Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Cast
Russell Crowe .... Capt. Jack Aubrey
Paul Bettany .... Dr. Stephen Maturin, Surgeon
James D'Arcy .... 1st Lt. Tom Pullings
Edward Woodall .... 2nd Lt. William Mowett
Chris Larkin .... Capt. Howard, Royal Marines
Directed by
Peter Weir
Rater #2 has description and review.
Rater #1
4/10. This movie was fun and exciting but it became dull really fast. There were no other scenery changes from the ship except once. I always find the movies that are up for oscars are not good movies in general. It had good acting, but this movie just wasn't for me.
Rater #2
4/10. There is one main reason how you can tell that Master and Commander:
The Far Side of the World was originally going to be released in the
summer. Not the huge budget or the "special effects", but because of
its obscenely long title. Any movie with a colon in its title seems
to be big budgeted, mindless movies. Obviously, Fox, Universal, and
Miramax didn't think that it was, so instead of releasing it in the
summer, they decided to do so in fall, when the Academy would
remember it for Oscars. As I was watching it, I was having trouble
thinking what Oscars it would hope to win.
It wouldn't win best visual effects. It had exactly the effects I
have come to expect from Fox and Universal. Universal has always had
cheesy effects that weren't believable, which was only added onto by
Fox, whose gunshots are just bright yellow lights. I can't believe
that Fox needed two major companies to assist with the funding. It
certainly didn't show. Some of the shots of the boat on water looked
very good, however, but not real in any way.
It wouldn't win best cinematography. It seemed like often it was
trying to go for something a little different that wouldn't really be
noticeable but would have people saying, "Something was different
about this movie." However, for even the easiest of shots to shoot
(that were probably even done with second unit), the camera couldn't
even stay still. If what they were going for was an amateur feel to
the camera work, then they succeeded. Near the end, in the obligatory
huge fight scene, the fighting was barely visible. Everything was so
quickly cut it was impossible to see what was happening.
It wouldn't win best screenplay. Every single character, even the
lead, had absolutely no development to them. When Cap'n Jack Aubrey
(Russell Crowe) is seen in the beginning, he is writing a letter to
his girlfriend to show how lonely he is. However, he neither shows
his loneliness nor even references his girlfriend again. People who
we don't know anything about suddenly become involved, and it's
impossible to tell people apart. And this could be that I'm just not
that learned in the history of the British Navy during the Napoleonic
era, but why would eight-year-olds be allowed to be in the navy and
be allowed to kill various people?
It wouldn't win best director. The way Peter Weir directs it is
leisurely at some times and haphazardly at others, both at
inappropriate times. At the climactic fight scene, Weir is so
interested in making sure we know that the British will win, he
doesn't bother on the small stuff that is actually important, like
being able to tell what is happening! Who is doing what to whom? It's
impossible to see. You can't even see who is British and who is
French!
It wouldn't win best actor. Russell Crowe does his typical shtick,
trying to act well to get an Oscar, but he just doesn't work here.
The only other semi-large name is Paul Bettany, who starred with
Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. See my note for Crowe. All of the other
actors were rather invisible; most of their dialogue was just barking
orders to and fro. There wasn't really any room for acting.
It wouldn't win best actress, mainly because there's only about two
in the entire film and are both on screen for a total of five seconds.
Lastly, it wouldn't win best picture, mainly because as much as the
Academy enjoys long, boring movies, it rarely goes for action movies
like Master and Commander tries to be. It had too many subplots, all
mainly there for an excuse for the ending "resolution". Most didn't
go anywhere. If they had been taken out, then it could have been a
more tolerable length, not this, at an overwhelming two-and-a-quarter
hours.
If I were to say one redeeming quality of Master and Commander, it
would be to say that in the beginning it was quite good, with a good
action scene right off of the bat. After that, however, it just
seemed like randomly people started to fight and it soon veered off
into boredom. The subsequent action scenes aren't good, because I was
too bored during the rest to really be entertained by the action, or
by the rest of the movie.
Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences, related images, and brief language.
Running time: 138 minutes
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