Rating: 
Summary: Great DVD
Review: MOVIE REVIEW: The Movie is a great adventure ride, that has you at the edge of your seat many times, The attention to detail in this movie is remarkable. My only complaint about this movie is its too Long and to short. What I mean by that is two things 1) The movie gets tedious in some parts, and 2) its based on two books- they had to much information to put in one movie(the books have a lot more charater developments). Overall I rate in 4 1/2 out of 5.VIDEO REVIEW: The video on this dvd is amazing, The Special edition is only in Widescreen( thats good). The transfer to dvd is fantastic, after New Line did the LOTR dvds other studios are trying to make their dvds look better, and believe me this one is top notch. 5 out of 5. SOUND REVIEW: The Sound equally as good as the video, ballance right, and on surround sound it is a piece of art. 5 out of 5. Extras: The extras on the single disk gets a 0 out of five, however the 2 disk set is amazing. It has more than you can ask for, including "The 100 Days" which is a very well done making of the film. The Packaging is very cool too. 5 out of 5 Overall: This is a great movie however it is not for everyone, but I give the dvd a 5 out of 5 overall.
Rating: 
Summary: A good effort , but...
Review: This film was really a good effort to compress the contents of several Patrick O'Brian novels into a feature length motion picture. The title is also somewhat misleading , since NONE of the events of "Master and Commander" are actually portrayed in the film , and the plot heavily relies on "Far Side of the World" for most of the story line. Russell Crowe really becomes Jack Aubrey , and Paul Bettany portrays a fairly true part of the character Steven Maturin.
Unfortunately for the viewing audience , much of Doctor Maturin's role in the novellae is not revealed , that of the Admiralty intelligence officer. I thought that the portrayal of life aboard a Royal Navy "Man O'War" was truly outstanding , and the portrayal of the young midshipmen extermely accurate. What I really liked about the film:
(1) Excellent scenes of the ship under full sail.
(2) Russell Crowe's portrayal of "Lucky" Jack Aubrey.
(3) Realistic battle scenes , not for the faint of heart. What I disliked about the film:
(1) Not enough background on the past history of the major characters.
(2) Story line was abriged too much.
(3) The ending was a little weak , and left LOTS of room for a sequel. Overall , this is a magnificent story of the sea and the iron men who sailed the wooden ships. It could have related to the Napoleonic wars a bit better. Patrick O'Brian has lots of other good action novels that would possibly make a sequel (or sequels) that would be even better than this film. A really strong 4 stars , and I highly recommend it. The "bare bones" version is a better buy , but the 2 disk set is OK , too.
Rating:
Summary: The Far Side
Review: Master and Commander, the latest Russell Crowe feature, is a story confined to one boat (and a couple of island shots). You don't even see the enemy...and that's the beauty of the movie. Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany are such great actors and they can carry a film like this, with no sign of the enemy. After seeing this movie, I find it amazing that sea battles actually had any survivors. The action is intense and the sound is simply amazing. The DVD has both a DTS and Dolby 5.1 tracks, and they are some of the best sound mixes out there. I highly recommend this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Big story full of interesting people and events
Review: It was wonderful watching a movie with well-drawn characters that have personalities and humanity with foibles, strengths, fears, and a sense of time and place in history. I enjoyed the "quiet" scenes where we are able to get to know the men of the Surprise. The friendship between Aubrey (Crowe) and Dr. Mautrin (Bettany) is a glue for the whole movie. The state of their friendship is a barometer for the state of affairs for the mission of the ship. Being a musician, I loved the scenes of them passing time making music (and the raucous music of the crew as well). Max Pirkus plays the 13-year-old Lord Blakeney with amazing skill. His maturity reminds us of the time when children were not condescended to as creatures of little capacity and less responsibility as they are today. Some may find such adult expectations of such a young person abhorrent, but given the life expectancy of the times to 13 was to be about a third of your lifespan. They had to mature early and Lord Blakeney is a wonderful character with emotional strength, courage, and intellect beyond most adults. There are two major battle scenes and a storm scene off the southern tip of South America that provide the action scenes of the movie. They are wonderfully done and are quite rousing. The scenes of surgery on the ship are filmed in a way that is not visually grisly, but so emotionally intense that you will want to look away because of what you might see, but don't. I think it is always wonderful to capture a past time and place accurately. While I am not a historian and I am sure that those historians who pay close attention to this period will find things to complain about, I did like the details they captured about the living conditions of a crew aboard such a confined space. I don't know if all the details are right, but it was fun to watch a movie with details that added to the understanding of the plot rather than making one roll one's eyes at the implausibility of it all. A great adventure bordering on an epic that is populated with people you would like to get to know and few you would treasure as friends.
Rating:
Summary: An overture to the series?
Review: I've just finished watching the widescreen DVD of Master And Commander: The Far Side of the World and am beginning to realize that, like most if not all film adaptations, this movie serves as merely an overture to the books upon which it is based. Throughout the movie I found myself wanting more development, to know more about the characters and the time period, and more action. Of course, this film has plenty of action to offer, waging war on the high seas and Perfect Storm-esque scenes. However, there is something lacking in this movie that gives me the feeling that it is simply a one-dimensional preview of what the O'Brian novels are about. That said, I am very eager to read the novels as soon as I get the chance, but if this film were to stand alone, I would have to say that it's a tease. Now, the reasons why I gave this film four stars. The cast is very impressive. Down to every member of the HMS Surprise's crew, I was continously impressed by the authenticity the cast provided to this period piece. I was skeptical about Russell Crowe, not expecting much more than the usual soft-spoken, stoic hero. He fit very well into the role of Captain Jack Aubrey, who was mercurial enough to allow Russell Crowe room to exert himself a little bit. His interaction with Paul Bettany, who charmingly portrayed the ship's Dr. Stephen Maturin, was so intriguing to the point that I did not understand why such emphasis was placed upon Russell Crowe's character and not Paul Bettany's--the two are at the center of this movie. Only after I did a little bit of research on the books did I realize that O'Brian's story is based on the adventures of these two characters. Unlike many films set in very particular time periods, this movie did a wonderful job at achieving that authenticity, not just by the cast, but through costumes, the excellent score, exquisite language of the script, special effects and, of course, the sailing ships. This film left me with the very distinct cry of "I want more!" that can be both irritating and exciting. I am not sure whether or not there is another film in the works, but it would be ridiculous to leave the ending open as it is. However, I also was left with a strong curiosity for the books which, I would imagine, is what the filmmakers would like to say is the point of the movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Life of the British Seaman Wonderfully Realized!
Review: First of all, I have not read the Patrick O'Brian books on which the movie was based. Secondly, I didn't think I would like this movie. But I really liked MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD. It was strangely absorbing, strangely gripping.
The cat and mouse game with the HMS Surprise, commanded by Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), and the French Acheron was interesting. But it was the very matter-of-fact detailing of the life at sea was even more compelling. The men battled the enemy and the elements. I learned about some sailors' superstition. The conversations between the Doctor (Paul Bettany) and the Captain were both fun and informative. Here we see two different men disagreeing about things and yet having respect and affection for each other. The juxtaposition between individual liberty (a revolutionary idea, one might say, at the time) and the need for disciple and hierarchy in the Navy, dichotomy between the horribleness of war and the civilized concerts that the Captain and the Doctor play, and the paradox between the crudity of a sailor's life and the ideas of science, were just mindboggling. I loved them.
The cinematography was excellent. I felt like I was there. The acting was seamless in the whole cast. I like to watch period pieces that let me live the life of that period with very little concession to modern taste in music or politically correct ideas. I want to be in that period! This is probably as close as we are going to get to being acquainted with the life of a 19th-century British sailor, until we can time travel. ;) I loved this movie, and, yes, I want to read the books!
Rating:
Summary: What an action film should be
Review: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is my kind of movie. The quality of production is very high, the acting is high caliber, and the fighting scenes are well-done. It is what an action/adventure film should be. Too many action/adventure films rely on special effects, lots of explosions, and star charisma to entertain the audience. Unfortunately, most such films tend to feature sub-par acting, lousy script, and a loose plot. However, Master and Commander manages to entertain the audience with superb acting performances from Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, and the young Max Pirkis. There's a lot of action, however, not enough to overwhelm the plot of the film or the characters. To me, this film falls in the same category(...). It is high quality adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: it tries, it really tries...but...
Review: I have to include myself in the "not impressed" minority here, simply because any story or depth is lacking. The movie is well made, no one doubts that, and it looks incredible. There are moving scenes, and most of those involve either the little blonde haired kid (you either feel sorry for him, or think he's uber-courageous), or the doctor of the ship feeling sorry for himself because he can't study the islands. The movie tries hard to have "depth" by adding these side stories of the Galapagos islands rest-stop, the "sensitive" doctor, and the "wow, those are little kids in the midst of battle!" But these portions aren't explored enough to really add much flavor to story that's basically about a ship trying to engage in battle with another ship. French ship blasts English ship, English ship limps away and hides, English ship recovers, English ship searches French ship for revenge. The rest, the human story, is just garnish. It was like drinking sugar water. No nutrition here at all. However, they do try hard to add a sense of atmosphere and history. Which works. For awhile. (...)
Rating: 
Summary: what is up with this special edition?
Review: Don't get me wrong. This is one of the best movies of the year and probably the best seafaring film in the last thirty (not counting submarine movies), but this DVD could take a cue or two from the franchise that totally beat it out last year The Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson knows how to treat his fans and he knows that giving us something besides the pathetic HBO first look documentary and only a FEW, albeit insightful, behind the scenes vignettes can go a long way to racking up DVD sales and creating a buzz around a film with the DVD release instead of it being some forgotten day in the middle of April (oh, did Master and Commander come out this week? Maybe I'll pick that up sometime). Who else is tired of DVDs proclaiming deleted scenes as such a big bonus? Either incorporate them back into the movie or get rid of them. It seems all the studio or Peter Weir has to do is sweep up the cutting room floor and dump all of the garbage onto a disc and we'll buy it for a few dollars more (well I did, but you don't have to). No commentary either. None. LOTR has no less than four. FOUR per movie. This film, one of the greatest historical dramas and historically accurate portrayals of the napoleonic wars (not actual events, but methods) gives us no insight from the mind behind the movie (director and co-writer of a truly fantastic period script as far as period scripts go). Peter Weir has to wake up. I consider him to be among the few directors to have never had a misstep in his career (Fearless being the closest). All he does is make perfect movies, but a little love for emerging technology couldn't hurt his fan base. I would even have settled for a Collee or Crowe commentary. Anything. To sum up. This is a five star movie, but a three star DVD. The other version is a two star DVD, but for 5 bucks less it's probably worth it because you still get the best part - the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Hey Capt'n Crowe, are we there yet?
Review: I found it amusing that Amazon paired this with the Tom Hanks flick Cast Away for the "Best Value" - these movies are very similar in speed and action. Way too much getting from point "A" to point "B", with little occurring once we arrive at point "B." This is definitely a film about the journey, not the destination, ie, the fast frightening French Frigate (say that five times!) Our intrepid Captain Crowe seems to be a bit behind the times in naval warfare and very slow on the uptake. One gets the impression that he blunders his way through challenges. I was grateful for the 8x fast forward speed on my DVD player, as I was thankfully able to skip over a lot of the fluff.
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