It is a performances centric movie

Excellent but underrated film

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Crossbones features brilliant twists of plot and amazing dialog (Teach's speech prior to battle, etc.) Superb performances by Malkovitch and Coyle. The premise of this show accurately touches upon real history. It reaches beyond the shallow pirate "formula fiction" to reference the revolutionary and anarchist spirit that pervaded places like Freeport, Bahamas in the 1700s. This fictional Blackbeard rules through astute political savvy and even a sort of freedom fighter revolutionary idealism. The Puritans were not the only ones who wished to throw off the yoke of British Imperial rule. The "pirates" were anti- Puritans who shared a similar but more anarchistic (and more fun?) revolutionary zeal. As written for this show, Blackbeard's character is complex and Malkovitch portrays all the conflicts and inconsistencies of the character masterfully. It is a pleasure to see a great actor do justice to a well-written character. It is a pleasure to view a truly WELL WRITTEN show. It is the rare TV show which one needs to actually THINK to follow the plot twists. Deducted 2 stars from an otherwise perfect show b/c some of the characters were not as well realized or acted as the 2 leads. With such exceptional characters in the lead roles … a couple lesser characters noticeably fell short. Also the wardrobe was not as well-done as I have come to expect from historical shows (frex Musketeers although not as well-written does a fantastic job with wardrobe).WHY did they cancel this show after only 1 season? That seems a CRIME. Thankfully the end was not as painful as Firefly … they manage to wrap-up 1 story arc so you are left feeling almost satisfied … but I would have liked to have seen MORE SEASONS!!!!

I was very sceptical about watching this show, especially after seeing the less than great score on IMDb, however I must say I really enjoyed it. It made a nice change to have a show without the now customary gratuitous sex scenes which seem now to be added for ratings and not for the plot. It is an interesting take on the Blackbeard story and I would have like to have seen a second series as I feel the characters had more to offer. i too watched Black Sails and enjoyed it, but I would say I enjoyed this slightly more.Definateley worth a watch

I watched "Crossbones" without any expectations, and only went to give the series a chance because Julian Sands was in it.And now having stuck with the series for 9 episodes, I must admit that I have been adequately entertained so far, but the entire series is not outstanding. The storyline is interesting, but I had initially expected a bit more action and sea battles. The show is based more about pirates being people as well, putting swashbuckling and generic pirate themes in the background.I will say that the production value to the series is great and that really helps the series along quite nicely. There is a lot of nice details in the costumes, the scenery (such as buildings and ships), and I thoroughly enjoyed that.The acting in the series was great, and they had some nice talents put together for the various roles. While I was a bit unsure about John Malkovich as Blackbeard, then I must say that I was surprised, because he really carried the role nicely and brought a very unique quality to the show."Crossbones" has been entertaining so far and is well worth a watch.

A favorite show and on a short list of DVR recordings for me. I find Crossbones to be very well written with a clever mix of characters. In general, a ripping good yarn. The casting and acting are exceptional. Unlike other reviewers I'm not concerned with absolute historical accuracy and realism in a show that clearly does not claim to provide such. This is historical fiction, not a reenactment. One must unpucker one's analytics a bit.Back to the characters: This mix of characters, their personalities, and their interplay is irresistible. The back-and-forth between the worthy adversaries of Blackbeard/Teach and the doctor is central. Clearly the two admire each other despite vastly different motives and intentions and that is compelling.The plot twists are so good for a TV show that my only concern is they will not be able to keep them up.Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the ladies are totally beautiful. Caire Foy is an impeccable, perfectly fetching, everything-I-want-from-an-English-actress ... unburied treasure!"Exposition"? Really? I'm not worried about exposition.