Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World (Widescreen Edition)

Along for the ride we experience sailing, sea tactics, and life on board a ship of this era. The apprenticeship approach to schooling officers during the Napoleonic era placed children on board fighting vessels. We even see a brief glimpse of a lesson in navigation Captain Aubrey is giving the young midshipmen. Life in harm's way as the sea becomes a battlefield spares neither young nor old. The crowding, stale food, and mental toll that are a fact of life on vessels that are at sea for long periods of time are graphically portrayed. The mood is lightened by the exhilaration of the hunt and moments of courage, kindness, and Aubrey's penchant for terrible puns, which fans of O'Brian's books will recognize.

Dr. Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), the side kick of this famous duo, provides a counterpoint to Aubrey's sense of duty. Through him we see medicine of the period grope its way toward the future. As an amateur naturalist, Dr. Maturin visits the Galapagos Islands much as Darwin would have during his famous trip on HMS Beagle 30 years after the 1805 date of the movie. In fact, Dr. Maturin's desire to visit the Islands becomes a source of conflict between himself and the single minded Aubrey. The resolution to the conflict is a measure of the friendship between Dr. Maturin and "Lucky Jack" Aubrey.


An exciting tale of naval warfare   February 28, 2004
Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA)
296 out of 324 found this review helpful

"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," directed by Peter Weir, tells the rousing story of HMS Surprise, an English warship sailing around South America during the Napoleonic era. The ship's captain (played by Russell Crowe) engages in a battle of wits, wills, and firepower with a rival captain during the perilous sea trek.

This is a vivid, exciting tale of naval warfare, but it's also a satisfying and moving portrayal of a unique community: the company of a warship. The film is full of stirring action scenes, but it is equally rich in the details of the men's everyday life: their food, shipboard entertainment, naval tradition, etc. It's a sweaty, muscular portrait that really puts you in the midst of this fascinating world.

Weir gets superb performances from the large ensemble cast. Crowe won my heart as the captain: he portrays a man who is tough and witty, but also humane and reasonable. Paul Bettany plays the ship's surgeon, both a loyal friend and verbal sparring partner for the captain; it's a marvelously realized relationship. The rest of the cast rises to the high mark set by these excellent performers; Max Pirkis in particular shines as a courageous young midshipman.

There are some intense scenes of violence and combat surgery. But this material is not gratuitous, and is handled with care by Weir, who never loses sight of his characters' humanity. And the film is also about much more than war; it's also about exploring a distant land and seeing wondrous sights. There are nice moments of humor to balance out the film's serious themes of military discipline, ethics and tactics. Overall, M&C is a rousing adventure story, told with heart. As a Navy veteran myself, I'd like to thank and commend all involved with this film.


A great character piece   March 20, 2004
22 out of 22 found this review helpful

The main complaint people seem to have about Master and Commander is that, in effect, there aren't enough explosions. Indeed, if you're looking for a hands-down action movie with flying wood and bullets every which way and a battle every five minutes, you'll probably be disappointed with M&C. But it's that very lack of brainless violence and "cool action" that makes this movie stand out.

It's rare to see an action movie with such fully developed characters, and Peter Weir could well have limited the characters in favor of more action, which would no doubt have boosted the box office. But the characters are what do it for this movie: the attention spent on the nuances in the friendship between Aubrey and Maturin, the way even children must develop to the "grown-up" conditions of naval life, the way the seamen react to their captain's executive decisions, sometimes leading to the deaths of their companions. If this film was more concerned with an intricate and action-filled plot, not only would it be untrue to the books on which it's based, but it would sacrifice what Weir and Patrick O'Brien himself believed to be most important.

In short, if you go into this movie expecting "Braveheart" or "Horation Hornblower," you probably won't like it. But if your expectations for character development are high, you'll be pleasantly surprised.


Masterful and engaging   February 29, 2004
Shelley Shay (Denton, TX **(God Bless the USA!!)**)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful

A friend of mine and I have a tradition of seeing every film that has an Oscar® nomination before the Academy Awards® are aired, so we've been blitzkrieging the cinemas in our area, trying to see them all. I am so glad that "Master and Commander" was nominated, because I'm not sure if I would have otherwise bothered to see it. What a fantastic film!

As someone who has had 3-near drowning experiences and who makes it a priority to not only avoid the water, but films involving water where people might drown, I am not much into seafaring films. Nothing about living on a stinky boat for months on end without modern medical care appeals to my interest... but this film had me on the edge of my seat. I was so quickly drawn into this film; it was more than just a story, but truly an experience. I felt as though I was a member of the crew of the HMS Surprise in 1805.

The HMS Surprise, under the command of Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), is on a mission to intercept the French warship, the "Archeron." The resourceful crew ranges from elderly sea salts probably in their late 60s, to the youngest crewmember who looks to be all of 12 or 13 years old.

Their first encounter with the Archeron in heavy fog is quick and deadly. Many crewmen on the Surprise are killed or injured, and the youngest of the crew, Midshipman Blakeney (Max Pirkis), receives a broken arm in the battle, which results in amputation without the luxury of modern medicine or anesthetic. Pirkis's performance is breathtaking. Expect to see this young man many more times in the future. The ship's surgeon, Dr. Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany - Crowe's co-star from "A Beautiful Mind"), is a loyal, but opinionated friend of Captain Aubrey. He serves as Aubrey's friend, motivator and muse, but he does put their friendship to the test on more than one occasion.

While there is blood and violence, the most memorable feeling is one of being overwhelmed and engaged by the experience. The "F-word" was used once, but other than that, there is no real foul language, nudity or suggestive scenes and I believe the PG-13 rating is appropriate.

During their first encounter, the Surprise must limp away in dense fog to escape with their lives, and although they hit the Archeron with cannon balls and musket fire, they hardly raise a splinter on the larger, faster, thicker hulled ship. Dr. Maturin claims it is pride, but Aubrey insists that it is duty and loyalty to England that is driving him to engage the Archeron again... a ship that appears to outgun them and outclass them in every way.

Aubrey proves that he is a brilliant battle commander and manages to outwit the Archeron captain, who appears to be his equal in brinksmanship and cunning.

Their Pacific journey forces them to the coast of South America to trade tools for livestock and foodstuffs... and many of the crew pick up a parrot or a squirrel monkey along the way. The ship is driven south in heavy snow and ice, then north again to a windless, rainless, utterly hot and humid region of the see that drives the men crazy. They turn on a less-than-capable crewmate who does not take the pressure well, as they believe he is the personification of the Biblical Jonah and must be toss overboard to save them from God's wrath. They go the Galapagos Islands to repair damage to their ship from another encounter with the Archeron. There are so many exquisite, incredible things along their journey, it is truly breath taking. Little things that would have been omitted in a lesser film, such as the attention to detail in repairing the ship, including chiseling and patching up the maiden gracing their stern, make this a film worth savoring.

It has been a long time since I have felt so "in" a film - I could almost smell the salt air and feel the sea spray on my face. The friend I saw the film with reported feeling the same about this cinematic experience. While seafaring voyages do little to evoke my interest, I was totally engaged in every aspect and moment of this film - less like a voyeur, but rather a crewmember in the shadows, observing and participating. This is how a film should be made.

Director Peter Weir is no stranger to filmmaking. He has directed such hits as "The Truman Show," "Dead Poets Society," and "Witness," but this is clearly his masterpiece. If you've been putting off this film for any reason, do not delay. Seeing it on the big screen is preferable - being surrounded by the empty calm sea, or deluged in waves, helps to enhance the experience that much more.


There is not a moment to lose!   November 15, 2003
Karen L. Black (Blodgett, OR)
38 out of 42 found this review helpful

As a Patrick O'Brian fan for nearly ten years, I had some doubts about a movie whose title combined the titles of two of the Aubrey-Maturin series.

My doubts have been laid to rest. This movie is not simply an adaptation of one book; it is a beautifully filmed overview of the first half of the series, written to have a straightforward plot accessable to someone not already conversant with O'Brian. I think anyone with an interest in age-of-sail fiction will appreciate seeing ship handling on the big screen.

It is not perfect -- I noticed that, for example, there seemed to be no lookouts at the masthead, and Captain Aubrey's chest was bared more often than would be seemly. But it is the best movie of Napoleonic-era naval fiction that I have seen.