Crossbones

As you read on the title, very bad imitation Black Sails. One or two scores higher if they replaced John Malkovich (I don't know if he's famous because he can say a long sentence in one breath, but I consider it dumb), another score if the story was a bit slower to make viewers catch up, and additional scores would be rewarded if actual pirate characters were played.

The ones acting as Blackbeard's henchmen look more like the rogues you see in pirate video games than ones acting out the reality of how pirates were.

I strongly suggest the whole crew leave their capes and gowns and look forward to another season of Black Sails; who knows, maybe they learn a thing or two!

Last but not least, I gave this one a 4 just because of the Caribbean colonial era theming; one of my favorite of all times !

It took few episodes to get interested in the show. A pirate/period drama seemed so out of place in contemporary culture (British series are exempt). Admittedly, I don't watch a lot of TV and have only recently heard of 'Black Sails'.

'Crossbones' grew on me with the very solid acting - 10 stars for most of the leading cast - the writing was intelligent, with high ideals shining brightly through all that history (accurate or not). Richard Coyle and Claire Foy were outstanding. John Malkovich's performance was uneven and that was unfortunate as everyone's eyes were on him. It was a complex role and he could have done a lot with it.

Mid-way through the series, I looked up the reviews. I was curious whether it was building a following. While I didn't think it would (a pirate/period drama built around complex characters set in a peripheral episode in history), coming across an open dislike was unexpected. It seemed that the series was doomed right from the start. It's a shame. I came to enjoy the characters and look forward to the next episode. It was interesting and entertaining, with minor flaws.

This show feels very low quality.

* Terrible music. It all sounds like it's electronically produced, and poorly at that. I'd put it on par with video game music from the late 90's.

* Absurd portrayals of women. The men wander around filthy, oily, with a week's stubble, while the women are all pristine, with lovely, shaped eyebrows and good foundation. They're simultaneously objectified and unrealistically powerful.

* Generally mediocre lighting, framing, etc. Everything looks like a small set.

* Simple dialog, spiced up with random, unusual words to make it sound vaguely old-timey. The exposition is laughably bad at times.

Opening with a healthy battle at sea makes a good start to any film about pirates, and 'Crossbones' plays it safe by delivering just that; ship cannons are fired, people get shot up close by muskets, throats get slit and heads get bashed in: welcome to the new NBC-show about one of the most famous – and notorious – pirates ever: Blackbeard.

Enter John Malkovich, the show's star, who delivers yet another great turn playing the outlaw legend. His portrayal of the character is rather original; instead of giving us a stereotypical, larger-than-life performance with a Keith Richards look, we get a coldly calculating older man, well spoken and with a nicely tamed - grey - beard.

Malkovich's portrayal might not even be so far off: according to Wikipedia, Blackbeard was not a tyrannical pirate and he commanded his vessels only with their crews' permission; apparently there is also no known account of him murdering prisoners and he preferred using his cleverly constructed fearsome image to induce terror over committing actual acts of violence.

But that is (probably) as far as historical accuracy will go in 'Crossbones', for this certainly isn't a history lesson (not that I complain), but solid entertainment with a historical background. So far, I'm satisfied with what I've seen. The cast – especially Richard Coyle, who plays the show's protagonist Tom Lowe – is very good, the plot evolves nicely and the set design looks real; fake looking CGI is – so far – mercifully absent. Judging from the first episode, my verdict is a solid (if not overly excited): "Yar!" – 7 stars out of 10.

Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

My husband and I looked forward to each and every episode of Crossbones. We very much enjoyed the two part finale tonight. We wish NBC would have kept it going a bit longer. No, it isn't historically accurate but it's still fun to speculate about Blackbeard the Pirate. The scenery was filmed on location so that was a plus. Also liked the acting and period costumes. I surprised myself when I found myself rooting for the Commodore. It seems that people who saw Black Sails didn't care much for Crossbones in the other reviews, we never saw that one. This is the first time we have seen John Malkovich, we think he is amazing and hung on every word. We also have found some new favorite actors and actresses. Thanks NBC for filling the summertime void. Great entertainment.