Master and Commander follows British Captain Jack Aubrey as he chases a nemesis across the Atlantic, around Cape Horn, and into the Pacific. Along the way he has to deal with an old ship that needs repair, a diverse crew, an unlucky junior officer, and his surly friend Stephen Maturin, the ship's doctor. Captain Aubry must catch his enemy before he can capture the valuable British whaling fleet.
This movie is very enjoyable. It gives a pretty good look into the life of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars. For the plot Director Peter Weir borrowed freely from a number of the Aubrey/Maturin stories by Patrick O'Brian. The characters make the show. Russell Crowe captures the serious side of Jack Aubrey, though more time should have been given to Aubrey's more amusing side. The Jack Aubrey of the novels is a lot more fun loving than the Aubrey we see in the film. Even so Crowe gives us a character that, like his crew, we can both love and respect. Paul Bettany is wonderful as Stephen Maturin. Maturin is a learned man and a physician who has taken to adventuring as the ship's doctor. He is Jack's friend and confidant.
This a great film and can be enjoyed by those who have read and enjoyed the novels and by those who have never read them. If you have never read the novels then do yourself a favor, watch this movie, then go and start reading the novels.
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