Review of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) by Nick O — 23 Jul 2013
"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" lost most of its Oscars to the final "Lord of the Rings" film. Fair enough. But you can't deny its rousing, grand-scale wonders.
Epic's one way to describe it. Mighty's another. Staged lavishly without forgetting its rough, hard-worn feel, Peter Weir's film has the tea-stained look of a travel log, dirtied with the mud and blood of multiple vantage points and campfire stories.
It sort of makes up for the rest of the plot's lulls and cliches. Plus Russell Crowe is really good. And Weir must have at least modeled some of the shots after "Barry Lyndon", so it's safe to call it Kubrickian.
Lot of adjectives. There's a certain disconnect between its sweeping images and its character beats and emotion, but that's not to say "Master and Commander" isn't all too often artful in forsaking the stiff tune of the familiar to step out as its own cordial, thrilling thing.
This review of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) was written by Nick O on 23 Jul 2013.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World has generally received positive reviews.
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