Sometimes a movie is so grossly overrated it's hard to imagine how it got the praise that has been so generously heaped upon it. The ten Oscar nominations received by "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" are proof that this is one of those times.
While the nods for Art Direction, Costume Design,and Visual Effects may be deserved, this is by no means the best film of 2003. Nor is it one of the top five. Those highly prized nominations for the Best Picture Oscar would have been more rightly given to any number of more compelling, more interesting, more complete movies and it's difficult figure out what all the fuss is about.
Based on the series of highly successful novels by Patrick O'Brian, "Master and Commander" introduces us to Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his confidant, ship surgeon Stephen Maturin, as their ship sails around the coast of South America, looking for Napoleon's fleet to destroy.
From the first encounter with a French frigate, the plot seems promising -- the ship is attacked, the enemy escapes in the fog, and a child officer-in-training has an arm gruesomely amputated. Movie-goers expect sea battles, lots of drama and hopefully some character development. In many ways, they are to be disappointed.
Technically speaking, "Master and Commander" is a success. The cinematography aptly captures the tight quarters of an 1805 warship, and the details in set and costume direction are exquisite -- nothing was neglected, even the dirt around every sailor's cuticles looks to be 200 years old. Sweeping aerial shots of the stark ocean and the Galapagos Islands stick out as rare moments of beauty in a very gray and bloody film.
But the film feels incomplete. While Aubrey is written to be an heroic captain capable of handling his ship and his crew expertly, we are given almost no insight into how he thinks and what makes him such a respected leader.
This may be due to a poor adaptation on the part of the screenwriters, or it may be Russell Crowe's flat performance. Crowe's choice of heroic roles, including those in "Gladiator," "A Beautiful Mind" and "The Insider" hints that he is trying to establish himself as the greatest actor of his generation.
While "Lucky Jack" may be the type of character he enjoys taking on, Crowe didn't do much with it.
Only halfway through the film does any real conflict become apparent.
The French ship was out of the action for much of the movie, leaving only the British to entertain us, so the British-French conflict is almost negligible. Dr. Maturin confronts Aubrey about his pride, but the captain never appears to resolve or even ponder the issue.
"Master and Commander" broaches the subject of evolution throughout the second half of the film, and it adds an interesting dimension.
And yet, the writer and director could have done so much more with it by showing some sort of an evolution in Aubrey. Though he did exhibit a slight change of character near the end of the story, there was something essential lacking: He'd never struggled with his pride to begin with and never reflected upon it.
This film is cast in the classic hero movie mold in which the hero is always right and the adventure itself is enough to make a plot.
It ends such that the series can continue -- but hopefully doesn't have to -- setting the stage for another grand adventure.
Yes, the classic hero movie has its merits, but in this age, moviegoers expect an inner struggle to their characters, and that is the one this that "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" is entirely lacking.
