The Pirates
2014; directed by Lee Seok-Hoon

Recently released on North American home video by Well GO USA, The Pirates is not deep cinematic fare, being pretty much the epitome of a "popcorn" movie -- something that you're just going to turn your brain off and watch. For what it is, this is an effective enough film, bringing a good mix of light-hearted action and comedy.

For just how not seriously this movie should be taken, the Macguffin that provides the plot's impentus for rival groups of bandits and pirates to compete with each other is a royal treasure swallowed by a giant whale. The Pirates is the sort of film where an action scene takes place on a giant waterslide, replete with huge CGI effects. So if you're looking for serious and thoughtful martial arts action, your attention should probably be turned elsewhere.

This is still a fun movie, though. Unlike the overbloated Pirates of the Carribean films -- something which even the world's coolest actor, Chow Yun-Fat, could not save in the cinematic dirty bomb that was At World's End -- director Lee Seok-Hoon knows enough to keep the focus on a few select characters and plotlines.

The Pirates never takes itself too seriously, and, as a result, the audience ends up actually caring more about the characters and riding along with their (sometimes unbelieveable and a bit too over the top) antics, rather than just spending three hours laughing uncomfortably at Johnny Depp in semi-drag watching his bank account rise while his artistic credibility falls to depths several miles below sea level.

RATING: 6