The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure Parent Guide

During the fall of the Goryeo dynasty, General Joo Bang (Kim Sang-kyung) stole all of the imperial treasure and hid it, so that the kingdom could be rebuilt after the war. About 10 years later, a group of treasonous bandits on the run from the new Joseon dynasty are adopted by a group of pirates, led by the formidable Captain Hae-rang (Han Hyo-joo). The pirates come across a map to Joo Bang’s fabled treasure and set out to find it, but they soon learn they aren’t the only ones searching for the lost gold.

I have a lot of problems with this movie. Firstly, the story has some structural issues, which aren’t helped by some odd editing choices. Scenes end abruptly, with events only implied, not shown. Characters just kind of appear with no development or explanation. And the score vacillates between classic orchestral and rock music. Also, I have approximately zero knowledge about this period of Korean history, but even I could tell that there is no historical accuracy to be found here in the costumes or sets. Captain Hae-rang wears pleather pants, for goodness’ sake.

That all said: I really enjoyed this film. Yes, it’s silly and stupid and half the time it makes no sense, but it is so much fun. If you want to just turn your brain off and watch some pirate shenanigans, this is one of the best options I can think of. The actions scenes are fantastically done, with excellent choreography for the sword fights and just enough humor to keep the tone from getting too dark. Some of the special effects are not great, but that adds to the overall ridiculousness that kept me entertained for the whole (possibly over-long) runtime. There’s even an archer pirate who’s an obvious rip-off of Legolas. Come on, tell me you don’t want to see Korean pirate Legolas.

The amount of swearing and violence makes this an unsuitable choice for children, though I suppose the subtitles would have been enough of a deterrent on their own. The English dubs are not that great, so I do recommend the subtitles if you’re up for them. For adults who don’t mind some swashbuckling and sea battles, this is a fun, silly way to spend a couple of hours. Don’t worry about trying to follow the plot or find some deeper themes, because there aren’t any. Just sit back, grab some popcorn, and watch some pirates do their pirate stuff. I can think of far worse ways to spend an evening.