As far as peplums go or even adventure films in general, Queen of the Pirates is a fairly standard affair though this one happens to take place on the high seas, some of it anyway. Gianna Maria Canale stars as Sandra, daughter of the pirate chief and together, they spend their time rebelling against what they feel are wrongs by the local authorities. Duke Zulian and his men soon capture the pair and along with Zulian’s daughter Isabella, they mean to see the two hanged. All is not lost though as they are soon set free, then hunted down once again with Isabella intent on getting rid of Sandra once and for all.

When it comes down to it, the movie is quite entertaining and will pass the time, but there is nothing really extraordinary about it in any way whatsoever. The plot is clichéd and features nothing you have not seen many times before with your good guys and bad guys and one filled with jealousy, revenge and secrets revealed. There is quite a bit of action and Canale is usually in the thick of it, showing off her skill with a sword and clichéd or not, you have to love a movie that has a lot of sword fights. Though the story might be lacking, the film is vibrant, filled with colour and some stunning cinematography. There are of course a few flaws, the English dubbing being a little silly at times among other things, but otherwise, the film is pure escapism which is the best kind of movie one can watch as that is what they were intended for.

Though Queen of the Pirates is not the best peplum you will ever see, it does feature everything you love about them including beautiful women with the lovely Scilla Gabel as Isabella and the aforementioned Canale, handsome men like Massimo Serato as Cesare, and a big finale that sees our heroine win and the bad guys defeated. The budget might not have been all there, but it looked extremely good and the movie is worth watching for all the previously mentioned reasons and the simple fact that you will have a good time with it which is more than some films can claim to have.

2.5 out of 5