The Pirates (2014)

I really appreciated the fact that the FL did her own acr. she had her own enemy, her own fight and she didn't need a guy to save the day or define her character. She was AWESOME!
Kim Nam Gil and the bandits were like the minions, they were loud funny and a whole mess xD

even though I loved the plot, it was kinda draggy and the cgi was horrible xD I wish they focused more on the 2 mains together.. they had sizzling chemistry~
overall the double villain thing was well done, it gave both mains their own identity; the bandits and the pirates fighting their own fights while coming together under one main objective~


the ost was nothing special and I'd just watch the sequel when it's out so there's no need for a rewatch ;p

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This is a solid movie.

It's a funny, charming, and occasionally cute adventure. There's lots of swashbuckling!

It has an interesting plot, but the background behind that plot and the nationalistic pride shoved at the end of the movie is a bit of a buzzkill. Not TOO much of a buzzkill however.

I can hear Pirates of the Caribbean in the music in this movie, along with some other more well known soundtracks. It works well. The special effects aren't flawless but they're impressive and fantastic- they don't detract from your enjoyment of it, but add to the fun atmosphere of the film.

The characters are definitely the high point in this movie. The two 'captains' of the pirates and the bandits are both people you can root for, even through the mistakes they make. Watching them interact was one of the funnest parts of this movie.

It won't stay with you for a lifetime, but it's definitely a decent way to spend two hours.

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Entertaining and a little Goofy

So, the other reviews that I've read are pretty spot on. The comparison to Pirates of the Caribbean holds true if you are talking about the later movies. This is very goofy but it made me laugh throughout. The CGI is just so bad it is good. It fit with the completely goofy parts. The cast was great, love the main leads. She's a strong character which I like. He's the biggest goof ball. I wish they had made him a little more serious and he had more fight scenes with the female lead. I'm a sucker for flirty fighting (see Legend of Fuyua). Some one else mentioned the slow motion fight scene in the beginning, it was about to get annoying until ML avoided the sword Matrix style and pulled his own sword up out of the puddle. That was super cool. So, I appreciated the slow motion after that, especially since the rest of the fight scenes were a little hard to keep up with. The romance felt like it was thrown in as an after thought. Like someone said "Oh yeah, the leads are good looking and we need a little romance, let's put em add this." It would have been better if it was left out entirely or if it had been developed slowly throughout. It doesn't have to be a main focus just not that awkward. But the best character was the whale. I cheered for the her the most. She was the heroine of the movie. The music was ok. It did what it was supposed to do but it didn't leave a memorable impression.

If you are looking for a cute action film that will make you laugh this is a good one. Its worth the 2 hr investment.

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The movie overall was okay, I was so worried about the whale that it killed some of my enjoyment of the movie. But the humor was funny and the actors were good. The humor was funny, the romance was too rushed for me I like to see my characters falling in love but it was funny and cute. The action scenes were great with some good explosions, sword fights, and some physical humor. The costumes were very nice, I liked that the main female lead was not running around in high heels or ridiculous boots to sexy her up. If you looking for a fun pirate movie a la Pirates of the Caribbean but in Korea then you should have fun with movie.

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FUN FUN FUN

Thoroughly enjoyed the movie and the history lesson. I had to look up Joseon to understand the significance of the Imperial Seal. But the swashbuckling was awesome and I loved the female protagonist who was admired, feared, loved and adored by all who came in touch with her. I thought the play between being a bandit and a pirate was funny, too, as if there are degrees of lawlessness and a hierarchy among the criminal world.

The tender moments between the two leads were well played as each had to maintain their demeanor as the leader of their crew, so they couldn't show weaknesses, but eventually they both broke down. I enjoyed the back story about the whale and the young girl ( now head pirate) and how what goes around, comes around. Nice touch.

All time funniest part was the bandits finally seeing a real whale compared to a shark and understanding the enormity of their task to try and kill it. Great movie!

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Strangely paced "Pirates of the Caribbean meets Robin Hood" story - underwhelming

Unfortunately, I found this movie a bit underwhelming. I'm surprised because what's not to like about a 'Pirates of the Caribbean meets Robin Hood" film? Sadly enough, it takes almost half of the story to really have the pace picking up. The interactions between the two main characters were the best part of the scenario, but it fell too little too late. I truly enjoyed the last part for the action but at the same time, I felt the moral of the story and the resolution were very weak.

The acting was satisfying, with good chemistry and a strong ensemble cast. The action scenes were convincing and pretty varied. The music was not outstanding but suitable for an action movie, hyping the thrilling moments at the proper time.

I would recommend this movie despite its flaws because I think it might be a case of "it's not you; it's me". If you enjoy adventure movie, you might want to give it a shot for yourself. I did not find it that entertaining because of the pacing issue but I'm not regretting watching it. I will also be curious to have a look at the sequel. I was disappointed by the resolution and ending but I truly appreciated the acting as well as the action scenes.

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Exactly what it promises

The Pirates appeared on my Amazon recommendations a long time ago, but I never really started watching always thinking it might not be as enjoyable as Pirates of the Caribbean or such. And to be honest, if you are expecting a movie like that you are totally in the wrong.
The Pirates is exactly what it promises: a Korean pirates and bandits movie with action, ships and greed. And the execution is really a delight to watch :)

The Story: The story is not too complicated and they do not really delve much into the backgrounds of everyone, staying pretty superficial with just some back story of our main characters. Some people may not enjoy this but since I just wanted to watch a light and fast movie, this seemed perfect for me.

The cast/characters: In the beginning I thought I would find some of the characters annoying but as it turns out all of them have good and bad sides and enchant you in their own way. Everyone fits together well and I really enjoyed the acting. Although some relationship developments came out of the blue, the characters behavior seemed very natural. Also compliments to the fighting, it seems very cool while also not being too over the top and not being too fast, so you can keep track of what is actually happening.

The music/production: The production of the movie is really nice and high quality. Even the special effects are made in a quality it does not distract from the story line. The costumes, the camera angles, if I could give more than ten points for this, I would.

Rewatch: Definitely.

Overall, The Pirates is a fast humorous action pirates movie with some hints of revenge and romance and high quality production, and you will warm up to the characters pretty fast and support them in reaching their goal. The only thing I have to say...those poor whales, let them live in peace!

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the other movie is better. okay watch

I’ve watched the other movie which there is no connection to. The other one is so much better in kind of plot and comedy for me.

I thought I would like this, amazing cast and similar vibe than the other movie : FL pirate and ML bandit. But in the end pretty average for me. The plot with the wale…. not as exciting as the treasure hunt. So I find the plot good at time and boring at other time, okay ending. I wasn’t hooked.

My man was hot though ahah that scene where is shirt is open. But as much as I love this actor, he couldn’t save this movie for me. His fighting scenes were amazing, like the first one in the rain. I think it was beautifully shot.

The cast is good…. The comedy okay, didn’t laugh a lot. The other fighting scenes with everyone are okay, but like I mentioned, the fighting scene with the ML only were better in my opinion.

Happy ending.

So if you want to watch a pirate movie, I would recommend the sequel movie more than this.

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The Pirates and The Bandits

I watched first fifteen minutes of this movie a while ago and it's not that I didn't like it, I just wasn't in the mood for it so I dropped it.
Fast forward few weeks later, I'm bored, in pain because my stomach hurts and I need something to distract me and I remember this movie.
It definitely distracted me and made me feel better.
It's a fun movie.

The story
It's ridiculously fun. The whale eats the royal seal and now everyone chases it. It's a mess, they are going left and right but it's never boring.
The villains are evil, the good guys are not completely good (but they are more good than evil).

The female lead (Captain) has her own story and a villain to fight which I appreciated a lot. No one needed to save her because she was capable of saving herself.
The male lead (Chief) is funny most of the time but really badass when he fights. That scene where he runs through burning ships was hot (literally and figuratively).

And the best part, their chemistry. They are awesome together.

The villains weren't really that interesting, basic reasons, basic ending for them but that's okay.

The pirate crew and the bandits are funny when they are together just as their leaders.

This movie is not really something that will make you think deeply but it's entertaining. It made me laugh more than once.

I recommend it to people who like comedy and weird movies.

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Epic adventure

Never thought to see a pirates movie from Korea and it somehow worked. I think it took a lot of inspiration from Pirates of the Caribbean but still distinctively Korean. However, with the ridiculous premise of the royal seal getting swallowed by a whale, I was expecting more comedy action than serious action. With Kim Nam Gil, Yu Hae Jin, Kim Won Hae in the cast, they could have used their comedic skills to put some fun in this drama. Like Robin Williams’ Hook.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this immensely, even with the silly plot. I have watched more Son Ye Jin dramas and movies where she is crying or getting romantic so it’s a nice change for me to see her to action (I know she can do action, just haven’t watched them). This movie is made up of a stellar cast, I didn’t name them all in the main cast section, just the main leads and the baddies.

The movie is quite long, the first part gave a background to set the expectations and motives of the story, the second part is how the two separate lives of Sa Jung and Yeo Wol get entangled together, and the third act is where everyone comes together to have an epic battle on the high seas. There was also a mini romance between Sa Jung and Yeo Wol which was inserted in and which I loved.

Overall, fun adventure movie good for a rainy Friday night!

Rating: 8/10

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