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Master and Commander - 11/14/03 - PG-13 - 138m
Russell
Crowe - Capt. Jack Aubrey
Paul Bettany - Dr. Stephen Maturin
James D'Arcy - 1st Lt. Tom Pullings
Director: Peter Weir
Screenplay by: Peter Weir (Patrick O'Brian-Novels)
Studio: Miramax
Official
Website
JEF
I went into this film not knowing much about it (which is the
way I like to go into most films so as not to have anything spoiled).
I knew it was a Russell Crow movie, and I've usually liked his work, and
I had heard that there is some Oscar Buzz around this one too, so I figured
it would be good.
Storyline: Two ships chasing each other in the big blue
sea. Ok, I guess there's a little more to the storyline but that's it
in a single sentence. Set in 1805, British Navy Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell
Crowe) has his orders to be on the lookout and to try and capture a ship
called the "Acheron". How one ship finds another in the entire
Ocean, I'll never know, but perhaps it's not too difficult... The two
ships are mismatched, "The Surprise" Capt. Jack's ship, is a
smaller, not so fast, more fragile ship compared to the Acheron. So it
has the whole "Root for the Underdog" feel to it.
The movie continues on with the strategic Cat and Mouse between the two
ships, their captains, and their crews. Along with this main plot are
of course the additional subplots like what life is like on a ship containing
197 men in 1805, and the dynamics involved.
I won't go so far to say that I didn't like this film. It was a true yellow
light for me, falling right in the middle. There were things I liked about
it, and things I didn't like. My biggest complaint overall was that I
was not drawn into this film enough to really care about the characters.
There were a lot of characters to keep track of. The movie at times seemed
to concentrate more on the running of the ship, and the sailing mumbo
jumbo dialogue rather than who these men were, and what was important
to them. Another shortcoming that I really found distracting in the film
in regards to the characters was that Russell Crowe was the lead actor,
and was supported by Paul Bettany, who played the ships doctor and Naturalist
Dr. Stephen Maturin. Did you see the movie "A Beautiful Mind"?
I did, and guess what... they were the same actors. Normally that doesn't
really bother me, to see two actors who appeared in another film, that
happen to have a good working relationship on screen, but the two movies
were similar and at times so similar that I couldn't help to wonder was
Dr. Maturin REAL or not?
Which of course was a distraction, and took me out of the movie.
The Character of the "Old Man" (George Innes) really started
to annoy me as well. Here was a guy who literally has been hit on the
head one too many times, and he's always got this little posse of men
around him who are hanging on his every word, about the "Ghost ship"
and the "Crazy, Cursed guy", I just kept waiting for the other
sailors to realize he was a little touched in the head, and perhaps they
shouldn't be listening to his "Arrrgghs" and Pirate talk. I
started to see him as a comedic character and I know he wasn't supposed
to be.
Well, onto the good points... I liked the cinematography, and the overall
storyline (even though it was somewhat predictable). I was hoping this
film would be another in the string of pirate movies that I've come to
really enjoy, but was disappointed a bit when there were no real pirate
scenes. (Other than how they all talked like pirates). I thought the film
did a good job of capturing what it must have been like to live on a ship
in 1805. I liked the friendship between the Doctor and the Captain, and
how these two different men had a different outlook on life and yet were
able to live and work together on a "small" boat.
I thought Max Pirkis, playing the role of 13 year old Lord Blakeney did
a fantastic job. He showed just as much leading role character traits
as Russell Crowe. And at such a young age, I suspect we'll be seeing a
lot more of Mr. Pirkis in the future.
The movie sailed along (sorry, couldn't resist), at a comfortable pace.
A bit slow at times maybe but never too slow to warrant a glance to the
watch. There was just enough action to keep things moving.
I also must mention that the battle scenes involving the cannon fire were
very well done. I can't think of any other film that showed the destructive
power of a cannon on a ship other than maybe a cartoon. Those scenes I
thought were great.
Finally one small observation that may need mentioning, there was not
one female character in this film. Ok, well, if you want to be technical,
yes there is a brief glance from an island girl as "The Surprise"
is restocking supplies, and there is mention in a letter that Capt. Jack
is writing to a Sophie (girlfriend or wife), but other than that I'm reminded
of the Monty Python Song, "Men, Men, Men". It was a small point,
but when you see an entire movie of a bunch of guys yelling and screaming
on a boat, doing their best Arrrgh you tend to get a little tired of it.
I know this sounds a bit more negative than I really intended, but I'd
rather you go into the film knowing these things ahead of time to be prepared
for them. And just to be fair, to show another point of view... At the
end of the film a handful of people started to applause at the end. Not
many films can inspire a viewer to forget that they're not watching real
actors on a stage, but that you're seeing a picture projected on a big
screen. Either that, or they were just idiots
Jef
Here's what Lyn thought...
Master and Commander:
The Far Side of the World
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