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Directed By
Peter Weir
Cast:
Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, Richard McCabe, Robert Pugh, David Threlfall, Chris Larkin, Lee Ingleby, George Innes, Richard Stroh, John DeSantis, Mark Lewis Jones, James DArcy, Mark Lewis Jones, Max Benitz, Ian Mercer, Max Pirkis, Jack Randall, Thierry Segall, Edward Woodall
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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
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Movie Review by Javi
March 12th, 2007
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Sea battle tactics and nature?
I wasn't at all sure about this movie. As a disclaimer I'll be honest, Russell Crowe is not my favorite actor. No matter how great his role or acting, the fact that it's him takes away something from it in my eyes. It's a personal bias I know but what are you gonna do about it?
In regard to this movie, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I like to watch movies after they've been removed from the theaters , sometimes long after, in order to help assuage the hype some movies generate and watch it for what it is. I do remember this movie receiving great reviews when it was out but I didn't remember any details so I felt sufficiently relieved of any pre-concieved notions. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD follows the H.M.S. Surprise and the goings-on of its crew, particularly its captain and doctor while on a mission to seek and destroy, or capture, a French privateer ship known as the Acheron during the Napoleonic War era. It's about the people more than anything else and therefore focuses on the characters and their decisions and interactions aboard cramped quarters against the backdrop of a months long cat-and-mouse game between the two ship captains.
It's an interesting duel between them, trying to out-think and out-maneuver each other on the high seas. More intimately, the setting also presents an interesting duel between the captain and his friend and confidant, as well as ship's doctor, regarding the decisions aboard the vessel. In a movie further filled with the complex conflicts between people, it also gives a good and honest, if somewhat glum, glimpse of the dynamics between officers and crew in times of danger and superstition.
All in all it was an enjoyable if somewhat slow movie. The pace is purposeful though, allowing for the movie's strengths in character development while still punctuating its running time with enough maritime battles to infuse action movie adrenaline in it.
Entertainment Value - 1 Star:
Storytelling - 1 Star
Characters and Dialogue - 1 Star
Production Value - 1/2 Star
Directing and Editing - 1 Star
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 | Lisa
Mar 12, 2007 5:15 PM
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| I really had no interest in seeing this movie but I ended up quite enjoying it. |
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