Top 10 Pirate Movies

In honor of today, which has been dubbed International Talk Like a Pirate Day, MSN.com writer Dawson Nyffenegger has come up with a top 10 list of pirate movies

Pirates are a fascinating subject of history. They were, essentially, thieves who prowled the seas from the 1600s-1700s. This period was ripe with trading being done via the water, and thus, made them perfect targets for thieves. Pirates have also been the subject of many movies, some series, some comical. To this day, pirates still hold a strong fascination with a lot of people and are even part of local culture in many parts of the world

1. Hook (1991)

-Director: Steven Spielberg

-This movie is a nod to the classic story Peter Pan by Scottish author J.M. Barrie. It puts a slightly different twist on the story. It shows Peter Pan as an adult. It might seem silly, but the stories J.M. Barrie wrote were to capture the imagination of any child or even adult who read them. Like many movies directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie is warm and fuzzy in all the right spots and times

-Summary: Peter Pan is now grown up with a wife and kids. His old adversary, Captain James Hook, returns from Neverland and kidnaps his children, forcing Peter Pan to confront Captain Hook once again

2. The Pirate (1948)

-Director: Vicente Minnelli

-A musical film featuring Gene Kelly, this is a good movie for both fans of pirates and musicals. The music by Cole Porter has the perfect haunting vibe to it that gives watchers goosebumps

-Summary: Serafin (Gene Kelly) is a circus pirate who takes a young woman named Manuela (Judy Garland) away for adventure. Unfortunately, Manuela is supposed to marry Don Pedro (Walter Slezak) and he's determined to stop Manuela from falling in love with Serafin

3. Castle in the Sky (1986)

-Director: Hayao Miyazaki

-One thing to keep in mind is that if you want good animation, the Japanese are top notch with animation. Studio Ghibli, the company that Miyazaki runs, puts out interesting movies. In Castle in the Sky, the pirates have taken to the air, using air ships instead of water ships. Despite being mostly an anime-type movie, with a mostly Japanese cast, there are non-Japanese actors and actresses in this film, including Cloris Leachman, James Van Der Beek and Anna Paquin

-Summary: A girl named Sheeta possesses a crystal amulet, making her the target of a search by pirates. When she encounters Pazu, they both discover the crystal amulet she carries has the ability to locate a legendary castle floating in the sky called Laputa

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

-Director: Gore Verbinski

-This is one of the ultimate pirate movies. This movie series keeps as close to real life pirates as possible. Exploring not only history, but pirate culture and folklore as well

-Summary: Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) must enlist the help of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), a blacksmith, to save Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley), who has been abducted by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush)

5. Treasure Planet (2002)

-Director: John Musker, Ron Clements

-This is a technological twist on the classic tale of pirates. Here, they go from sea-faring pirates to space pirates with ships. Despite never getting the recognition or credit it deserves, the movie does have a fan base out there

-Summary: Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a teen who finds a map leading to great treasure hidden by a space pirate. Along with some friends, they embark on a quest to find it, in a large ship shaped like a caravel

6. Captain Phillips (2013)

-Director: Paul Greengrass

-This film was based on a true story. When you hear pirates, you might think of old guys from the 1600s-1800s. You might not immediately think of modern day pirates, who swarm the seas in modern boats and ships, looking for a quick score on the seas. These types of pirates will use fast speedboats and instead of the cutlass or swords of days past, these modern pirates use automatic weapons and are often aggressive. Piracy is very much alive, particularly in and around the Horn of Africa and in many other parts of the world

-Summary: Tom Hanks plays Captain Phillips, the captain of a large commercial cargo ship, that is hijacked by Somali pirates

7. Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

-Director: Brian Henson

-Anyone who loves The Muppets is in for a treat. This movie puts a hilarious spin on the classic tale of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. 

-Summary: The Muppets take on the classic story by Robert Louis Stevenson with Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver

8. Treasure Island (1950)

-Director: Byron Haskin

-Despite being 70s years old, this classic telling of Treasure Island still holds the test of time. Considering the lack of technology back in the 1950s, this one does have impressive special effects. It features all of the things one looks for in a pirate movie: Peg legs, eye patches, mutiny on the high seas, pirate treasure, swords, the freedom to do as one wishes.

-Summary: Jim Hawkins is looking for the treasure of pirate Long John Silver

9. The Goonies (1985)

-Director: Richard Donner

-This film centers around a small coastal town that was purchased by a large corporation. This corporation has decided to bulldoze the homes to put in a golf course. The kids who live in these homes will have to move away and they fear not seeing each other again. They set out on one final adventure before the bulldozers come knocking at their door

-Summary: A group of kids in a small coastal town set out on an adventure to find the treasure of famed pirate One-Eyed Willie

10. The Princess Bride (1987)

-Director: Rob Reiner

-A perfect mix of pirate movie and fairy tale, this movie is made to look like a bedtime story. The story centers on Westley, a former farmhand who sets out on a quest to rescue his true love, Princess Buttercup, from the hands of a dreadful prince, named Prince Humperdinck. 

-Summary: A boy, sick in bed, is read stories by his grandfather. He tells the boy a story of a farmboy who became a pirate who, despite running into obstacles, goes on a quest to be reunited with his true love, who is set to marry a dreadful prince