Review of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) by Jake W — 26 Jan 2014

To me, no movie title, poster, or premise, spelt "boring" better than this one did.

I never fancied watching this at all, and when I was about to put 'Jaws' on the other night, my Granddad insisted we watch this shit instead, ("because it's better than that bloomin' rubbish!!"). I was pretty damned unhappy about watching it, but I decided not to be an asshole and just sit through the fucking thing. Little did I know that 'Master' was directed by Peter Weir, and also, that it was a pretty excellent movie. I know there's lots of people out there that can't quite bring themselves to liking Russell Crowe, but I've always thought him a good actor, and his performance in this movie was the best I've seen of him so far. But this film also has some marvellous cinematography; such talented set-designs and visual sequences that even if it does get a little slow at times, you can still just admire the craftsmanship of the filmmaker and his crew. All the characters were very strong and likable, and the minimalist use of music was complimented all the more further by its rare appearance being nothing but two gentle violins. There's quite a lot going on in this movie, but I would probably just sum it all up and say it was beautiful. Sometimes violent sometimes a little boring, but an all-round gorgeous movie. Definitely worth watching if you haven't done yet.