Matthew_Capitano Stupid teen flick with lame references to many other films - those references masquerading as "jokes".A frumpy Kristy McNichol plays a frumpy chick named 'Mabel' who gets conked on the head and subsequently dreams about living in the swashbuckler days surrounded by bisexual pirates and a handsome young man called 'Frederic' (Chris Atkins). As usual, Kristy tries to bluff her way through a film as if she can act, this time asking the audience to believe that she's actually 'hot' and a 'rrrreally gooood singer'.... pffft.The only truthful thing that can be said about the performances of the leads in this movie is that Atkins is better.... and prettier.

bkoganbing For Christopher Atkins The Pirate Movie was a followup to the big hit he scored in The Blue Lagoon. Since his public expected him to look as much as he did in The Blue Lagoon, Atkins spent a lot of time without too many clothes on. And he had his hair curled once again for The Pirate Movie. He never had curls like that naturally, but it was done for The Blue Lagoon and had to be done here as well. Just like Mario Lopez had it done that way on Saved By The Bell.The great sex symbol of the early Eighties was teamed with Kristy McNichol who had a following of her own with the television series, Family. The Pirate Movie is a modern version of The Pirates Of Penzance with some contemporary music added to the score of Gilbert&Sullivan.Of course Gilbert&Sullivan purists will be horrified, but actually if The Pirate Movie inspires some kid to check out classics like the original Pirates Of Penzance, than the making of The Pirate Movie will serve its purpose. In this film you'll get to hear some modern music together with such classics as the Model Of A Modern Major General.The film was shot in Australia and it sports an Aussie supporting cast behind the leads of Atkins and McNichol. I have to say this is one of the few films you'll ever see where the male lead is prettier than the female one. That was Christopher Atkins's problem the rest of his career.

tupolev-2 Having said that, suspend your reality and just enjoy the film for what it is - corny, campy, a bit ridiculous but a lot of fun. It's one of those films that take you back to the time when you first saw it - when values and entertainment were different. I understand how the 'now' generation would write this off - they compare it to what's on offer today. So, remember it was the 80's and enjoy it for the music, the innuendo's and costumes! Even better - try and download the lyrics from the website, get a group of people together and have a sing-a-long viewing - you could do a lot worse and trust me you'll have a good time, even if you don't want to admit it!

MARIO GAUCI Rated a BOMB by Leonard Maltin, this is not really quite bad if certainly misguided – what was veteran British director Annakin thinking?: an old-fashioned pirate adventure, inspired by Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta "The Pirates Of Penzance" (contemporaneously receiving the big-screen treatment), set to horrid electronic music. Yet, the thing is fitfully amusing in spots (often campily so)...Christopher Atkins is bland as the unwilling buccaneer hero, but tomboyish leading lady Kristy McNichol is cute (she even naively says "Ole'" instead of "Touche'" during the swordfights!). Ted Hamilton, then, is The Pirate King – whose matinée'-idol looks seem like a cross between Adam West and Randolph Scott! Scenes from Fox's classic swashbuckler THE BLACK SWAN (1942) with Tyrone Power actually play throughout the opening credits: it transpires to be a TV screening of that film – since the narrative here is given a modern-day framework, with the adventure within turning out to be a dream set off by the nerdy McNichols' visit to a pirate attraction! Apart from much romance and derring-do, we get a bumbling group of singing and dancing bobbies (cops) who constitute an obvious anachronism. Still, they're involved in one of the film's more inspired bits: during the climactic bout, they gang up on a isolated pirate – and one of them attempts to obscure the camera's viewpoint (recording the event, as it were)…which, of course, lampoons the usual expose' of police brutality!