Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World

Rating: 4/4 (A gem, must see!)

Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World is an action adventure on the sea based on the Aubrey-Maturin series of novels by Patrick O’Brian. It is set aboard the warship HMS Surprise captained by Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe). Set in 1805, during the time of the Napoleonic wars, Aubrey is on orders to fight and destroy French warships. Along with him in the ship is his close friend, ship doctor and naturalist Stephen Maturin. Surprise clashes with a much younger and stronger French ship and are beaten in two fights. But, in the last and third one, they pull a surprise and defeat the French.

This movie is absolutely fabulous to watch, a treat on the senses! Director Peter Weir has recreated life aboard a ship so naturally, like I have never seen before. Every single object, detail and activity is lucid and draws the eye. The acting is excellent to say the least. Russell Crowe as Aubrey and Paul Bettany (remember Nash’s imaginary friend in The Beautiful Mind?) as the ship doctor are superb. More than the battles, the movie delights when it depicts the day-to-day running of a ship. The strategies that Aubrey as a captain has to think of! How cool and composed he is as a captain! I was amazed by the amount of command and control needed to run a ship. Also, Maturin is a naturalist, a character whose journeys in this movie strongly resemble that of Charles Darwin on his epic HMS Beagle voyage. This movie is a gem in every sense! Go watch it.