Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

A perfect combination of artsy chamber piece focused on characters and “how things worked on those beautiful vessels with sails" with a simple adventure for boys about friendship and duties like out of a dime novel you read secretly during lessons. Despite having nothing whatsoever to do with the equally marvelous book the movie is based on (this is more a mixture of the first and third book with a bit from the tenth book in the Aubrey and Maturin series), this is a simply wonderful movie in its sense for historical precision, characterization of characters or nods for readers (Jack’s missing earlobe, letters to Sophia, Maturin’s “floral" waistcoat etc.) And technical aspects keep step with the content - they are the highest possible standard. The only thing that disappoints me is the non-existence of a director’s cut. As a whole twenty-four minutes of cut scenes demonstrates, not just ballast, but much high quality material was left out of the final cut. (01/28/2007)

Master and Commander is a picture not so much about great sea battles, but more a study on Captain “happy Jack" Aubrey. Peter Weir’s ingenious direction is aided by the great Russell Crowe and the no less excellent Paul Bettany. Wonderful shots of the sea alternate with the amazing wildlife of the Galapagos. I found the music very powerful. (09/02/2007)

I can't remember the last time I found out before the movie climaxed that I had barely been breathing. It had to be a long time ago, and it had to be for a movie similar to Master and Commander. This is a wonderful callback to old times, robust filmmaking with a clear vision, precise leadership and superbly put together dramatic layers. Peter Weir has commanding skills and the steadfastness of captain Jack, but he also remains an analytical observer like Dr. Stephen. The way individual characters are built, and the way chemistry is maintained by the crew, should be in a cinematic tactics textbook. In a few minutes, a person is on board and participates in a cruise that is both informative, exciting and emotional. Moreover, Weir's typical dualities of small and large universes are reflected here, when war, politics, and science are all reflected in the relationships and conversations of the characters, without the film sliding into any exaggerated philosophizing. Everything's just right, and the dust won't get wet despite the thunderous runtime. This blew off my main mast. Huzzah! (and the second part, from what Peter Weir told us, is not utopia). (04/02/2011)

I can't even believe how sensitively such a one-sided issue can be portrayed. For two hours, I wanted to serve on the Surprise under the perfect captain Crowe and fight for England. It's a shame that the script can't adapt to Weir's fantastic directing and sometimes slips into completely unnecessary twists, like in the case of the superstition about Jonah. (07/17/2007)

This is no idyll on a yacht, there's no love line, no picturesque sunsets, no heroic ending, just the open ocean and two wooden boats. Weir's Master & Commander is a cinematic phenomenon that was as close to reality as we've ever seen in historical films, but this doesn’t mean that it is a live-action documentary. In addition to a great cast, the film also features a lavish production design, which also proves the enormous costliness of nautical films. It is therefore difficult to ever see the real highlights of the Napoleonic Wars, such as Trafalgar, the Nile and the whole life of the famous British Admiral Horatio Nelson. (03/03/2016)