Review of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) by Spangle — 08 Jun 2014

"Master and Commander" is a beautifully filmed historical drama that is certainly not great, but is pretty good all the same. Truly every shot in this film seems picturesque and is brilliantly crafted.

In addition, Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany are phenomenal in their roles. The direction overall is also really well done, for example the action sequences are very well done. There are some small complaints I have with the action sequences though, but I will return to those.

The sets are costumes are also beautifully put together. Overall, this film has a lot going for it. Now, none of those truly make it a great film, however. For the negatives, the action sequences, while brilliant, can be a bit confusing at times.

They are so action-packed and intense, it can be hard to identify who is who due to the frenetic pace during the sequences. The dialogue, while fine, can be hard to hear sometimes. I had the volume at a perfect level for everything, but then somebody would mumble their dialogue, so I wound up missing small bits and pieces, which is annoying.

I should not have to have subtitles on to hear some pieces of dialogue. Finally, the film has some unnecessary parts that did not really further anything. Without them, the final product would be a lot tighter and sharper, rather than spending time showing things that do not really further the plot at all.

Overall, "Master and Commander" is a good film that I want to like more and rate higher, but sadly cannot. However, it undoubtedly deserves the praise it has received.