Pirates: 3D Show

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.

I saw the movie as part of the 'Pirate 4-D' attraction at Thorpe Park, England. It was preceded, while everybody was filling up the auditorium, by a talking parrot doll at the front that gave out the usual safety brief, etc.

The parrot was, unfortunately, soon to be demonstrated to be the most amusing part of the show.

Okay, so the 3-D element of the 15 minute 'spectacular' was actually pretty good. There's a couple of 3-D wasps that fly at you and they're all animated quite impressively. Oddly enough, the water jets, wind jets and moving seats in the auditorium that qualify it for the bizarre '4-D' part of the title work reasonably well.

But what's the point if the movie itself is abysmal? I'm not being harsh either - the acting, scripting, 'comedy', camera-work, soundtrack; it's all as wooden as the scenery. You're not supposed to want to strangle the main character (some whining boy called 'Davey'), are you?

I can accept that it is aimed at kids and therefore presumably most of the money has gone on the 'ride' aspect of the movie. But why patronize children? It's like the film-makers knew that nobody was really going to take the movie seriously enough to critique it, but why is that an excuse for shoddy workmanship?

Still, I did like the wasps.

This short comedy is still running at the Globe Theater, London at Busch Gardens Europe, Williamsburg, VA. It's typical Nielson pratfalls and buffoonery, but nonetheless humorous and the kids love it.

I've seen the show about a dozen times or so, usually when its raining or too hot to schlep through the park with the crowds. The venue provides a nice respite from the rest of the park during our sweltering VA summer heat.

As far as I know, Pirates 4-D is still on the bill for this summer. ('08) There are some other new things at the park (I'm not allowed to disclose, they made me sign a no release form) but I'm sure they're sure to be great.

See you at the park!

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!

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!