Absolutely Stuning!!

All I can say is wow! After seeing this movie not only did I come away thinking," what a great film this was!" but also that i had learned something! This movie teaches you so much about what it would have been like living on a ship, it would not have been pleasent! This film also has awesome action scenes, and great acting(Paul Bettany should have been nominated for an academy award)! Highly recommended! You're missing out if you don't rent it,NOW!
PG-13(intense battle scenes and related images, brief language)
Caution: This movie is way to violent and gory for young children

Excellent Supporting Cast

Although not a huge fan of Russell Crowe, the movie, with its excellently cast supporting actors really shone.

The story involves the chase between the British HMS Surprise and the French man o'war the Acheron from Brazil, around Cape Horn, and finally to the Galapogos Islands. The Surprise is captained by Lucky Jack Aubrey whose friend Stephen Maturin is the ship's surgeon.

Beyond the captain and the surgeon however, is the portrayals of the people who manned the Surprise from the 10 year old boys to the salty lifers who have "hold fast" tattooed on their fingers. Blakeney, the young lord, Calamy who is made acting third lieutenant by the end, and even Mr. Hollom, the thirty year old midshipman who loves the sea but doesn't want to or know how to lead men. All these characters really made the movie what it is.

Enlightening

I never really understood what life was like aboard a naval vessel until I saw this movie. Peter Weir has outdone himself recreating the environment of a Captain and his crew and how his leadership and relationship influenced them all.

What I liked best about this movie was that the general tone throughout was pretty subdued yet with enough eye catching action to keep the audience engaged. There were no cliched lines like "That's an order!" or "Come on, Mates! Put your backs into it!". The dialogue and the emotions were perfectly balanced and realistic which made it so believable. Best of all, we actually get to see them in action when they find their enemy warship with the Captain leading the attack on board, not just standing around and barking orders all day like a Hollywood cliche.

I would give this five stars, but I was a bit disappointed this DVD had no extras. I guess that's where the two-disc version comes in handy.

A movie well done. Had Return of the king not claimed best picture, although highly deserving, then Master and Commander would have been a sure winner.