Blackbeard (2006)

Broken into two parts, the epic Blackbeard tells the tale of this famed pirate's travails through the South Seas, beginning in 1717. Blackbeard begins with Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard (Mark Umbers) vowing to capture Blackbeard (Angus McFayden), captain of the Queen Anne, in order to make the South Seas safer. Maynard goes undercover to get hired as Queen Anne's navigator, but not before falling in love with Charlotte (Jessica Chastain), the daughter of corrupt governor of West Indies' New Providence, Charles Eden (Richard Chamberlain). As Blackbeard's crew embark on a treasure hunt, Charles Eden is exposed as being a pirate in his own right, as he heads the campaign to purchase stolen booty from various villains. He also plots to kill Charlotte, whose 21st birthday will qualify her for an inheritance that Eden has selfishly hoarded. All the while, Maynard works towards busting Blackbeard, exposing himself to multiple life-threatening situations. Accurately rendered, this dramatized biography of a world-famous pirate feels darker than other pirate films, due to its inclusion of violent pirate clichés such as people walking planks, and rum-drunk pirates torturing each other. Blackbeard's melodramatic romance between Maynard and Charlotte detracts from the film's depiction of hard-edged pirate life, but there is enough piracy here to please. --Trinie Dalton Amazon.com

Blackbeard

The Blackbeard DVD was great!! I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to watch it again! July 18, 2008

The Blackbeard Legend

I admit that I bought this movie for one reason only. It wasn't because of the Pirates of the Caribbean popularity or an extraordinary interest in pirates. It was because Jessica Chastain and I look very similar. I visited with a friend from high school this Christmas, and we both had read our high school Alumnae newsletters where each former classmate claimed to be more successful, accomplished, fulfilled and fecund than the next (okay, this is a slightly skewed interpretation). Well, I joked with my friend after showing her web images of Jessica Chastain that I should claim in the next newsletter that I am an up-and-coming actress whose stage name is Jessica Chastain. Since (according to IMDb) Jessica Chastain is probably a good five inches shorter than me, I would state that I had had a height-reduction surgery. Okay, my friend and I were getting a little slap happy.

Now, to the movie review (not why I watched the movie in the first place). Overall, I thought that the acting was quite good. I hated seeing Richard Chamberlain cast against his Thornbird renown when he played one of the main villains, the guardian of the film's heroine, Charlotte. The young man who played Robert Maynard was a very handsome foil to Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard. Blackbeard's mateys had to walk on eggshells with their volatile, borderline sociopath of a captain. Actor Angus Macfadyen captured the explosive temperament of this historical enigma, while also showing Blackbeard's more jocular side (of course, the jokes were never at Blackbeard's expense).

The accents were kinda inconsistent, and my look-alike flipped in and out of a faux British accent. Despite weak or inconsistent accents, the acting was strong. My main complaint against this movie was the pacing. The movie plodded along at turtle's (AOL dial-up) pace (not what you'd expect from a high-sea, treasure-hunting adventure), and the script could have used a good editor. January 6, 2008

True to the stereotypes

With a few notable exceptions (Treasure Island), pirate movies seem to always follow the same formula. There is a "bad pirate", a good guy who somehow ends up on the same ship as the bad pirate, and a governor's daughter who is the beautiful love interest of the good guy and ultimately ends up captured by the bad pirate (who harbors a secret love that keeps him from raping and/or killing her). The pirates are seeking famous and long, lost fabulous treasure and everyone else is taken along for the ride.

The only real variable is how campy or "realistic" the movie's producers and director make the affair and how broadly or detailed the strokes applied when painting the characters' portraits. In the case of Blackbeard, most of the characters follow the stereotypes pretty well. Blackbeard is very bad as is evidenced by his advice to cut off a man's leg just in case it gets infected, his tendency to fire his gun drunkenly at random intervals, lopping off his former Captain's fingers, and his whipping and torturing of people. The good fellow, Lt. Maynard, is smart, shows grace under pressure, and scrupulous. He isn't swayed by treasure and speaks respectfully to his superiors. His only weakness appears to be his love for the governor's unusually liberated and brave daughter.

The actors are, by and large, quite good. The main problem is that their characters restrain them in straightjackets that don't allow much depth or flexibility. In a miniseries like this, there should be time to build up the characters and allow the viewer to form an emotional bond with them in order to help build the sense of drama. After all, if you don't care about the characters, you are indifferent to their fate. The viewer then has a feeling of distance from the proceedings. Action sequences, while adequately choreographed, feel like time fillers and as if they're inserted simply because someone feels they ought to be there in this type of movie.

There are only two gems in this and that is Richard Chamberlain's deliciously over-the-top, foppish, and totally unscrupulous governor and Angus Macfadyen's deft embodiment of a pirate of the age.

This isn't a bad miniseries, but it isn't a particularly good one either. I imagine it'd fit the bill if you just wanted to watch anything so long as there are pirates in it and if you didn't mind some gruesome scenes of battle triage as part of the package. December 6, 2007

Ugh, not sure about this one...

This made-for-TV movie does no real honor to the real Edward Teach (Blackbeard) or Lt. Robert Maynard but could be considered enjoyable fare for those with lower expectations.

Please bear in mind that I am a history major with a fascination with the Age of Sail and mane of my next comments are nitpicking only.

1. The pirates' costumes were not period and at one point were scrubbing the decks of Blackbeard's ship Queen Anne's Revenge with brooms instead of holystones.

2. The strong and independent female lead was a little out of place and seemed to find men's clothing that fit very well quickly after her dress was dirty and torn.

3. Oh, I should just stop.

Perhaps if some deleted scenes or a better TRUE history segment had been included with the special features, I might have enjoyed this movie more. But I am notorious for nitpicking historical films.

Give it a try, you never know! November 22, 2007

Great yarn if not always true

I think there are a lot of liberties taken in this film (i.e. the romance between Maynard, the captain who killed Blackbeard, and his doctor-girlfriend, but it is a fun yarn and gives the flavor, if not always the facts, of what Blackbeard was all about. Just a lot of fun, and I would think a good way of introducing young people to a real historical character. August 9, 2007

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