Luke Banderloft and the McFarven Pirates

I can't believe you didn't see this coming.

Before you get into this review, please remember that there has only been one episode so far, so a fair bit of my information about it does come from the book. If deemed necessary, I will revisit this series at a later date to reevaluate it.

Let me start off by saying that I was really looking forward to this webseries. It's got everything a good fantasy story should have (based on what I know from the books that it is based on): elves, centaurs, trolls, and most importantly, PIRATES! In fact, the main character, Luke Banderloft (who else?), is actually a silver skinned, winged elf who is also a pirate. That alone makes it seem interesting.

Sadly, mere interesting concepts do not a story make. Yes, they are the core to anything that has any hope to be successful, but they are just part of the big picture, quite literally for something as visual as a web series. You need to have a good story to go along with the concepts, as well as decent cinematography.

Unfortunately, in the first episode it is hard to tell what is really happening due to most of the episode being a poker game. In the few minutes that are not taken up by this long game, the story is semi action-packed, which is to be expected in a story about pirates, though this doesn't make up for the rest of the episode. The cinematography suffers as well due to some strange lighting as well as some strange camera angles.

The costumes fit with the pirate theme well, and are (as far as I can tell), period appropriate, though without knowing when the series happens, I can't say that with 100% certainty. The acting is decent as well.

The McFarven Pirates is OK

All said and done, The McFarven Pirates is OK. It definitely won't be winning any awards any time soon, but it is at least worth a look. If nothing else, it makes for a decent conversation starter. If you would like to take a look for yourself, the show is on YouTube for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure, depending on how critical you are).

Have an idea for a review?

Let us know in the comments, or contact us on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ or join the discussion in our new G+ Community!

And don't forget to subscribe!