Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

In the capable hands of director Peter Weir, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a seafaring adventure like no other, impeccably authentic, dynamically cast, and thrilling enough to give any classic swashbuckler a run for its money. In adapting two of Patrick O'Brian's enormously popular novels about British naval hero Capt. Jack Aubrey, Weir and cowriter John Collee have changed the timeframe from the British/American war of 1812 to the British/French opposition of 1805, where the HMS Surprise, under Aubrey's confident command, is patrolling the South Atlantic in pursuit of the Acheron, a French warship with the strategic advantage of greater size, speed, and artillery. Russell Crowe is outstanding as Aubrey, firm and fiercely loyal, focused on his prey even if it means locking horns with his friend and ship's surgeon, played by Crowe's A Beautiful Mind costar Paul Bettany. Employing a seamless combination of carefully matched ocean footage, detailed models, full-scale ships, and CGI enhancements, Weir pays exacting attention to every nautical detail, while maintaining a very human story of honor, warfare, and survival under wretched conditions. Raging storms and hull-shattering battles provide pulse-pounding action, and a visit to the Galapagos Islands lends a note of otherworldly wonder, adding yet another layer of historical perspective to this splendidly epic adventure. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com essential video

Pirates Don't Rule These Waters

Academy Award winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator) commands the seven seas in the exceptional war drama "Master and Commander: The Far Side of The World". Set in the early 19th Century during the Napoleonic Wars. Captain Jack Aubrey (Crowe) and the crew of the British warship HMS Surprise embark on a mission to intercept and destroy the French privateer Acheron. After narrowly escaping their first encounter with heavy damages and casualties, Captain Aubrey continues the pursuit of his powerful adversary into the Pacific Ocean. Directed by Peter Weir (Witness & The Truman Show), "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" is an outstanding well-crafted epic movie that successfully combines great storytelling and strong human drama. The visual effects are terrific. The climatic sea battle sequence is thrilling and very entertaining. Russell Crowe and Paul Bethany deliver great performances. "Master and Commander" was nominated for ten Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.

The Blu-Ray release of "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" misses its mark. The 2003 war drama is presented in its theatrical 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture quality is certainly a noticeable improvement over the DVD but unfortunately it isn't a solid choice to show off your High-Def Television. With its fine clarity and thunderous bass, the DTS-HD audio is the real winner in this release. Its only extras are six deleted scenes, a pop-up trivia track and the film's theatrical trailer. If you're looking for special features, the 2-disc Collector Edition DVD is a better choice. Overall, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" gets a "B". September 30, 2008

I enjoyed it.

It was a little tedious at times, but the character development was very good as was the editing, special effects, sound, acting. A movie for a MAN! Not a chick to be seen. Didn't miss 'em a bit. I enjoyed it. September 28, 2008

"The lesser of two weevils."

MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD stars Russell Crowe as Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey, master and commander of the 'HMS Surprise,' on war patrol during the first worldwide war of the Napoleonic era (1805). Crowe is perfectly cast as Aubrey, an intelligent, erudite captain who can both inspire and lead his men with fairness and firmness, only occasionally resorting to the knout.

MASTER AND COMMANDER is gorgeously done, the ships are authentically recreated, and the atmosphere of the film never thins. For anyone familiar with the history of seafaring conditions in those days, the film is somewhat sparse in showing us the true underside of life before the mast on board a late eighteenth century/early 19th century British man-o'-war: A stinking, dirty, dark, dank, impossibly cramped and crowded space most often painted red to hide the bloodstains from work wounds, war wounds, and fights. Compared to the reality, the 'Surprise' might as well be the 'Mauretania,' but beyond this lapse, the film is an honest portrayal. Sailors, be they professional, military, or recreational, will love it.

Some reviewers have derided this film as being "boring." It is not. However, a drawback of making accurate films about the Age of Sail is that a jack tar's life in those years was defined by backbreaking, repetitive daily labor altogether adding up to long stretches of ennui, punctuated by short, incredibly violent and bloody exchanges with the enemy. To be an honest portrayal, a film cannot find its way around this central fact.

Captain Aubrey and his crew and ship, including his friend, Dr. Stephen Maturin, a surgeon and naturalist, are attacked by the French battle ship 'Acheron.' After being trounced, Captain Aubrey becomes as obsessed as Melville's Ahab with hunting down the adversary, and takes his vessel around Cape Horn, into the Southern Ocean, the Pacific, and to the Galapagos Islands to meet battle.

While at the Galapagos, Maturin discovers dozens of new species of life and formulates a theory regarding the origin of these species, but the demands of the service call the 'Surprise' away before he can collect specimens or coalesce his ideas, leaving it to Darwin to do so not many years later.

As the film closes, the 'Surprise' continues on her war patrol, leaving the door open for a sequel.

RECOMMENDED September 24, 2008

Dull

After watching this movie, one can't help wondering how could a movie be both very very loud but so dull that you can fall asleep in the nonstop noise?

Story: D-
Acting: F
September 12, 2008

Movie: 4/5 Picture Quality: 3.75/5 Sound Quality: 5/5 Extras: 2/5

Version: U.S.A / Region-A
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50
Running time: 2:18:20
Movie size: 37,07 GB
Disc size: 44,16 GB
Average video bit rate: 27.86 Mbps

DTS-HD Master Audio English 4349 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 1536kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio French 448 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 448 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz

Subtitles: English SDH / Chinese / Spanish / Korean

#Deleted Scenes (SD, 24 min.)
#Theatrical Trailer (HD, 3 min.)
#Historical and Geographical Trivia Track
#Pop-Up Map
#Search Content
#Personal Scene Selections
#D-Box Motion Code
September 6, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...