Rating: 
Summary: Watch out, landlubbers!
Review: 20th Century Fox really went to town on this full-rigged edition of Peter Weir's ultimate old man movie "Master and Commander: The Far side of the World." From stern to stern, they've packed these two discs with worthwhile features in addition to a superb transfer of the movie itself. Two documentaries, each in anamorphic widescreen video, are particularly good: one is a basic but very seaworthy behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film and the other is Skipper Peter Weir's perspective on how he approached the adaptation of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels. Worth a few more crowns than the stripped-down version, eh, mate?Why is this the ultimate old man movie? If ya have to ask, "Master and Commander" may be better off settin' sail without ya! With pitched ship-to-ship battles, death-defying swordplay, vicious squalls, and nary a female character in sight (save for the briefest of moments; better not blink), this is the perfect entertainment for the saltiest of sea dogs. You wannabes who play with your little toy boats in the bathtub, beware! The rest of you able-bodied swabbies to the deck! The HMS Surprise is getting ready to raise anchor!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: I kept waiting for this movie to get going and it never did. Just no tension at all. I guess I'm spoiled by the Horatio Hornblower series, which is much more exciting and a better tutorial of ship life in those days (Master and Commander got a lot wrong, but like Russell said, "If you watch movies to learn history, you are wrong, Mate!"). There are 8 Hornblower espisodes (A&E) I know of and I have 6 of those in a boxed set. I presume you can order the other two on DVD, which are the most recent. All are feature-length, so in all, you get almost 16 hours at sea. Russell Crowe, whom I love, really did seem fat and slow, which is what all the previews showed but I blindly ignored. At least *rent* it first. Don't buy it without seeing it like I did.
Rating: 
Summary: An enjoyable movie
Review: Master & Commander is a fun movie to watch and marvel at all the detail and special effects, but in the end it doesn't offer enough to make it a memorable movie. While set in the French Revolution and involving an English and French ship chasing each other, the movie is not about action. The focus of the movie is life aboard a ship and the interaction of all the people on the boat. This is the strength of the movie. The crew (all men) live in miserable conditions with primitive means for eating and medical care. You'll be amazed at the misery these people endured and thought as normal. Since the movie is about life on the about, there better be some strong characters to carry the story. Russell Crowe does a good job as captian Jack Aubrey, although at times he seems to be just doing the normal things a captain would do (citing scriptures a crewman's funeral). Aubrey seems to only be close to the officers and is good friends with the doctor. To me the doctor on the ship is the best character, suffering an injury, and showing compassion for the crew and common sense when needed. The climactic action scene is exciting yet at the same time its hard to tell who is who and the scene ends in what seems like too short of time for what was actually accomplished. In the end, I enjoyed this movie in spite of the fact I found it hard to enjoy or empathize with any of the characters. And thus the story of the life aboard a British navy vessel was enjoyable for the detail, but not for the characters involved.
Rating:
Summary: MORE THAN I HAD EXPECTED
Review: When I saw the previews I thought that this appeared to be a beautifully filmed movie worth seeing. I was not prepared for the magnificent sweep of the action and the intimate details of the personal relationships. For such a long movie, it flies by and catches you up in the lives of the sailors and the tension of the chase. This is my first Russell Crowe movie and I must say he is indeed a magnificent actor. I liked it so much that now I have to own a copy.
Rating:
Summary: The Battle Is On
Review: Master and Commander is not just for Patrick O'Brian fans. Anyone who enjoys action and drama will enjoy this film. It ranges from great battle scenes with the tang of salt spray to human drama. The primary plot involves a cat and mouse game, set in 1805 during the Napoleonic wars, between Captain Aubrey's (Russell Crowe's) ship Surprise and his enemy a French ship Acheron. The Acheron is by far the superior ship in speed, size, and firepower. Captain Aubrey has orders to take the Acheron, while the French seem all too aware of his orders. The chase passes around the tip of South America leaving the Atlantic and entering the Pacific Ocean where Acheron will raise money for Emperor Napoleon by raiding English whalers. The sailing is marvelously recreated. 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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title
Rating: 
Summary: Master Of Crapness
Review: This film is what I expected, a generic Hollywood style film. So, I wasnt suprised, but I was suprised by how many people love this film. It is disgustipating! Crowe looks like a girlie with his gay pony tail, what a looser.
Rating:
Summary: "A home in the far side of the world"
Review: Imagine a movie that lasts more than two hours and during that time only shows the confrontation of two ships near the coast of South America. Sounds like a very boring premise, right? Wrong! Director Peter Weir has done an outstanding job in creating an exciting atmosphere and hooking the viewer throughout the duration of the film. It is April 1805 and Napoleon has only one last barrier to cross in order to rule over Europe: the British Fleet. Lucky Jack (Russell Crowe) is the captain of the Surprise, an English ship sailing in the north coast of Brazil, when the Acheron, a French ship that outclasses them in speed and weaponry, attacks them. The Surprise, which was surprised by the Acheron, was saved by miracle of the fog, were they lost themselves preventing their doom. Now Lucky Jack has to decide whether to return home for repairs and reinforcements, or go after the aggressor and try to defeat this dangerous enemy. Obviously, Jack chooses the latter path, even against the advice of some of his nearest officers in rank. One of the aspects that make this movie extremely interesting is that it reveals the way of living aboard a battle ship in the beginning of the nineteenth century. For example, the audience gets to see the relationship forged between these men and the rules of honor that determine their conduct. Among these rules, we can observe that the value of friendship is paramount. This production of epic magnitude delivers what it promises: action, glorious settings, impeccable performances and a nail biting chase between to ships that become archrivals. In some aspects, the relationship between Lucky Jack and the Acheron reminds me of the one between Captain Ahab and Moby Dick. Finally, if you ever watched the America's Cup and rejoiced in the strategy that it entails, you will find yourself pleased with the amount of strategy involved in this battle too.
Rating: 
Summary: GLADIATOR ON THE WAVES
Review: Master And Commander shares with Crowe's earlier movie Gladiator something rare in contemporary filmmaking. Both films actually tell us a story about people and worlds unfamiliar to us. Too often in "historical" films although the dress and settings are in the past the characters display attitudes, beliefs and conflicts that reflect more modern concerns. What we often get are contemporary "morality plays" acted out in costume dramas in either a past age or in outer space. These have their value but often fail as storytelling. Master And Commander is a tale of a world (Napoleonic seafaring warfare) in which the characters hold to values and loyalties we do not immediately grasp. Crowe as Aubrey drives this story according to the imperatives of command. To succeed in a mission against a superior opponent with whom he is horribly mismatched, Crowe must summon courage, determination, and shrewdness to avoid defeat several times to finally triumph. The ship's surgeon (Paul Bettany) serves as Aubrey's best friend and sometime conscience questioning Aubrey several times whether he is pursuing his quest against the French warship out of a sense of loyalty and duty or because his pride. Is Aubrey preserving his self-respect at the expense of the crew's welfare? The truth is (as in all of us) Aubrey's motives are mixed. While he does act out of a need to do his duty as England herself is threatened with invasion, Aubrey also does not want to be bested by a French captain. Still, while his motives may be tainted, Aubrey is not dissuaded from the fight. Yet any suspicions that the ship's surgeon himself was counseling out of weakness and lack of courage are dispelled in the events to follow. This is no simple tale of triumph. The harshness of sea life and the absolute ruthless measures used to maintain order under primitive conditions are not slighted. The good men are inhumanely sacrificed to save the ship. Those who fail to do their duty are mercilessly whipped to uphold authority. Battle at sea is show not so much as gallant rivalry as the savage butchery it was. Finally, the heavy loss of life of seaman and officer alike in combat shows that success and doing one's duty are quite costly. It is a certain kind of courage to do something difficult. It takes a different kind of courage to meet a challenge when there is a real possibility and likelihood one will lose. Would we have thought it worth the sacrifice and pain to capture just one ship from all the oceans of the world? Could we have driven others under our responsibility to suffer so much for any goal? Maybe not. But Master And Commander shows us men who did and a world we have largely forgotten. This is an excellent movie that you will watch several times and catch something new each time. Can we have another film to follow this one? I hope so.
Rating:
Summary: Russel Crowe is Commander of a ship.
Review: If you like Pirates of the Caribbean or the Columbia Ship at Disneyland, you will probably like this film.
Russel Crowe is the captain of a ship. Some young lads that are part of the crew are on watch. One of the lads believes he saw something in the fog. Another ship. Nobody else saw what he glimpsed. The Captain believes what the lad saw and continues the watch. Boom! They are attacked. When the battle is over. The enemy ship is gone. He's a very nice Captain and knows his business. He is creative as well. He makes a map out of food which is dinner. It is way of showing the crew where the next destination is. The Galapagos Islands. There he believes the enemy ship is hiding.
I can not imagine anyone else in this role. Russel Crowe is perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Deserving Oscar Contender
Review: "Master And Commander" is one of the top 10 films released in 2003, starring Oscar winner Russell Crowe ("Gladiator") and Paul Bettany ("A Beautiful Mind"). The brilliant plot is adapted from Patrick O'Brian's two novels written in the 1800's about war hero Capt. Jack Aubrey, played by Crowe. No other actor could have played him better. He proves that he continually evolves as an actor through every film. His tremendous talents are rare in modern-day entertainment. Director Peter Weir leads the cast and crew to creating this masterpiece. All of the realisms and hardtimes are greatly expressed in this film. Such tremendous film quality offers audiences a great, unforgettable experience. The action scenes are intense, keeping the battles raging and the ocean storms like a roller coaster. Yet, the emotional aspect never dies. During moments of peace and rest, the expressed struggles keep the emotional tides to the fullest, namely depression and fear. The elaborate background settings add the entertainment pleasure. The Oscar winning sound editing and cinematography wonderfully add intensity to the action scenes and desplict the characters' surroundings fuller. The costume design are accurate to the actual styles of 1805. The visual effects greatly desplict the realities of the times. They make audiences feel like they're living that year. "Master And Commander" is a great film that will keep audiences watching closely to every scene. This is sure to continue pleasing audiences for many more years.
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