Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Those of us who have read the entire series of Patrick O'Brien's books on the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his dear friend, Dr. Stephen Maturin during the Napoleonic wars and have soaked up the atmosphere and sense of history so unfailingly captured in those books, are going to be hard to satisfy with any film representation. So although I have great respect for Peter Weir, I did not have high hopes as I sat down to watch the movie. The opening scenes, of a darkened sea and a silent three-masted 'Surprise', with only night watch on deck and most hands asleep below, gives as true a sense of period as any I could possibly imagine - and captivated me immediately. The attention to detail is remarkable and the handling of the crew; surely one of the most difficult aspects of making such a film; utterly masterful. You can smell the lower deck with the hammocks tight-packed with sleeping, farting, snorting bodies and livestock penned into the same quarters. The battle scenes are stunningly effective and the impact of shot and ball makes you wince in a manner that you'd not think possible in an age where we constantly see violent action and are inured to the sight of exploding flesh. That you could not follow who was who in the melees - or determine quite how the various battles between ships were unfolding - didn't matter, because that is exactly how such actions are in reality. Who knows how many died by friendly fire in the confusion of those hand-to-hand encounters? The percentage must have been sizable, as it is even today. Russel Crowe's performance as the utterly resolute and masterful sailor, 'Lucky' Jack Aubrey, is truly brilliant. His English accent falters little and he gives the role all the subtlety required of a character whose own subtlety is not immediately evident. Aubrey is a commander who is intensely sensitive to the mood of his crew - knows all their names - and treats them with a rare humanity for the early 19th century Royal Navy. We know he acquired this sense, in part, because as a young midshipman, he was once demoted to the rank of common sailor; and in this experience, came to understand them as few officers could. The disappointment, for me, was in the lack of development of Dr. Maturin's character. In the books, Maturin (played here by Paul Bettany) is in a sense the main character and much of what happens is seen through his eyes. He is an immensely complex man, deeply learned, and with a quaint 18th century manner of speech which contains much Irish mannerism. "You are to consider" he will say, or "I am persuaded that ...". His turn-out for formal dining occasions is the subject of much affectionate amusement among the crew (for they take pride in him as 'their' learned physician, who cares deeply for his patients) - and vexation for his Commander; for he may appear at dinner in a heavily blood-stained jacket, unwashed for several days, or with his wig awry. He is also evidently a man whose apparent age "might have been anything between twenty and sixty" and he is small and "ill-looking". He and Jack are total opposites and it is the interplay between the two characters; the great affection they hold for one another, that is the spirit of the books. So I say that I was disappointed that Stephen was not better cast and his character was not more defined. I can however also say that those scenes where the two of them make music together do succeed, by the nature of the music chosen, in coming close to the spirit of the book. I should also emphasize that we cannot blame Paul Bettany for this; the problem lies in the casting and in character development (Paul Bettany looks too young and well-kempt for the part and is given little chance to 'be' Stephen). So on the visual level this is a brilliant film and Crowe is most convincing in his role. Weir has performed a labour of love and has soaked himself in the period and the genre. People who read the books, and say that they cannot get past the vast amount of technical detail, will find no relief in the film. O'Brien was uncompromising in his use of nautical terminology and indeed of period language - readers have to take the responsibility to inform themselves in order to appreciate the book and now, to some degree, viewers of this film have the same responsibility.