Rating: 
Summary: Almost Perfect
Review: I (almost) never go to the theatre to see movies because I am offended by the ads I am expected to sit through after paying $$$ for the movie. But I happened to go to see Seabiscut last fall, and one of the many trailers was for "Master & Commander." Having gone the course of the entire Patrick O'Brien series three times (at last count) I knew immediately what it must be, especially when I saw Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), almost exactly as I had pictured him.Even so, I was prepared to be disappointed, even though Peter Weir was directing. I am happy to say they got it right. Almost perfect.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-See for Anyone With Good Taste
Review: This movie is one of the VERY few that I actually saw more than once in theaters. And I'm a girl, thankyouverymuch, so this is not strictly a "guy film." Loved the action, the drama, the music...I loved everything about this movie. I too have read the books, and although there are several departures, the overall story is still quite amazing and some lines and scenes are almost identical. If you haven't seen this movie, rent it as soon as it comes out, and if you like it BUY! I patiently await the release.
Rating:
Summary: An inspiring adventure!!
Review: This was such a great film! I think it's one of the top three films of 2003! It was so historically accurate and entertaining! I highly suggest it!
Rating: 
Summary: ENTERTAINING GUY MOVIE, BUT A TOUCH OVERDRAWN
Review: If the goal was to give the audience a snapshot of the hard life at sea then I guess it accomplished its intentions perfectly. The battle scenes are gruesome and loud (the way they should be, i.e.) and the visuals in general are gripping. The whole feel of the life on board with the old salty dogs came across pretty well. Sadly, it seems the scriptwriter for this wannabe war opus plot was on the sets -- at sea. There were times in the movie where absolutely nothing was happening, there were no unresolved issues and no reason to be watching. I got bored and I saw Russell just acting too hard with that one look that he is capable of -- the one with angst and disdain. Plus, the movie is really looong. Maybe a worthy rental for guys who like battle scenes or for sailors etc. Not much else to say about it.
Rating:
Summary: Second-rate to Samurai
Review: This movie is a good one, but it is a bit overrated. I saw this a week after seeing Warner Bros. "The Last Samurai", which I thought was ultimately better. Russell Crowe and Willem Defoe are good as capt. Jack Aubrey and his best friend and 1st mate, but Tom Cruise's performance as Nathan Algren in Samurai is more heartfelt and inspired and Ken Watanabe's as Katsumoto is one of the best I've seen. Director Peter Weir makes this movie enjoyable. But Edward Zwick makes Samurai a fascinating, emotional, and thrilling experience. How this movie got 10 oscar nominations and Samurai got 4 I don't get, I think it should be vice versa.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: I saw this movie in Korea back in November, and you know what, I wasn't really that impressed. Firstly, Russel Crowe's acting has never impressed me all that much. Maybe its just me, but I have a very hard time seeing what is so special about him. I felt like he pumped out the same tired performance that he has been doing for years. Secondly, the plot bothers me. Everytime they meet up with the other ship, there is no reason whatsoever for why they should run into it. Its never explained. It just sort of pops up and they battle, then it runs away. Third, the fact that they had two little kids in important posts on the ship is just absurd. Not believable at all. I know they tried to be accurate to the fact that they had little kids on boats back then, but it makes no sense to have them in such important posts. Lastly, the subplot with the doctor supposedly discovering evolution before Darwin is awful. Its an unnecessary subplot in the story, and even a little moronic. It was executed real cheesily. Why this movie was nominated for best picture is beyond me. Personally, I think its simply because Russel Crowe is in it. Hollywood seems to have the assumption that anything Russel Crowe does must be good.
Rating: 
Summary: A rousing action film with swashbuckling and realism too
Review: Master and Commander is a terrific swashbuckling naval adventure set during the Napoleonic War. While it contains the excitement of many older and wonderful naval films such as Captain Blood or The Black Pirate, you won't find anyone swinging from ropes in this film as it is much more realistic as far as individual feats. The excitement and action are tempered with an attempt to portray the horror and butchery of 19th century naval warfare in a fairly realistic manner. When solid shot hits the ship, splinters rain death and destruction on everyone nearby. No one looks clean or pretty after any of the battle scenes. What sets this action film apart from most action pictures in recent years is it has a script! Action scenes are brief and exciting, but the real story comes from the character development and respectably written dialog. The friendship between the ship's surgeon and the captain as well as that between the surgeon and a very young officer are well developed and draw you into the story so that you do care what happens to these characters. You'll want to sing Rule Britannia when the crew goes into combat in the final battle scene of the film! The film balances the excitement and romance of The Age of Sail nicely with its more unpleasant features, like bug-ridden biscuits, water shortages and the terrors of combat and being lost at sea, all while creating memorable characters. Tension and suspense are created in numerous ways, not just through mindless action sequences as in some films. The nature footage taken at the Galapagos Islands is splendid too; the film has wonderful cinematography. An exciting film worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: ARGH! Watch this film, yer scurvy dog!
Review: This is a good film. Be warned, though, that even though Russell Crowe is in it, it's strictly a guy flick. You've been warned, girls. This is one for the boy's treehouse. I won't go over the plot, which has been gone over many in the many reviews below. Instead I'll say I don't think Crowe is really the main character--the movie is stolen by the surgeon/naturalist, and the young boy who has something happen to him that I wouldn't volunatarily undergo for all the money in the world, and I'm not kidding about that one. What we have is a surgeon who has completely disassociated his feelings from his horrible job. Then, suddenly, you find out he really does have a passion, one that gives his life meaning. You see a side of him you'd think never existed. He suddenly become human, instead of the emotionless robot he is while operating. As for the boy, well, he's as brave as they come. Excellent film, historically accurate in all its awfulness and glory, and one not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: this was the best movie ever!
Review: This is the best movie ever! I'm 13, and I've already seen it 4 times at the theater since december! It was awsome! It has a lot of action in it. If your a person who loves action, this is the movie. There's a lot of suspense. Peter Weir(director) did a great job. He put a lot of hard work into the mivie too. He also got a lot of great actors too; like, Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, James D'Arcy, Lee Ingleby.... I highly recomend going to the movie. Some people are dorks and say this movie is a big bore; It's NOT! Go to it, you'll LOVE it!
Rating: 
Summary: THIS MOVIE IS SO BORING
Review: all i have to say is anything you really want to see in this movie can be seen in the previews. thats how sad it was. my date and i both fell asleep. the first part is ok. from there its just downhill. not even rent worthy!
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