah]

I hear that one pirate porno is legit good, Pirates or something like that. They even made a non-porn version of it.

 

[Discotheque]

Black Sails was so good

 

[_Rob_]

I hear

Sure.... In all seriousness though, really?

 

[Noboru Wataya]

This wouldn't be your typical Pirate film, but the protagonist is called the Dread Pirate Roberts. So it counts in my book!

 

[neorej]

Sure.... In all seriousness though, really?

Yup.

 

[Moff]

I've always loved Pirates by Roman Polanski and thought it was a great movie but apparently the Internet hates it. fuck you, Internet. you don't know nothing.

I remember loving it as a kid, came here to post this.

 

[Hex]

The Sea Hawk
Captain Blood.
Black Sails the series.

 

[Ville Pukema]

It's been ages since I've seen the movie Cutthroat Island with Geena Davis, I liked it back then.

Cutthroat Island is quilty pleasure of mine and overly hated film.

I was afraid I'm going to be only one brave enough to admit, I liked that movie. Love you guys.

 

[Diamond]

Pirates were not considered popular or marketable until the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Basically the only two pirate movies were Roman Polanski's Pirates (which was a bomb that most people never heard of or didn't like) and Muppet Treasure Island, which was only a moderate success due to the Muppet factor. Even Treasure Planet, which came out a year before PotC and reviewed well, performed terribly.

The culture we have right now that relishes pirates as an essential fantasy figures is actually very new. It's hard to imagine what it was like before Pirates of the Caribbean sparked the "Pirate Renaissance." But it was nothing at all like what we now take for granted.

That's why there are so few Pirate movies before 2003.

I agree pirates are more in fashion right now, but it's not exactly like with comic books superheroes, where it's logical we see so much adaptations now than people who have read them as childs are studios heads and directors.

Pirates have quite a lot of more ancient litterature about them, with the obvious Treasure Island but there's a lot more. Therefore, it wouldn't be illogical to have a few more classic movies about pirates.
Incidentally we do have a few great movies around the same period and theme, just not about pirates : Master and Commander, Mutiny on the Bounty (and the other two about the same story). There's definitely an opportunity to seize for aspiring directors there.

 

[IISANDERII]

Captain Philip

 

[LewieP]

No love for Disney's Peter Pan?

 

[EhoaVash]

Get into One Piece op

Basically potc on steroids

 

[Finale Fireworker]

I agree pirates are more in fashion right now, but it's not exactly like with comic books superheroes, where it's logical we see so much adaptations now than people who have read them as childs are studios heads and directors.

Pirates have quite a lot of more ancient litterature about them, with the obvious Treasure Island but there's a lot more. Therefore, it wouldn't be illogical to have a few more classic movies about pirates.
Incidentally we do have a few great movies around the same period and theme, just not about pirates : Master and Commander, Mutiny on the Bounty (and the other two about the same story). There's definitely an opportunity to seize for aspiring directors there.

Right. This is all true. I wasn't trying to say there was NOTHING out there, just that there was comparatively little than we are used to today and most of the modern material was unsuccessful at capitalizing on pirate history until Pirates of the Caribbean sparked a massive public affection.

 

[Hambulance]

It's in my to be watched list so idk much about it, but:

Firefly, culminating in Serenity is also Space Pirates.

Not pirates, but GAF loves this

 

[Banderdash]

I was about to say Master And Commander.

 

[Azure Dream]

Yellowbeard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAbou95lCd4


Ages since I've seen it, so it might not hold up, but I remember it being pretty funny. Also features 30 seconds of David Bowie.

 

[soqquatto]

can't imagine actually stanning for polanski

he's a great director and an awful person. I can live with both things, honestly