Pirate's Passage
Set in 1952 Grey Rocks – a centuries old town that was famous 250 years ago as a favored port of pirates – Pirate’s Passage follows the story of 12-year-old Jim. Fraught by the death of his father and forced to endure schoolyard bullying each day, Jim manages to carry on, buoyed by his optimistic imagination and fueled by his sense of adventure. The sudden arrival of Captain Johnson, whose small sailboat has been thrown off course by a storm, changes Jim’s life. The Captain quickly becomes a mentor and friend to Jim, giving him extraordinary lessons in self-reliance and determination. Soon, Jim develops a liberating self-assurance that so deeply touches the Captain that he allows Jim to see evidence that the Captain may be more than meets the eye. Is Captain Johnson the same Charles Johnson who was a pirate there two hundred years ago? The lad goes with him on a literal journey into the past to find out and emerges able to navigate the course of his life.
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- Cast:
- Donald Sutherland , Gage Munroe , Carrie-Anne Moss , Megan Follows , Kim Coates , Colm Feore , Gordon Pinsent
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Reviews
Fantastic!
It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
This movie started off with a lot of promise. The animation is lovely at times. But the movie is really really dreadfully slow. It's just this old guy who kinda has these whimsical comments to this kid - and I guess they sorta go back in time or something and see some pirate stuff? Mostly the film is a close up of the Donald Sutherland character. Then there is this business tycoon is like a real life pirate but he's not a pirate he's just some guy? I dunno. I fell asleep.
As soon as I laid my eyes on the movie that was playing on TV, the way the characters looked like was very appealing. I was also quite impressed by how different the film was, compared to other films, in general. I'm quite pleased to have seen it from start to finish. During the film's events, the owner of an Inn, and her son, are BOTH facing a difficult situation in their respective lives: Kerstin Hawkins is facing the stresses of a foreclosure on the mortgage on her Inn, while her son, Jim, has difficulty with a bully of his own, Todd Moehner.However, the arrival of Captain Charles Johnson, a pirate who wants to help Kerstin and Jim basically changes everyone's lives.The film's soundtrack is quite pleasant to hear, though, it can trigger someone to cry, if they go too deep into it.My hope is that they're working on a sequel to this film, as I've established earlier, this film easily stands out from films produced from this day and age, where Special Effects tell the story more than the characters. I'm very happy that while they did use Special Effects, that they did so only when necessary. If I were to give my two cents for aspiring filmmakers, it would be to follow this film's example. When I watch a film, I watch it for the story that is intended, NOT for just remembering brief moments, where the characters portrayed are basically pushed aside by Special Effects - something this film beautifully avoids. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just start watching it on Netflix for even a few minutes, if you have a subscription.In my opinion, while I agree that the characters might slip a few profanities, that, too, is quite rare. You can tell it's not very frequent. The actors make their respective characters sound quite real and authentic. For example, one character falls in some really cold water, and his reaction in the film sounds basically like how someone would sound if they actually fell in cold water. I mean, if you were to fall into icy cold water, you'd probably let a few profanities slip, rather than watching what you say. Additionally, during the scene where the woman calls the man a "s-o-b", that's basically the only time a profanity has been used to address someone directly, and a well-deserved profanity. Again, it's one of those times when a profanity would be warranted - as we don't hold back when dealing with people who oppose us. I'm not saying cursing is the best habit to pick up. However, due to the minimal amount of it, I can imagine myself showing any kid I would bring into the world, and saying "Ok. See how they said a bad word, just now? The reason why is this and this, which is what makes it OK.". If the profanities were at the same magnitude as Sausage Party, for instance, then, I'd have doubts about the film's quality. However, it's not that frequent.One last point that I'd like to make is that this film takes place in Canada, and I'm quite fond of my country. I found it quite nice to learn some facts about my nation. To my knowledge, there aren't all that many films that take place in Canada, and who also provide some factual information about this great nation.All in all, this is a memorable film that I will recommend that I watch with my sister, when she comes to visit.
I was intrigued by the synopsis of this movie and the animation reminded me of all the Don Bluth movies I watched as kid like Secret of Nimh and the American Tail films. It was mysterious and interesting enough to hold my 6, 9, and 10 year-olds, but I should have known things were going to get gritty after the first "damn" reference in the first 5 minutes. I hung in there with my kids until one of my kids finally complained about the language and I knew I had made the wrong choice. I wished there had been more kid- friendly reviews when I was researching this and I actually created an IMDb account just so I could edit the Parental Guide and help some other parents make a more informed decision than I did. It's sad when you have great voice talents and an interesting story ruined by language that should not be in an animated movie. Mind you Netflix had this rated for ages 7-10. I will be more cautious about their guidance in the future. If not, for the unnecessary language, I would have made it through more than half of it.
I liked this movie a lot, but there were some things that I thought deserved to be explained more (e.g., why did Meg have such a chip on her shoulder and why was bringing an American auto to Nova Scotia through Newfoundland considered smuggling?), so I bought and read the novel "Pirate's Passage" by William Gilkerson, upon which the movie was based.After reading the novel I would say that the movie was inspired by, rather than based on the book, as the main characters are the same, but the plots are much different. The book gives sufficient back story for Meg for the reader to understand the chip on her shoulder. The auto does not even occur in the book. I thought that the plot of the book was far better than that of the movie, so if you liked the movie you should read the book.