All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Average User Score: 7 (64 sources)

Submit Movie Review

Review this film

Tell the world what you think of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Your Score:

reset score

Write Your Review:
When writing your review, remember to keep the language clean.

Submit Review Cancel

infopro

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (0)

One of us said it wasn't "new or special because there is nothing new in this movie." While I might conceivably agree with the latter I'd definitely have to disagree with the former, for two reasons. First, singularity doesn't require...
[+] Read Full Review

One of us said it wasn't "new or special because there is nothing new in this movie." While I might conceivably agree with the latter I'd definitely have to disagree with the former, for two reasons. First, singularity doesn't require innovation. Consider "Shawshank Redemption" -- nothing new there either, but definitely a special flick due to being so well-crafted. Same in this case, IMHO. :) Second, while I'm not a big fan of the "Horatio Hornblower" era, the execution of the battle & shipboard scenes is truly outstanding. The interplay between Crowe & Bettany is good, but I was even more impressed by the scenes involving the junior officers; excellent representation of the insecurity very often experienced by inexperienced subalterns afraid both of making bad decisions & not making good ones. Definitely 5 *'s+++ IMHO, no question. :)

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted mar 15, 2008 10:02 am pt

gruffi40

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (1)

Very well made, and very good story. I do severely dislike Russel Crowe, and this is one of his worst acting jobs.

Report Abuse

Posted oct 16, 2007 7:18 pm pt

FilipHolm

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (0)

A great movie with a great cast. The story could have been better but the plot is verry good. The characters is verry intresting, but they should... i don´t know... maybe a sequel... no but... i do´t know...

Report Abuse

Posted jun 2, 2007 7:54 pm pt

CTUBauer24

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (1)

This is a very boring movie with a story that goes nowhere i did not like it also it is one of the slowest movies i have ever seen.

Report Abuse

Posted feb 27, 2007 5:05 pm pt

ReptileAcid

-1

Agree (2)

Disagree (0)

Master and Commander follows the voyage of Captain Jack Aubrey sailing for the English empire while being chased by a French vessel during the Napoleonic Wars.
A movie like Master and Commander only comes around once in a generation. It is...
[+] Read Full Review

Master and Commander follows the voyage of Captain Jack Aubrey sailing for the English empire while being chased by a French vessel during the Napoleonic Wars.
A movie like Master and Commander only comes around once in a generation. It is not the plot that makes this film so great but the dialogue, special effects, the good acting and the beautiful soundtrack. One to watch definitely.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted feb 10, 2007 8:08 pm pt

alexlips

-1

Agree (0)

Disagree (4)

This is nothing new or special because there is nothing new in this movie. War, sure there are thousands of movies like that. The war scenes were ok but alot of it was to dark, eery and groosum.

Report Abuse

Posted dec 25, 2006 6:59 am pt

jokipper

-1

Agree (1)

Disagree (3)

It seems like I've seen all of this before...maybe in every version of "Mutiny on the Bounty"? Or any other Age of Sail flick. I guess there isn't anything fresh to be seen about guys sailing around in storms, tieing each up other to be...
[+] Read Full Review

It seems like I've seen all of this before...maybe in every version of "Mutiny on the Bounty"? Or any other Age of Sail flick. I guess there isn't anything fresh to be seen about guys sailing around in storms, tieing each up other to be whipped, and shooting cannonballs at other ships who are engaged in the same activities. At least Jackie Chan's "Project A" movies has some nifty martial arts scenes to liven things up. Count your yawns while watching this one.

[-] Minimize Review

Report Abuse

Posted dec 22, 2006 3:39 am pt

minimax34

-1

Agree (2)

Disagree (1)

Beautiful movie. Finally a good movie about the navy of that time. I'm absolutely loving that movie and the music in it. Its a piece of art.

Report Abuse

Posted dec 9, 2006 5:15 am pt

• [+] Time
  
  100
  Master and Commander is to movies what Russell Crowe is to acting. With subtlety and power, it explores the complexities of men at war, even with themselves. It puts the passion into action, and the thrill into thought.

  by Richard Corliss | Read Full Review »
• [+] Variety
  
  100
  Rare proof that a gigantic production in contemporary Hollywood can possess a distinctive personality and its own approach to storytelling, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World proves as bracing as a stiff wind on the open sea.

  by Todd McCarthy | Read Full Review »
• [+] Dallas Observer
  
  100
  One of this year's best films--a classic, even, like a C.S. Forester "Hornblower" story on steroids.

  by Gregory Weinkauf | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Tribune
  
  100
  As magnificent as a high-masted 19th-century British warship, as explosive as a Napoleonic-era ocean battle seen above the cannon's mouth... probably the best movie of its kind ever made.

  by Michael Wilmington | Read Full Review »
• [+] The New York Times
  
  100
  Stupendously entertaining.

  by Dana Stevens | Read Full Review »
• [+] Christian Science Monitor
  
  100
  This is a rip-roaring adventure combining edge-of-your-seat battle scenes with vivid historical details and more fascinating characters than most action movies dream of. Add heartfelt acting and Russell Boyd's atmospheric camera work, and you have the adventure movie of the year.

  by David Sterritt | Read Full Review »
• [+] Salon.com
  
  100
  Magnificent and heartfelt.

  by Stephanie Zacharek | Read Full Review »
• [+] Wall Street Journal
  
  100
  Just as Aubrey's authority springs from skill and knowledge, so does the film's power. They don't make movies like this any more because few people know how to make them.

  by Joe Morgenstern | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Sun-Times
  
  100
  Like the work of David Lean, it achieves the epic without losing sight of the human, and to see it is to be reminded of the way great action movies can rouse and exhilarate us, can affirm life instead of simply dramatizing its destruction.

  by Roger Ebert | Read Full Review »
• [+] Baltimore Sun
  
  100
  When it comes to the oft-doomed genre of seafaring adventure, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a spectacular throwback and a great leap forward.

  by Michael Sragow | Read Full Review »
• [+] Washington Post
  
  100
  Isn't just a fabulous seagoing spectacle. It's one for the ages.

  by Desson Thomson | Read Full Review »
• [+] Portland Oregonian
  
  91
  It's a wonderfully crafted work, handsome, lively, stirring and utterly convincing in its depiction of the perils and thrills of sea life. But I'm not sure that my personal enthusiasm for it will translate entirely for viewers whose favorite movie about the high seas is, for perfectly good reasons, "Pirates of the Caribbean."

  by Shawn Levy | Read Full Review »
• [+] Entertainment Weekly
  
  91
  A story in full billow; it sails through stretches of bloody battle, anxious waiting, wine-soaked relaxation, and marvelous scientific discoveries by the remarkable Maturin (Paul Bettany, well matched again with his ''A Beautiful Mind'' costar).

  by Lisa Schwarzbaum | Read Full Review »
• [+] Los Angeles Times
  
  90
  Few actors can be as convincing as leaders of men, and to see Crowe as Capt. Jack Aubrey in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is to see a consummate performer doing what he does best.

  by Kenneth Turan | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Hollywood Reporter
  
  90
  The epic adventure, set during the Napoleonic Wars, boasts at least two artists at the top of their respective games -- namely filmmaker Peter Weir and actor Russell Crowe.

  by Michael Rechtshaffen | Read Full Review »