23 May 2012

Second-rate to Samurai

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.

22 May 2012

Great seafaring tale!

Master and Commander tells the story of Lucky Jack Aubrey and his journey to "The Far Side of the World". Based upon the books by Patrick O'Brian it is a faithful rendering of O'Brians world to film. O'Brian found solace in creating a world of characters that exsisted in the era in which he placed them. While he admitted that his books were not plot driven his details of life in Nelson's navy were magnificent. This film faithfully follows O'Brians idea. The plot is basic but it is the nuances of everyday life at sea that make it a sight to behold. The things that these "iron men" had to endure would make the heartiest modern person blanche. For anyone that has read O'Brian I strongly suggest that they don't hesitate to see this film. In it will be all their old favorite characters. If you have not read O'Brian (shame on you) then this is a great visual treat. As I said, the plot is basic, chasing a French ship (changed from an American ship in the book)but the sense of friendship and intricate details of naval life move the story forward. The amount of research that the crew of this film did on the period is very evident (including having the stars actually learn the instruments they play in the film). See it soon and see it often.

alex-216

22 May 2012

Great start to a series?

As a great admirer of the Patrick O'Brian books I was in two minds aboutseeing this film, but I need not have worried. It doesn't attempt to followthe book, which is just as well, but the spirit is there.The visuals are stunning - I sat enthralled through the battle and stormsequences, all very well realised. The ship herself is the star, of course,and gives a better idea of what a ship of the period and its crew werereally like than other similar period films I have seen such as the variousattempts to film the Hornblower novels or Mutiny on the Bounty.There has been some discussion about whether women would enjoy this all-malefilm - well, I certainly did! Such a relief not to have the pointless andemotion-free sex scenes that most films seem to find essential. Also verynice to have a cast of fairly unfamiliar faces (apart from Russell Crowehimself of course), and to have English characters with English accents, andnot the Americans saving the world again.A sequel seems to be built in to all films these days, and with Aubrey andMaturin you have 20 books to go at, so no shortage of material.

FilmFlaneur

22 May 2012

Weirs excellent film is something to Crowe about

447 comments in, a lot of this will have been said before, but I can'tbe bothered to cut it down..Master And Commander is that rarity - an action film made by anintellectual director. Peter Weir, whose previous credits include thecult title Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975), as well as the more recentsuccesses Dead Poets Society (1989) and The Truman Show (1998), hasoften had a special relationship with water, witness its importance inThe Last Wave (1977). In Master And Commander, for the most part, hissailor cast are surrounded by it - only setting ground once in theGalapagos Islands, and then at the requirement of the ship's residentsurgeon-naturalist Maturin (Paul Bettany). For the rest of the time thefocus of the film is entirely aboard the HMS Surprise, charged with thepursuit of the French privateer Acheron - a much larger and fastervessel, which, through a run of bad luck, continues to elude and outgunthe British. In command is Captain 'Lucky Jack' Aubrey (Russell Crowe),his ship a microcosm of the society from which it springs for "thisship is England... on the far side of the world." It's also a vessel onwhich he has served for a number of years - having soaked enough of hisblood into the timbers "for it almost to be a relative," and hisyouthful initials carved into the wood at the bow. Significant too is the year during which events are set, as 1805 wasthe great year of Trafalgar. The prestigious shadow of Lord Nelsonlooms large over the considerably more minor engagements of theSurprise, and Aubrey regales his officers with anecdotes ofencountering the great man himself. Other, subtler historical echoesare found as the ship visits the Galapagos Islands, to re-provision andto help heal the sick. Maturin's excited discovery of new species, andhis careful naturalism, is suggestive of Darwin's real life experiencesthere a few years later. Also on board is a young Midshipman Blakeney(Max Pirkis), whose loss of arm during an early engagement provides avisual reminder of the famous Admiral back home. At the centre of thefilm is the relationship between Captain and the ship's Surgeon(reminiscent of a more famous one in the original Star Trek). The twoare close friends, bonded by mutual respect and a love of music,although at odds over the exacting requirements of His Majesty'sservice.Aubrey is of the sea, a man of action, whose belief in discipline isparamount - including use of the lash if necessary. In contrast,Maturin is worldlier; a 'modern man' with wider interests than justnaval conflict and, in private, forces his friend to confront issues ofpower and science. The duo balance each other out and it is tribute toWeir's melding of two books from the original Patrick O'Brian navalseries that their relationship works so well. Praise is due as well tothe performances of Crowe and Bettany, re-establishing their screenchemistry together after A Beautiful Mind (2001). It is theirinteraction, sometimes set to music in a touching way unexpected inthis sort of film, which anchors the physical action seen elsewhere. For those who come to Master And Commander after seeing the recentPirates Of The Caribbean the difference could not be greater. WhileVerbinski's somewhat surreal romp owed an unspoken debt of inspirationto the gleeful fantasy and athleticism of Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Weir'sproduction harks back to the seriousness of a different tradition: thatof Hornblower. For the director an accurate recreation of period detailwas essential, right down to the ropes lay on the rigging (twisting adifferent way round to contemporary knotting). If there are weaknessesin the film, ironically they're in the some of the incidentals of plotrather than its staging. As Weir admits elsewhere on the DVD, heoriginally had doubts about adapting O'Brian to the screen, as theauthor's story lines did not easily make for a good film. By jettisoninga good deal and combining material across books he came up with areasonable script although even so, some have felt that the film'smiddle could have done with some tightening. The episode in which anofficer faces hostility from the crew then finally leaps overboardfeels somewhat extraneous and, arguably, could have been left outwithout much loss, while the doom-prophesying older seaman ("..e's aJonah awlright!") is a surprising and somewhat distracting stereotypeamidst an otherwise entirely convincing setting. Those who might havedoubted Weir's ability to conduct action set pieces excitingly needhave no doubts as the two or three principal action sequences arecarried off excellently with miniature and CGI work entirely invisible. Music is used carefully in the film, often brought in as part of thefabric of its world. To play his part, Crowe was obliged to learn theviolin and is convincing at it while Bettany works with the cello. Thedirector was careful to include two or three contemporary pieces thecharm of which cements the main friendship on board, while VaughanWilliams' Fantasia On Greensleeves plays under a particularly poignantsequence, recalling the similar use of Barber's famous Adagio someyears ago in Platoon (1986). The rest of the score is relativelyunobtrusive - a wise decision, as leaves a lot of the film to speak foritself and is another indication of the director's concern fornaturalism. Filmed as much as possible without the use of artificial seas and CGI,Weir's film is extremely convincing in portraying life and death onboard, and some of the interactions between the ranks between crampeddecks. Even Aubrey's poor jokes seem part and parcel of the bluntmanner of the man. The producers secured a genuine periodreconstruction vessel for a lot of the scenes and, together with Weir'scharacteristically careful direction, the result is a success allround, if ultimately no masterpiece.

testifykitty

20 May 2012

an acquired taste

The first time I watched this movie, I was a bit too young toappreciate it. When I got a bit older and I viewed it again, I washooked.Contrary to some expectations, this movie isn't a pure-action filmabout two ships trying to destroy each other. It's more of a 'lifeaboard a man-of-war thing. The attention to characters and details issuperb, and the actors (especially Crowe and Bettany) make the entirecrew of the Surprise come alive. I especially liked the dialog: thearguments between Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin, some of the exchangesbetween the midshipmen (when Will is in sickbay, and when Hollom isabout to commit suicide), and some of the dialog gems between theordinary seamen.The lack of romance in this film is not unnerving: in fact, it's arefreshing change. An action film with good characters and noromance...hurray! Folks, if you're looking for a film that moves atbreakneck speed with lots of action, this is not for you. If you wantsomething that requires some thinking and patience, "Master andCommander: The Far Side of the World" might be it.

limey_ace

20 May 2012

A Grade A Christmas turkey

I so wanted to enjoy this film. With my two favorite actors,Russell Croweand Paul Bettany together again, a multi-million dollar production,excellent supporting cast, where did it all go wrong? Well what weactuallyget is a sort of expensive History Channel documentary, full ofcharacterswho are nice.They are not engaging, certainly not involving, one-dimensionally nicepeople. Even the one supposedly nasty character comes across as a stagepantomime crew-member, sitting mumbling 'We are doomed'. English readerswill recall John Laurie in 'Dad's Army', except he was meant to be funny.We are supposed to believe that Crowe controls his crew of jolly jacktarsby being lovable, and his only critic is an equably lovable ship's doctor(Bettany) who plays the cello with his captain. Enter a tousle-hairedyoungwhipper-snapper midshipman for them to dote on, and we have a chocolateboxversion of the hard seamens' life aboard a ship of the line.Where was the tension? Ship is ordered to stop enemy. Ship tries to stopenemy. Will it succeed? What do you think. Where was the light and darkofreal characterisation. Where was the sub-plot? Where was the writer?Sorry,folks, but my mind started to wander after the first 15 minutes of thistravelogue.Teachers will love showing this to bored 12 year old students on a wetFriday afternoon. Enough said.

afi-havok

20 May 2012

ZZZZzzzzzzz ZZZZzzzzz

thank god that ended when it did. The movie has created a newword or atleast a new meanig for an old word.....snooooring. Acombinationof Snooze and Boring cuz thats what this is. If I wanted to watch HoratioHornblower I would have stayed home. Lame. Dont be trendy and agree withthemedia, cast this as lame and boring which is what you actually thought.

molemonty

19 May 2012

A beautiful film that rewards repeat viewings.

I must have watched this movie a dozen times, without tiring of it. Theperformances are excellent, and having read all of the Aubrey-Maturincanon as a result of seeing the film I can testify to the sheerfaithfulness to character and period detail. Very unlucky not to winthe Best Picture Oscar, this is such an immersive experience you canpractically smell the sea air and feel the canvas.Plotwise, this is very much a composite of the books as no doubt manyviewers have pointed out. For me the only drawback about this is thatit rules out the possibility of a sequel. Probably Paul Bettany'sfinest performance to date, and he's a year younger than me, thetalented so-and-so.Just watch it; this is the closest any of us will get to the NapoleonicWar and 19th Century medicine. Unless we get treatment on the UKNational Health Service of course.

18 May 2012

The Greatest sea-going movie I have EVER seen

4-stars overall, but it is easily one of the best directed movies of the year. It really did gather the tight spaced feel of a warship during the 1800's. The dialogue was annoying, so don't watch for the screenplay. But the set designs, the sound, the editing, and the acting are pretty good. I had some problems with the middle of the film which went a little slow (but so did Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and that was IMO the best picture of 2000). But it picks up at the end with a great battle scene. This isn't a fast paced movie. It takes time to enjoy but its well worth it. 4-stars for the movie. 5-stars for director Peter Weir.

17 May 2012

Insert clever pun here

Not only is this a great movie, but it is a fantastic DVD. One thing you really notice is the outstanding picture and audio transfer that made it to this disc. Even on my small 30" TV it felt like I was watching this in the theater again. If you have a DTS capable DVD player, you'll really appreciate the Bruckheimer soundtrack. The extras on this DVD are where it really stands out. This thing is packed to the brim with extras. And I'm talking about quality extras, not a bunch of "music video" or "upcoming trailers" fluff to fill up the disc. The extras are all entertaining, and fairly lengthy. The shortest one on here is the HBO First Look, which is still 25 minutes long. I almost enjoyed watching the extras as much as the film.

Brad Stirrat

17 May 2012

Highly complimentary of Master Commander

A brilliant film in every regard. This is by far the finest historicalaction film I have ever seen. Perhaps not the most action packed, nor themost exhilerating, but the most well-made overall. A sophisticated adultadventure sure to become a classic. I give it a ten.

musicrulz

17 May 2012

An EpicOngoing Adventure...The realism is stunning

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERSMaster and Commander is by far the best film this year. Some people havebeen calling it an epic in the sense of Gladiator, but it is not so muchanepic as we are allowed to view the activities of the HMS Surprise for alittle while. There is a sense that the adventure continues at the end ofthe movie. Nevertheless, epic or no, it is one of the most detailedmoviesyou'll ever see. The footage is simply beautiful, particularly the scenesonthe Galapagos Islands, which are magnificient and a nice moment in thefilm.Russell Crowe gives a larger than life performance. Paul Bettany isperfectas the ship's surgeon and Crowe's best friend. My overall rating: 4 starsout of 4.. a must-see!

JimShine

14 May 2012

Huzzah! This isnt the movie I feared it would be

As a fan of the O'Brian books, I was worried by the trailer I saw: almost noMaturin, an apparently pivotal moment when a young boy takes command of theship... oh dear, I thought; maybe it will be a great film but it won't beanything like those wonderful books. Fortunately (for book fans, at least),the marketers were lying! Pretty much everything you could want from anadaptation is here, which of course explains why a lot of people don't seemto like it: it has an episodic nature, the humour is embedded in character,the attention to detail is almost obsessive, and (I think this is thecrucial one), it makes little concession to readers/viewers who don't knowthe environment. Few "mainstream" films of recent years have chosen toassume that the audience is this knowledgable and intelligent, for whichPeter Weir must be roundly applauded. You have to bring your brain in withyou for this one. For any book fans with lingering doubts: The weevil jokeis perfectly done; and rest assured, Killick is perfecttoo.

Bones Eijnar

13 May 2012

A fine piece of Ocean movie

Russell Crowe had done LA CONFIDENTIAL before he did GLADIATOR that reallykicked his career onto the top notch of Hollywood. GLADIATOR was a hugemovie that captured Oscars and was simply a way too convisning, big,dramatic and epic movie to not draw itself attention, so when Russell Croweheaded for his next big movie it was a adaptation, this time; set at sea.MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD is a highly exciting dramaabout a Captain and a crew that's having a hard time handling a aggressiveship that keeps attacking them. Director has done a fine job but I must say that the movie's finest detailsis; mood, music and general scenes going threw it. The movie is very finewatching, photo is beautiful and everything is very in place, although themovie did draw it's running time a bit too long at the middle of the movie,the end is so good that it is very worthy waiting on. Russell Crowe does afine performance after he had to live up to his Maximus character. MASTERAND COMMANDER rules a lot of the time, with big ships firing canons, swordsbeing drawn, genially made viola / bass music, fine photo, gooddialog...very much of it goes very well on, another problem is; there's notmuch of originality or pure entertainment, so it gets a bit "dry" as themovie goes threw minute after minute. The end is fine and maybe the movie's best scene. As Crowe and his crew isdone nailing the French boat Crowe starts looking for the Captain, but sadlyenough he finds the Captain dead with a depressed doctor claiming the fact.Crowe tells his assistant to take the French boat and that they shall meetlater. It all seems finished and Crowe and the doctor is playing musictogether when they get on the topic of the Captain and the doctor tellsCrowe that the French doctor was already dead, so Crowe understands that hehas been tricked...and that the "doctor" was the real captain. So, they turnaround and heads for another fight...although this one we don't get tosee...STARS: 4/5

marcoloco-1

13 May 2012

Great story with powerful performances. Sweeps you away to 1805.

A very complete tale, interwoven with beautiful cinematography,powerful performances (Russel Crowe, especially), masterful score(Bach, Motzart...to name two),and a truly believable storyline withmany twists. At the heart of which is the conflict inside Capt. "Lucky"Jack Aubry (Russel Crowe) who balances his duty to the British Empireand his personal relationships with friends and crew members on boardthe HMS Surprise. All this while playing cat and mouse with a frenchenemy vessel that is twice his ship's size and double her strength. Theconclusion is a great blending of commonality of human cause and duty.All in all, this is one of the most well rounded stories I've ever seenon the motion picture screen.

Jordan Flowers

13 May 2012

Well Structured, Good Plot line, but Room For Improvement.

The movie I thought had a very good plot line strong characters and awell thought out background, however it was a bit jumpy at times fromcharacter to character. I thought it was great how well the music inthe background complimented the scenes especially when they brought itinto the movie when the caption and doctor played together. The movieshows good relations between characters. The movie left you with aquestion in your head in which I particularly didn't not appreciate. Inthe end the movie I think was good but not as good as I think It couldhave been. OK, well basically the movie takes place in the early yearsand the entire movies takes place on the ocean. The ship has a captainwith slaves as his shipmates the ship gets attacked a couple of timesthroughout the movie and at one point even causes a forced manoverboard who was not a slave, which gives you a good sense on thecaptains character. They travel to the galopogis islands in the searchof new species and rest or the injured doctor from there ship, theytravel back out to sea, and surprise attack the enemy ship at the endof the movie.

b1ggesmalz

12 May 2012

Enjoy the ride

Master and Commander succeeds not so much in the fact that it has anexceptional plot, but in the fact that it carries the viewer along onits voyage exceptionally. It follows the voyage of Captain "Lucky Jack"Aubrey sailing for the English empire while being chased by a Frenchvessel during the Napoleonic Wars. It's not an entirely innovative ororiginal plot, but it's the experience rather than the plot that drivesthis movie. The chemistry between the characters and strongperformances by all is what make it an exceptional movie. Rather thancasting good-looking Hollywood types as crew members, Peter Weir wentafter people who look like believable seamen who are also great actorsin their own right. The cast even had a sort of boot camp training sothat everyone knew how to make the ship function. It is this attentionto detail that make the movie so believable and enjoyable. Rather thanindulging itself in melodrama and Hollywood type moral-based clichés,this film pulls no punches about how it perceives the workings of aBritish Naval ship to function in the early 19th century. It simplybleeds authenticity at every corner. Excellent performances by Croweand his doctor right-hand-man played by Paul Bettany only add to thethrill.The film also has a great original and non-original score which makesit flow perfectly. The interaction between the ship members is whatmakes it a success. Though 2+hours may seem like a long time to spendwith an all-male cast inside a ship, I was never once bored. Instead,you truly feel like you are in the ship with them and at the end youfeel like you would want to follow Russel Crowe's "Captain Jack"virtually anywhere he would lead.

12 May 2012

Watch out, landlubbers!

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!

azara

07 May 2012

Well-crafted, but lengthy and way overrated

Master and Commander starts off very well. Leaving away any unnecessaryandlengthy introduction, the plot is immediately introduced by putting youamidst a gripping sea battle. All battle scenes are very well-done,exciting, realistic, and they lack any artificial flavour (the verylimiteduse of CGI effects does pay off).BUT, battle scenes alone don't make up a good movie, and it seems theproducers had the same opinion here. However, instead of coming up withonesingle and thorough storyline, they decided to beef up the movie's verythincore story (one ship chasing another, battling each other from time totime)with a number of completely pointless side-tracks. Like: an otherwiseunimportant officer driven into suicide by his weak leadershipcapabilities.Like: endless discussions as to whether the ship's doctor may investigatewildlife on the Galapagos islands or not. Like: numerous endless surgicalscenes. And. So. On.There are so many side-tracks that the movie runs over two hours, eventhough there's only a very weak core story. In other words: it is boring.The end is foreseeable, and the film ends in exactly the same way itstarts.Summary: 5/10 points. Only watch if you're willing to trade 90 minutes ofboredom for 30 minutes of (excellent) sea battles.

rumbleinthejungle

06 May 2012

Good lord..... can Peter Weir ever direct!

Incredible. I was lucky enough to see this on the big screen and it wasa great experience that I'll always treasure. Unfortunately, it wasreleased at the same time as Return of the King and inevitably thatfilm stole the limelight and steered the critics attention awaysomewhat. As an adaptation - this film is brilliant. You might beforgiven for thinking that, this being a period epic, there will belots of talking and little action. On the contrary. Weir throws theviewer straight into the deep end with an early confrontation betweenthe Surprise and the Acheron. The wide shots are simply incredible tobehold - an early one of both ships firing broadsides just looksamazing. Crowe is in top form here as the proud Captain Jack Aubrey - aman who is in danger of letting his pursuit of the French Man O WarAcheron become an intensely personal vendetta and steering his crewthrough ever perilous waters. Paul Bettany is his intellectual foil asthe Irish doctor Stephen Maturin - a great role for Bettany and thechemistry between the two is palpable. The music and script are greatand the casting is just top notch; the scenes of the Officer's eatingin the great cabin are some of the most memorable ones in the film. Asothers have mentioned, the attention that Weir has given to periodcorrect detail is amazing. The film is a piece of art as much as it isa boys own naval adventure.Highly recommended.