Rating: 
Summary: Not Your Average Movie
Review: If you expect this movie to be a standard war picture or Hollywood version of life in another century you will be sadly disappointed. If, instead, you come to the film with an open mind and curiousity about what life aboard a British Navy ship in another century was like, you will be fascinated, amazed, apalled, overwhelmed, and a hundred other emotions space does not permit listing.I saw it after attempting to read the books and was blown away. The film is a wonderful adaptation of 2 of Patrick O'Brien's works. Oddly enough (and I'm not the only one to mention this) it is like coming in during the telling of a tale and leaving before the next installment. The film is a story within a story of life on the sea. Beautifully filmed, with wonderful actors. A good addition to the library.
Rating: 
Summary: This DVD is Worth Every Cent!
Review: Since the plot of "Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World" is easily available on this website, I will reserved my comments for the DVD. IMO it is wonderful! I am one who seeks out widescreen DVDs rather than full screen, and I found the picture and sound quality to be nearly identical to what I experienced upon first seeing the movie in the theatre. Those who found the movie "too dark" or had trouble understanding some of the dialogue will no doubt have the same criticism of the DVD presentation, but neither were a problem for me. The bonus material is excellent in my opinion. I particularly enjoyed the made-for-DVD documentary "The Hundred Days," which takes the viewer behind the scenes of the making of the movie, and "In The Wake of O'Brian," a shorter documentary where Weir answers some of the questions about the focus of the movie that bothered many devotees of the canon. There are also short documentaries that cover the battle scenes, audio effects, and the storm scene, which are of especial interest to movie buffs. There is a companion booklet that would be helpful for those not familiar with the series and/or the careers of Peter Weir and Patrick O'Brian. The small map included is a little gimicky in my opinion, but your children or grandchildren might like it! I feel that the two-disc set is well worth the few extra dollars, especially for those of us who are interested in the art and science of movie production.
Rating: 
Summary: What the?
Review: Okay. let me start off by saying I loved this movie. I'm giving this 1 star because it's just a marketing plot to trick you into paying more. I hate it when movie companies do this. The other version is completely bare bones and is still over priced. If you want to shell out the extra cash do so. I'm sure the extras are cool, I just think taking this approach is deceitful.
Rating: 
Summary: False Advertisement
Review: When I saw the previews of the movie, I expected to see action and adventure. This movie was boring and I found myself wanting to leave the theater. The beginning of the movie started of strong, but as the movie wore on, it began to lose its momentum. If you want to get an historical perspective on how it was to live at sea back then, then this movie is an A+, if you want action and adventure get The Last Samurai.
Rating:
Summary: Master and Commander
Review: I bought it because of the many high rating reviews, tried very hard to like it but in truth I found it too slow and in fact boring, a real waste (...).
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Sunday Afternoon Shipper
Review: M&C is not the best film you will ever see, nor is it the best marine film you will ever see, or the best war film you will ever see, but it is nautical miles ahead of the other disastrous 'pirate movies' (M&C is a mix of oldskool pirate films and war on the sea genres), except for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" which has set a standard that M&C can not seem to match - except on the acting/dialogue front and possibly the cinematography, however the choreography for the action sequences is not good, appears disjointed, and many elements of the story are simply left to drift ashore while we sail through a boring patch of the four seasons. M&C is a film of many elements (Darwin, science vs war, superstitions, commanders matching wits), but sadly remains somewhat disengaging throughout the whole affair and this is a problem of not fleshing out the characters enough... or trying to cope with too many characters. In fact we learn very little, if nothing, of our heroic sailors save for the various moments in Captain Jack's (Crowe) dining quarters where he makes some philosophical statements about sailing and that is that. Emotions are derived from watching children die in the heat of battle and although at times this is gruelling to watch, you will soon get board of this theme. Film director Peter Weir does miss the mark as many critics have pointed out. While correctly opting for lots of battle sequences, he doesn't pull everything off so well and confusion reigns in several key action moments. So when the camera is not focused on cannon shells flying through masts it is drifting between umpteen characters and ship hands who all have a line, but little more than that. Even one of our favourite hobbits (Boyd) only shows up for a few scenes. Also Crowe's role is almost eclipsed by Paul Bettany playing Dr. Stephen Maturin the Surgeon who becomes a major pivotal character and a plot device, but this is because M&C looses control of who should be at the helm at times but never really tries to be anything more than just a battle between two boats on the sea (The Brits on the 'Surprise' vs Napoleon's 'Acheron'). For this reason many who go to see the acting will get a little of what they wanted. Those who want to see planks splinter and riggings hurtling through the air will get their fair share of that too. However together the gel doesn't really glue and something tells this reviewer that some more character development on the pivotal roles would have a gone a long way.... even to the far side of the world. While this movie has mammoth production values (everything looks sublime and the boats awesome) a finely tuned script would not have hurt this piece one little bit. Weir has given us a good movie that is well worth watching but does not really register as something you will remember the next day. As far as the DVD release goes, you will certainly find a lot worse and for all intensive purposes this is a family film with some moderate historical violence. I guess if you are looking for a more gung-ho "Gladiator" type of film you will disappointed. Like I said in the title of the review --- A Good Sunday Afternoon Shipper... but little more than that.
Rating:
Summary: 1805 Navy flick
Review: This is a rousing adventure in the tradition of "Captian Blood" and old Douglas Fairbanks pirate epics. "Master and Commander" stars Russell Crowe as Capt. Jack Aubury of His Majesty's Royal Navy. Aubury is pursuing a ghost ship, a smaller, faster ship in Napoleon's Navy. He trails it all the way from the Atlanitc near Brazil and all the way around the bottom tip of the South America and into the Pacific Ocean. It almost seems like Aubury is turning into another Capt. Ahab, but he is smart enough to keep mutieneers at bay, so that is never really a fear. The doctor is Aubury's best friend, and keeps Aubury from slipping into obsseive maddness. The fight scenes are increadible, they are exciting and realistic; and when someone dies, it isn't pretty, but it isn't exploitive. Peter Weir directed this, and proved that he can do just as good at the subtle epic as his predeccsors.
Rating:
Summary: Master of Plot, Commander of Action!
Review: Wow! What a spectacular adventure! I thought to myself after seeing this movie. Even the slow parts kept my attention. It could have been a six-hour mini-series and I still would have sat through it! Within the short time of watching life abroad the HMS Surprise, I felt as if I was part of the crew, I knew the men so well. The studious ship surgeon, salty old seamen, insecure junior officers, and the crusty cook. Of course, none commanded the respect of the captain, "Lucky" Jack Aubrey. Russell Crowe demands the same respect from the audience as he did in "Gladiator," as someone who leads by his presence, strength, and umimpeachable sense of duty. The viewer feels his conviction as he orders his men to pursue the French "Acheron," a more powerful warship that has already crippled his ship. In a desperate race, he patches up the ship and pursues it around South America chasing it into deadly high seas contest. Even though Aubrey comes across as a "nice guy" much of the time, it's clear he is "master and commander" and tolerates no disrespect, be it a mouthy seaman or his best friend. While Crowe drives much of the movie, it is also fueled by an equally strong performance by Paul Bettany, who plays the ship's surgeon and naturalist. What makes him such a strong foil for Crowe is not their differences, but their similarities. Both are driven by a sense of duty, but their goals are different and conflicting. Knowing they are close friends makes their conflict all the more intense. The sense of realism strikes true for much of the film too. You can feel the freezing winds of the Horn, experience the loneliness of a professional sailor's heart, hear the snapping lines in the gale, smell the stench of gunpowder, and feel the heat of the doldrums. I think the only thing I couldn't experience was the food, (these guys eat all the time!) which was probably a good thing. (Saused pig's head? Yeach!)
Rating:
Summary: Great Action and Acting, but fake Iguanas.
Review: I liked this movie alot, and would have given it five stars, but for the inacurate portrayal of Marine Iguanas on the Galapagos Islands. Read the other reviews for information on the acting and action, I am writing to stand up for the lowly Iguana. Just about every rocky shoreline in the Galapagos Islands is home to the marine iguana, the only sea-going lizard in the world. The marine iguana is an extraordinary animal which lives on land but grazes on a variety of seaweed, either on exposed rocks or by diving into the cold seawater. This habit, totally unique in iguanas, provides them with an abundant food source but can make them vulnerable to predation by sharks and other large fish. In the movie, there are scenes reminiscent of Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle", many of the characters are seen collecting what are supposed to be marine iguanas. However, are these actual Galapagos marine iguanas? No. These are actually the common Green Iguanas of South America. They are not even using costumes or makeup, just their natural green skin. It is like they are acting on the stage. Do these iguanas get credit at the end of the movie? No! Like Kermit the frog said, Its not easy being green. Real marine iguanas are ugly dark colored brutes you would never want to meet in a dark alley, but common green iguanas are our friends. This was a great movie, it just doesn't give proper credit to the iguanas.
Rating:
Summary: Just All Right
Review: This movie is great when you come from the standpoint of a navel adventure. It is cool to be drawn into that time period. And Russell Crowe does his usual amazing acting job. So this movie is worth watching.........once.
What strikes me most about the movie is how bland it is. From the previews it looks like a non stop action movie. It's not. There are only two navel battles. One at the start and one at the end of the movie.
Another thing that was annoying was the fact you could tell that they were going for an Oscar or two. It has an "epic" movie feel. Bottom Line: Still a good movie. I recommend you watch it if you have not. But as far as a movie you will want to experience again and again? Not for me. It feels like the story is too forced to flow smoothly. That being said, I would like to see a part 2. Maybe with a few changes. Then it could move from a so-so movie to a great one.
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