Review: 'Black Sails' makes for brutal pirate fun
Posted Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 3:57 PM Central
Last updated Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 3:58 PM Central
by John Couture
Every year, we go on a family vacation to the beach. One of the highlights of this trip is a visit to Pirate Island's Adventure Golf, where our kids can partake in putt-putt excitement while enjoying a very watered-down pirate experience. Interestingly, I too remember various pirate-themed sundries from my childhood which begs the question, when did pirates become family friendly?
One place where you won't find family-friendly pirates is the Starz series Black Sails. No, this TV series executive produced by Michael Bay is definitely more mature in nature and reminds us that pirates weren't exactly the friendly rascals that modern blockbusters make them out to be.
No, pirates were more akin to mercenaries than civil servants and would often murder their way from island to island in search of more treasure. While Black Sails is a fictionalized prequel of sorts to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel Treasure Island, real historical pirates enjoy a cameo or two. In fact, I would argue that Black Sails presents perhaps the most accurate portrayal of pirates that we have seen in modern times.
The year is 1715 and Captain Flint schemes to win the ultimate treasure while keeping his enemies at bay. Along the way, notorious pirate captains, the Royal Navy and his own crew will battle Flint for control of New Providence Island.
As I do not have Starz, I had not seen a single episode of Black Sails before I cracked open the Black Sails: The Complete Collection for review. I was familiar with the show tangentially and it's hard not to be aware of anything that Michael Bay touches.
As a pirate fan from my youth onward, I was certainly intrigued by the idea of Black Sails, but I was unsure of what the show would be. Would it be something akin to Game of Thrones where the violence and nudity would overpower everything else?
Don't get me wrong, I am well aware that there was plenty of savagery and nudity to go around in the pirating world, but I was hoping that it wasn't presented in the extreme. Thankfully, as the series progresses, the show focuses less and less on this aspect of the pirate life as they spend more time developing characters and plot.
The series is well served by this decision as the awe of seeing realistic pirate battles quickly wanes. Instead, the series really hits its stride during season two and maintains a strong level through the end. Of course, Black Sails is at its best when Long John Silver is on screen. Luke Arnold is impressive in the role and while I wasn't immediately aware of his other screen work, I will certainly seek his films out in the future.
Another revelation in the series is relative newcomer Hannah New. She plays Eleanor Guthrie and brings a strong female presence to the series that I was concerned would be lacking given the historical context of piracy. Thankfully, she more than holds her own against these ruthless pirates and Black Sails is all the better for it.
Black Sails: The Complete Collection contains the entire series, all 38 episodes and the bonus features that were previously available for the individual season releases. The special features total over an additional two hours of content and they really add to the experience. The combination of show specific content and more general pirate background information truly makes Black Sails: The Complete Collection the definitive pirate entertainment collection.
While it will be a few years before I am able to share Black Sails with my children, I am sure that if they will enjoy the series with as much excitement as I did. The complete collection is available for a really impressive price and is truly worth the purchase.
Black Sails: The Complete Collection is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
