Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding films of adventure!
Review: Nothing like great naval adventures at sea featuring the English Navy of old! The Horatio Hornblower series are so well filmed! The acting is great, the stories are excellent and the photography is always perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed these movies featuring mutiny, battles, facinating characters and the rough life of being at sea for the English Navy. The series follows Ioan Gruffudd on his naval military career as Horatio Hornblower and each movie is an adventure all by itself! This set completes the series and is put together very well. I can't wait for more movies to come out!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding films of adventure!
Review: Nothing like great naval adventures at sea featuring the English Navy of old! The Horatio Hornblower series are so well filmed! The acting is great, the stories are excellent and the photography is always perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed these movies featuring mutiny, battles, facinating characters and the rough life of being at sea for the English Navy. The series follows Ioan Gruffudd on his naval military career as Horatio Hornblower and each movie is an adventure all by itself! This set completes the series and is put together very well. I can't wait for more movies to come out!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, Aye, But Disappointing
Review: Perhaps I was distracted while watching this the first time 'round. Maybe I'll give it another go. That said, I wasn't enthusiastic about this second installment of "Hornblower." It seems a bit weak when compared to the first episodes. While all the characters were well cast, the plotline isn't as spry and doesn't move with the same quick tempo. A&E might have picked a better story from the treasure trove of C.S. Forester's series. Furthermore, there is little to suggest that our hero Horatio has developed as a character since we last saw him on the quarterdeck with Captain Pellew. And speaking of Pellew, A&E's scant use of him (portrayed brilliantly by Robert Lindsay) is woeful. Then again, any Hornblower installment these days is a breath of fresh air in the television void -- so enjoy it for what it is. Meanwhile, we shall all eagerly await the next installment, which we hope won't be too long in coming. Reef the mainsails, you rascals!
Rating:
Summary: Hornblower returns in this two-part film. Outstanding!
Review: Picking up a few years after the first four films, we now join Horatio Hornblower as a lieutenant on HMS Renown, under the command of the legendary Captain Sawyer. The captain, however, is slipping into madness, fearing that his officers are planning to mutiny, and undertaking rash actions that could start to threaten the safety of the ship and everyone aboard. The first film, "Mutiny" details Hornblower and the other officers ordeal as they are faced with the difficult and increasingly inevitable choice to relieve Sawyer of command. The second film, "Retribution", has the officers on trail for their decison, with the rest of the action told in flashbacks. Based on events in the novel "Lieutenant Hornblower", by C.S. Forrester, these two movies make for a very satisfying experience. Reuniting most of the cast from the first four films (based on Forrester's "Mr. Midshipman Hornblower" - not requiered viewing to enjoy these two, but HIGHLY reccomended!). Ioan Gruffud is still perfectly cast as Hornblower, and Robert Lidsay is still fantastic as Commodore Pellew. David Warner, however, steals every scene with his textured portrayal of Captain Sawyer, a once-great hero who feels his sanity slipping away from him. He manages to evoke some sympathy despite his cruel actions. And speaking of action, these films feature ship battles, sword fights, and a seige on a Spainsh fort, all done in spectacular cinematic fashion. These films are a must-see for fans of swashbucklers, and devotees of Forrester's novels (or those of Patrick O'Brien, Alexander Kent, etc.). Sci-fi fans should also note that Hornblower was the inspiration behind Captain Kirk and David Weber's Honor Harrington, and may enjoy this "source material". I can't wait for a third set of films!!
Rating:
Summary: Two Movies; One Story
Review: The adventure continues with two movies -- "Mutiny" and "Retribution." In "Mutiny", 3rd Lt. Hornblower is in jail and being visited by Commodore Pellew (his former captain). Hornblower is accused of mutiny! The remainder of the movie takes place in the past with Horatio, 4th Lt. Kennedy, Styles, and Matthews now on board the HMS Renown (a 78-gun warship, much larger than his previous ship). Through the course of the episode, it becomes apparent that the ship's captain is losing his mental abilities causing the senior officers much concern. By the end of the episode, a very reluctant ship's doctor is forced to declare the captain unfit for command while the Renown comes under heavy fire from a Spanish fort. "Retribution" starts with Commodore Pellew revealed to be one of three officers hearing the court martial proceedings. The episode is a series of flashbacks as various characters are question by the board. All of these flashbacks take place immediately after the incidents in "Mutiny." The senior officers of the Renown decided that if they are going to face a court martial anyway when the get back to port, they might as well do some good by taking the Spanish fort. This they do thanks to Hornblower's cleverness. But soon the English are forced to abandon the fort when they discover the Spanish have been under siege for months by an army of revolting slaves. The episode gets deeper with 1st Lt. Buckland, now in command of Renown, showing that he's not a very good commander. Hornblower has the respect of most of the men and Buckland becomes slightly jealous of this fact. By the time the Renown gets back to port, Hornblower has even managed to win the respect of a low-level officer (midshipman?) named Hobbs who'd been fiercely loyal to Captain Sawyer and who'd hated Hornblower for his part in removing the captain from command. Ultimately both of these movies are about loyalty -- loyalty to one's captain, loyalty to one's shipmates, loyalty to one's country, and finally the loyalty that the crew have/come to have for 3rd Lt. Hornblower. Be warned, this is a tear-jerker!
Rating:
Summary: Two Movies; One Story
Review: The adventure continues with two movies -- "Mutiny" and "Retribution." In "Mutiny", 3rd Lt. Hornblower is in jail and being visited by Commodore Pellew (his former captain). Hornblower is accused of mutiny! The remainder of the movie takes place in the past with Horatio, 4th Lt. Kennedy, Styles, and Matthews now on board the HMS Renown (a 78-gun warship, much larger than his previous ship). Through the course of the episode, it becomes apparent that the ship's captain is losing his mental abilities causing the senior officers much concern. By the end of the episode, a very reluctant ship's doctor is forced to declare the captain unfit for command while the Renown comes under heavy fire from a Spanish fort. "Retribution" starts with Commodore Pellew revealed to be one of three officers hearing the court martial proceedings. The episode is a series of flashbacks as various characters are question by the board. All of these flashbacks take place immediately after the incidents in "Mutiny." The senior officers of the Renown decided that if they are going to face a court martial anyway when the get back to port, they might as well do some good by taking the Spanish fort. This they do thanks to Hornblower's cleverness. But soon the English are forced to abandon the fort when they discover the Spanish have been under siege for months by an army of revolting slaves. The episode gets deeper with 1st Lt. Buckland, now in command of Renown, showing that he's not a very good commander. Hornblower has the respect of most of the men and Buckland becomes slightly jealous of this fact. By the time the Renown gets back to port, Hornblower has even managed to win the respect of a low-level officer (midshipman?) named Hobbs who'd been fiercely loyal to Captain Sawyer and who'd hated Hornblower for his part in removing the captain from command. Ultimately both of these movies are about loyalty -- loyalty to one's captain, loyalty to one's shipmates, loyalty to one's country, and finally the loyalty that the crew have/come to have for 3rd Lt. Hornblower. Be warned, this is a tear-jerker!
Rating:
Summary: Fantabulous
Review: The adventure, the history, the heroics, all that is HORNBLOWER! Breathtakingly exciting movie. Everything just makes you want to stand up and yell FIRE!!!!! From the very first scene I am captured by Ioan Gruffudd's performance as the young lieutenant Hornblower.
Rating:
Summary: Fantabulous
Review: The adventure, the history, the heroics, all that is HORNBLOWER! Breathtakingly exciting movie. Everything just makes you want to stand up and yell FIRE!!!!! From the very first scene I am captured by Ioan Gruffudd's performance as the young lieutenant Hornblower.
Rating:
Summary: Hornblower, The Adventure Continues
Review: The cast, producers, directors, etc. did and outstanding job in the latest two episodes, Mutiny and Retribution! I heartily echo the sentiments made by Hornblower fans in previous reviews. It is so refreshing to see a wonderful story, with outstanding acting, direction, etc. without relying too heavily on complicated special effects. With that said, I would like to state that the sequences with the model ships were outstanding yet again! Because I have so enjoyed the Hornblower series on DVD, I have eagerly read all the Hornblower reviews by you long-time Hornblower fans. Being a fairly new fan of just one year, I have recently learned here on this site, that CS Forrester had written a series of 11 books about Hornblower's career. I have purchased and read Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. What an excellent book! Looking forward to reading the remaining 10 books and hope more televison movies will be made!
Rating:
Summary: DVD review
Review: The DVD transfer was excellant. Picture quality was sharp and clear, color rendition was right on. The audio is listed as Dolby Digital (6 channel) but it was stereo. As always, the story line is top notch.
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