Les naufragés de l'île aux pirates

My family and I borrowed this from the library a few months ago. And while I expected it to be good, it was quite frankly fantastic! It's a fun family pirate adventure.

The film begins with notorious - and supposedly "dead" - pirate Merrick murders an officer named Howell and stealing his identity.

In the meantime, a sailor who is unable to return to sea is facing losing his property over debt. His son Haakon volunteers to become a cabin boy in order to financially help his family. His ship winds up taking on an officer Howell - who is none other than Merrick in disguise - as first mate. He quietly poisons the captain, and then takes charge of the vessel, ruling it with an iron fist.

Haakon discovers an Australian girl named Mary on board. After she is discovered, Haakon is saved from a lashing by a sudden storm. The storm sinks the ship. I've forgotten many of the details, but Haakon washes up on an island - alone. He soon discovers that it's Merrick's own hideout, and that he'll be back at some point. He must prepare - while looking for an opportunity to escape.

It's a great family adventure, with very mild violence, no swearing (that I remember), no sex, etc. In other words, completely suitable for children. I found it quite delightful.

OK, it is not the greatest film of the century. OK, the characters are not so very three-dimensional, OK, they do not develop very much through the film, OK, the end is as predictable as the one of "Cinderella". But it really does not matter. I watched 'Håkon Håkonsen' with kids and they loved it - they kept talking about it for a long time after we had finished. To my considerable surprise, I found myself greatly amused too. It is a family film in the true sense of the word, it has a hero and a heroine and a bad guy - perfectly cast with a chilling Gabriel Byrne - lots of action and adventure, humor, serious moments, and a happy ending. In a sense it resembles some Disney productions, but lacks the slightly superficial, American touch. It is a good film, a good story, created by people who want to tell children a fairy-tale and who knows how to do so. Recommended.

I haven't seen this movie since the 2nd grade, so I can only speak from the perspective of a child. It was an amazing movie, and I can still remember the villain well. It was suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat. That being said, sure: if I were to see it again today I might see small flaws in the acting and/or plot, but the key here is that it captures the imaginations of children, which was its purpose. I am not rating this movie since I have not seen it for 12 years.

Shipwrecked is a tale about a young boy who finds his destiny and friends along the way. It is quite an interesting movie, very different and more thoughtful than most American movies. Stian Smestad does an excellent job as Hakon Hakonsen, and the actors who played Mary and Jens were wonderful also. This is a timeless classic with a good lesson in it. *** out of ****

Another reviewer described the movie as being "not very memorable"... this couldn't be further from the truth! Despite not having watched the movie in a minimum of 15-20 years, I found myself constantly stunned by how vividly I remembered every scene, nearly to the point of reciting the lines.

As a kid, I was obsessed with this movie. It was everything I wanted in an adventure - the adventure I wished I could have: fleeing home to set sail on a voyage full of intrigue, curious ports-of-call, kind sailors, exotic tribes, murky pirates, mutiny, tropical exploration, surviving in a strange wilderness, buried treasure, ingenious traps and, overall, seeing the world and growing through it.

30 years since the first time seeing this movie, it is just as enjoyable and just as solid as it ever was. By the end, I was in tears, in no small part due to the relief that it is as good as I remember it being - that is: not just being overriden by childish sentimentality, but also because it is a well-crafted, well-acted, and well-composed piece of cinema.

The only "flaw" I could find is that I wish the film could have been longer. There are a couple of segments which could have done with being fleshed out, as they rather rush to the next element. Despite this, the film still manages to carry the weight of an epic and, by the end, you truly feel that you have been through a long and life-changing experience. It's a 90-minute movie that feels more like a 3 hour epic - and in the very best of ways!

If you have any fondness for adventure - especially the seagoing or global explorer kind, this will definitely be worth your time.