Pirate's Code: The Adventures of Mickey Matson

After saving the country from the revived Copperheads in the first Mickey Matson film, young Derek Brandon gets put into an exclusive patriotic society along with his girlfriend Francesa DeRosa. But after his good work in doing in those Copperheads this society just says don't call us, we'll call you. Naturally he thinks this all a big hype until............

Now it's very world in danger with a Captain Jack Sparrow like character who leads some modern pirates who has studied the work of Nicole Tesla who recently has acquired something of a scientific cult status. Using Tesla's research pirate captain Frank Collison has developed a pulsating ray that will fry all the electronic devices on earth. Something I think invading Klingons are more likely to use.

As it turns out Christopher Lloyd from the first film is very much alive and that is welcome to young Derek Brandon the title character. He and Collison make a good pair of foes and both are having a real contest in scenery chewing.

But the real appetite for furniture is found in a pair of character players Peter Adrian Sudarso and Frank Drank who are new pirate recruits. They're kind of like Bulk and Skull from the original Power Rangers group and they're just as bright. They also are funny as all get out.

I'm in agreement with the previous reviewer, all the adult scenery chewing really makes the Pirate Code suitable or at least bearable for adults. It also makes this Mickey Matson film slightly better than the first.

I find that the all-kids scenes are quite boring, if not annoying, while the pirates scenes are pretty cool and amusing, with real laughs here and there. It's a good thing that the film starts with the latter, otherwise I don't believe I would have watched more than a few minutes.

Sure, the adult cast is much better than the underage one; that's to be expected. Also, I'm an adult, and not a young one, so there is that. But mostly, and I guess according to the script, the kids play it serious (disciplined, in military uniforms and all that) while the grown ups play it cartoonish over the top and are the only ones having fun.

This is not an average movie in the usual sense: rather an alternation of good and bad. Take your chances for the laughs if you can stomach the inarticulate whining of the heroic duo. When you will be entertained, you'll feel like you really deserve it for enduring the juveniles. Or, just keep a finger near the fast-forward button to skip all pubescent torture.