Cable channel Starz's pirate series is inspired by characters from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, but is set 20 years earlier. John Silver (Luke Arnold) is actually a supporting player here, a young ruffian who steals a vital piece of information related to a fortune in gold being secretly transported by a Spanish galleon, which Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) is busy pursuing, with little success. Flint has to deal with the British Navy, an impatient crew, rival ships, and politics on the sea and in the haven of New Providence, where cagey Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New) runs the tavern and brothel while also fencing the brigands' booty. A few historical figures also show up, including Charles Vane (Zach McGowan) and Anne Bonny (Clara Paget). Black Sails has fun with the premise without tipping into comedy, making Flint a driven anti-hero who isn't above killing a friend or colleague to further his goal, but his chase for the treasure drags on, and other stories and characters tend to overshadow his quest. The series is shot in South Africa, which successfully stands in for the Caribbean, giving the show a sunny, exotic backdrop, while director Neil Marshall (who helmed some epic battle episodes in Game of Thrones) incorporates plenty of hard-edged action sequences and striking visuals (with the usual cable staples of sex, nudity, and explicit violence). Compiling all eight episodes from 2014, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)
Black Sails: The Complete First Season
Anchor Bay, 3 discs, 456 min., not rated, DVD: $49.98, Blu-ray: $59.99 Volume 30, Issue 2
Black Sails: The Complete First Season
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: