Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Two tremendous early-19th century sea battles comprise the bookends of director Peter Weir's ambitious adaptation of two of Patrick O'Brian's celebrated British epic maritime novels. Accurate down to the bloody palm prints of injured sailors steadying themselves on five-and-a-half-foot ceilings below decks, the movie has no story arc to speak of--it's just a Napoleonic War cat-and-mouse game between the 28-gun English frigate of iron-willed Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and the faster, heavier, better-armed French privateer he's been ordered to "sink, burn or take…as a prize." But even as a linear tale of battle strategy and personality that lacks a first act, the film is so well-crafted and well-acted that it engulfs the viewer in a time and place where "the oceans have become the battlefields," while remaining confined almost entirely onboard the ship, which becomes a terrarium of interesting characters and nautical drama. Co-starring Paul Bettany (reuniting with Crowe after A Beautiful Mind) as the ship's oft-needed sea-novice surgeon and the captain's dear friend, this Oscar nominee for Best Picture is recommended. (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—June 10, 2008—Fox, 138 min., PG-13, $39.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World features a solid but unremarkable transfer and a stunning DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless soundtrack. The Blu-ray extras include only the deleted scenes (24 min.) and trailers from the two-disc DVD edition that was loaded with extras. Blu-ray exclusive features include a historical and geographical trivia track, a pop-up map feature that allows viewers to see where select scenes take place, and a search feature for various keywords and character names. Bottom line: hardly a flagship upgrade, this version nevertheless does offer quite a workout for a home theater speaker setup.]