A contemporary review by the Los Angeles Times seems to have remarked that the production was "pure costume." I wonder if that sentiment wasn't a bit generous. The first act is almost entirely a sea-faring variation on 'My fair lady,' and that slant continues to be a dominant thrust for the remainder of the runtime, to the point that the narrative we're initially led to believe is the primary thrust of the picture (set-up as such from the start) actually becomes the B-plot. Meg's tale could be a worthy one to explore in and of itself, but when a feature is called 'Pirates of Tortuga' and bills itself as a swashbuckler, one rather expects more swashbuckling. In fairness, we do get fights and action, cheeky humor, and ale-swilling "yo ho!"-ing, and it's not like this isn't entertaining. Yet it's only mildly entertaining, and is this the movie one anticipates from the outside looking in? Not so much.
More to the point, I don't think the screenwriters truly had a clear focus. There were two concurrent stories they wanted to tell, converging in time - but they are both poorly imbalanced, and hasty at the tail end, and the portion chronicling the strife with the titular renegades was not developed well. It also is mostly relegated to the last act, and very weakly resolved for that matter, and Meg's journey takes precedence. For what it's worth, Letícia Román surely gives the best performance of the film; her co-stars are mostly just kind of lingering there, adrift in the same way the storytelling is. Robert D. Webb's direction is fine, I suppose, and it's suitably well made from a technical standpoint. Still, the title is so light on substance, and so indifferent to it, that if not for the contributions of those behind the scenes, this would be pure flotsam on the ocean of cinema.
The costume design really is splendid, and both the production design and art direction are eye-catching. The hair and makeup work is quite well done, and any effects that are employed look pretty swell. Action sequences are a bit of a loose grab bag, but they serve their purpose. All this is well and good. A film cannot be sold on visuals alone, however, and there's no real anchor for 'Pirates of Tortuga.' Without compelling acting, and especially without solid plot, the feature is doomed to just meekly coast along wherever the winds take it. There were good ideas in the writing, but the fact remains that it's so thin and flimsy that the end result doesn't have much of a leg to stand on. It's still passably amusing for a lazy day if you happen to come across it, but even if you're a huge fan of swashbucklers or someone involved, this is a cruise that is not essential by any means.
