Review of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) by Jake A — 17 Apr 2017

The greatest start to a series that never was thanks to poor box office returns which is a shame because even though this is a relatively self contained film there was so much potential to expand thanks to the novels this film was based on.

Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany are fantastic in the lead roles and have great chemistry between one another and the supporting cast are also solid with their interactions feeling extremely realistic which are all helped by the well written script.

The action scenes are stellar while being grounded and realistic in their approach without needing over the top special effects and long drawn out fights. The score is equally emotional and bombastic which helps both the character driven scenes and the action.

The production is faultless with the locations being stunning while the plot may be relatively basic it serves its function to allow us to go on this journey with these characters we grow to care about which is one area out of many I love about this film.