Pirates: 3D Show

Pirates 4D (as it is called over here in the U.K.) is the latest attraction to be found at the London theme park Thorpe Park. For 15 fun packed minutes the audience are literally transported into the movie, with a whole host of effects to keep the entire family happy. Bats, Bees and spiders all seem to come out of the screen and terrify everybody! The plot itself is very simple Captain Lucky (Leslie Nielsen)and his crew of no good pirates (including Eric Idle in long wig) venture to an exotic island to find the customary treasure. Unfortunately a young boy with a vengeance has other ideas! Warning you are guaranteed to get soaked to the bone at this attraction!

I've gone to this loads of times at Thorpe Park and although sometimes the effects haven't worked I use it as a bit of a break after Lunch before tackling the roller coasters...

The acting is a little bit wooden and it's not really meant to "thrill" you but I do find the wasps a bit creepy and pretty much always take the glasses off at that point!

Anyways if you're seeing it at Thorpe Park don't go in expecting a masterpiece and I do strongly recommend using it as a "food going down" session... Puking isn't much fun at the best of times if you plan on going on colossus straight after lunch!

I believe this is also the film that is used in the Pirate 4D show at Thorpe park, just outside of London. Rumours over the past few years have suggested it is to be replaced, but it has not been yet. A fun family entertainer, that has lost its ability to surprise due to being around too long. It contains a number of extra effects in addition to the usual 3D displays such as buzzing seats and water squirted at you in synchronisation to the film. The overall experience is good, and the presence of well known stars such as Leslie Nielsen (the king of spoof), and Monty Python's finest, Eric Idle, add to the credibility, but with them both playing supportive roles to a young boy, this does little to add to the depth of the characters. In truth, it is a real short, made to entertain theme park guests, and as such should not be compared to a movie or TV show, but if it is to be compared, then the acting is very cardboardy and lacking in any conviction.

This is SO much better than that Haunted Lighthouse movie. The 3-D effects look great. It's probably due to the bright images used throughout the film. It's also nice that the film is only 16 or so minutes long. I think that is long enough for a theme park presentation. Eric Idle did a good job with the corny pirate dialog, and Leslie Nielson did his usual bumbling best. Also, it was nice to see Rodney Dangerfield in the show, even though it was only a cameo appearance. I hope that the crew that put this film together will someday present another 3-D movie. Also, it's possible that there is more than one version of this film, as I have heard people comment that they don't remember Rodney Dangerfield in the picture.

This is NOT an Oscar contender, nor would anyone going to see it believe it would be. So there's no surprise there. So many prior reviews attack this on artistic merit. So what? Do you really look for artistic merit in a spectacle? Or do you look for an entertainment value from a property which isn't going to rival the classic comedies but is guaranteed to thrill and amuse your kids?

Bottom line: It's fun for the kids, it's entertaining on a physical level, and if the price isn't too steep for you it's worth the while.

Leslie Nielsen is indeed funny here - though not in a way that a typical adult will find funny - and Eric Idle is similarly amusing.

I saw it at the theater at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas, NV, and found it fun and no more or less than that.