Adventure. An adaptation of the novels by English writer Patrick O'Brian about Captain Jack Aubrey (nicknamed "Lucky Jack") and his friend ship's doctor Stephen Maturin. And since I am not familiar with the original book source, I will evaluate the film adaptation as an independent work. What can I say - a movie from childhood. I remember watching it more than once when I was still a kid, because the sea always attracted me, and this picture was often shown on the box (I don't know how to deal with this case now, I haven't looked at this very box for a long time). And as a child, I really liked this picture, and now, having already reviewed it at a respectable age, and having gained knowledge, I can say that the picture is still good, although some disadvantages have emerged that simply cannot be ignored. And here's my brief opinion for you - A good American military adventure picture. It is necessary to analyze both the pros and cons of this picture, so we finish with an introduction.
So, the pros: 1. The scenario is 1805. There is another war between England and France. The latter is headed by Emperor Napoleon the First Bonaparte, who intends to conquer the whole world. His Majesty's frigate Sudden is serving in the Atlantic Ocean, which is being attacked by the newest French battleship Acheron. "Sudden" manages to evade pursuit, but an order was received from London to prevent the Acheron from entering the Pacific Ocean. Captain Jack Aubrey will have to complete a difficult task - to defeat the Acheron, despite the fact that Jack's ship is a frigate, and is already quite old. But cunning, experience and a loyal team will help Jack complete the task and return home with honor. If we do not take into account the obvious stupidities and outright blunders, then we have a pretty strong story of the confrontation between two ships and two captains (although the main focus is on Jack and "Sudden"). The genre of the picture can even be called a "thriller", because in many places it tickles the nerves of the audience, because we worry about the characters, because we know that the French ship Acheron is much stronger. The finale is both surprising and perplexing (but we'll talk about that later). The characters are revealed in sufficient detail so that the audience can empathize with them and hope for their victory. Dialogues are "alive" (unlike most modern film products, both domestic and foreign). The drama is at a good level. I am glad that the creators did not clutter up the picture with unnecessary details, but focused on the main story and a couple of auxiliary ones. The script of this picture does not exactly claim to be an Oscar, but it cannot be called a passer-by in any way. Nowadays, Western filmmakers are no longer able to master such a scenario.
2. Costumes, scenery - the picture was shot on the high seas and with the help of special equipment, in general, almost everything was shot on location - and this is good. Here you will find natural light, atmosphere, and immersion in the era. The costumes are also pleasing to the eye. The British naval uniforms did well. Most likely there are inaccuracies (and there cannot be), but I leave this to professional military historians who know much more than yours truly. It is a pity that they did not work with French naval uniforms in this way (although there are good encyclopedias and detailed illustrations), and in the picture the creators limited themselves to only some details. Despite the obvious flaws, I am inclined to praise the creators of the picture for a well-done job in this aspect. It's not a solid five, but they definitely deserve a four.
3. Maritime romance - despite the fact that the picture tells about the war at sea, about raging storms, about calm, and just about things that can alienate ordinary people from the sea. All this does not prevent you from showing the other side of the coin - the discovery of new lands, the journey itself, the sea brotherhood, overcoming your weaknesses, a sense of danger, responsibility for your country, and finally the desire to see your native home after a long sea voyage. Maybe I'm thinking like the last romantic, but that's how it looks. I love the romance of the sea, and in this picture it is reflected quite well.
So, the cons: 1. The basis of the script is the central story, which the picture tells and shows, took place, but not in 1805, but in the Anglo-American War of 1812, when the American frigate Constitution collided with the British frigate Guerriere (an American sank an Englishman as a result of the battle), but the producers decided to postpone the place and time of the action are much further south, so as not to cause bad exclamations from the American audience. Indeed, why stir up the past? After all, we need to take the picture all over the world, including England. However, this did not help much - there was a box office failure, although not very significant.
2. Questions to logic - why should the Acheron not be allowed to enter the Pacific Ocean in the opinion of the British Admiralty? What's the point of Acheron attacking whaling ships? The episode with the three boats that pull the ship "Sudden" is generally a laugh with laughter. I will also keep silent about the bottomless chest with the necessary things for the ship and the crew (apparently, damn magic) and so on. These are just the highlights that I have noticed. If you look closely, you can find a lot more of them.
A little bit about the main characters: 1. Captain Jack Aubrey played by Russell Crowe - commander of the frigate "Sudden", a celebrity of the Royal Navy, who is known for not losing a single battle he participated in. He was a subordinate of Lord Horatio Nelson himself. We are loved by sailors and officers. Admittedly, Russell Crowe just masterfully performed this role. There is confidence and experience in his character, while he does not bury himself in himself, maintains good relations with Dr. Maturin. He can comfort you in a difficult moment, although at some moments it is clear that some of the things he had to do for the first time. Bravo!
2. Dr. Stephen Maturin, played by Paul Bettany, is a ship's doctor, and by nature is a researcher, a naturalist, obsessed with the study of new species of animals. A very talented doctor who can help in the most critical situation. At the same time, he is a friend of Captain Orbie. The doctor often likes to remind a friend of honor, so that he does not bury himself in the armor called "duty".
Billy Boyd, our favorite Pipin from the legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy, also starred here, although his role here is almost episodic (constantly flashing in the background).
I have to admit that the picture is tedious, but it does not slide into outright boredom. But the finale leaves ambivalent feelings - this is both surprise and dislike, because in the finale there is a hint of a sequel, which never happened, and will not happen, since the box office was very, very modest, consider it a failure. Apparently, the producers were so confident of success that they conceived an entire series. I admit, I am glad for the modest box office, because this is how you need to hit the pocket of greedy and overconfident producers in order to think ahead.
And yet, the painting has stood the test of time, and even now it looks quite good and spectacular. I am glad that I have reviewed it, and I am sure that I will review it with pleasure more than once.
My rating is 8 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!
So, the pros: 1. The scenario is 1805. There is another war between England and France. The latter is headed by Emperor Napoleon the First Bonaparte, who intends to conquer the whole world. His Majesty's frigate Sudden is serving in the Atlantic Ocean, which is being attacked by the newest French battleship Acheron. "Sudden" manages to evade pursuit, but an order was received from London to prevent the Acheron from entering the Pacific Ocean. Captain Jack Aubrey will have to complete a difficult task - to defeat the Acheron, despite the fact that Jack's ship is a frigate, and is already quite old. But cunning, experience and a loyal team will help Jack complete the task and return home with honor. If we do not take into account the obvious stupidities and outright blunders, then we have a pretty strong story of the confrontation between two ships and two captains (although the main focus is on Jack and "Sudden"). The genre of the picture can even be called a "thriller", because in many places it tickles the nerves of the audience, because we worry about the characters, because we know that the French ship Acheron is much stronger. The finale is both surprising and perplexing (but we'll talk about that later). The characters are revealed in sufficient detail so that the audience can empathize with them and hope for their victory. Dialogues are "alive" (unlike most modern film products, both domestic and foreign). The drama is at a good level. I am glad that the creators did not clutter up the picture with unnecessary details, but focused on the main story and a couple of auxiliary ones. The script of this picture does not exactly claim to be an Oscar, but it cannot be called a passer-by in any way. Nowadays, Western filmmakers are no longer able to master such a scenario.
2. Costumes, scenery - the picture was shot on the high seas and with the help of special equipment, in general, almost everything was shot on location - and this is good. Here you will find natural light, atmosphere, and immersion in the era. The costumes are also pleasing to the eye. The British naval uniforms did well. Most likely there are inaccuracies (and there cannot be), but I leave this to professional military historians who know much more than yours truly. It is a pity that they did not work with French naval uniforms in this way (although there are good encyclopedias and detailed illustrations), and in the picture the creators limited themselves to only some details. Despite the obvious flaws, I am inclined to praise the creators of the picture for a well-done job in this aspect. It's not a solid five, but they definitely deserve a four.
3. Maritime romance - despite the fact that the picture tells about the war at sea, about raging storms, about calm, and just about things that can alienate ordinary people from the sea. All this does not prevent you from showing the other side of the coin - the discovery of new lands, the journey itself, the sea brotherhood, overcoming your weaknesses, a sense of danger, responsibility for your country, and finally the desire to see your native home after a long sea voyage. Maybe I'm thinking like the last romantic, but that's how it looks. I love the romance of the sea, and in this picture it is reflected quite well.
So, the cons: 1. The basis of the script is the central story, which the picture tells and shows, took place, but not in 1805, but in the Anglo-American War of 1812, when the American frigate Constitution collided with the British frigate Guerriere (an American sank an Englishman as a result of the battle), but the producers decided to postpone the place and time of the action are much further south, so as not to cause bad exclamations from the American audience. Indeed, why stir up the past? After all, we need to take the picture all over the world, including England. However, this did not help much - there was a box office failure, although not very significant.
2. Questions to logic - why should the Acheron not be allowed to enter the Pacific Ocean in the opinion of the British Admiralty? What's the point of Acheron attacking whaling ships? The episode with the three boats that pull the ship "Sudden" is generally a laugh with laughter. I will also keep silent about the bottomless chest with the necessary things for the ship and the crew (apparently, damn magic) and so on. These are just the highlights that I have noticed. If you look closely, you can find a lot more of them.
A little bit about the main characters: 1. Captain Jack Aubrey played by Russell Crowe - commander of the frigate "Sudden", a celebrity of the Royal Navy, who is known for not losing a single battle he participated in. He was a subordinate of Lord Horatio Nelson himself. We are loved by sailors and officers. Admittedly, Russell Crowe just masterfully performed this role. There is confidence and experience in his character, while he does not bury himself in himself, maintains good relations with Dr. Maturin. He can comfort you in a difficult moment, although at some moments it is clear that some of the things he had to do for the first time. Bravo!
2. Dr. Stephen Maturin, played by Paul Bettany, is a ship's doctor, and by nature is a researcher, a naturalist, obsessed with the study of new species of animals. A very talented doctor who can help in the most critical situation. At the same time, he is a friend of Captain Orbie. The doctor often likes to remind a friend of honor, so that he does not bury himself in the armor called "duty".
Billy Boyd, our favorite Pipin from the legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy, also starred here, although his role here is almost episodic (constantly flashing in the background).
I have to admit that the picture is tedious, but it does not slide into outright boredom. But the finale leaves ambivalent feelings - this is both surprise and dislike, because in the finale there is a hint of a sequel, which never happened, and will not happen, since the box office was very, very modest, consider it a failure. Apparently, the producers were so confident of success that they conceived an entire series. I admit, I am glad for the modest box office, because this is how you need to hit the pocket of greedy and overconfident producers in order to think ahead.
And yet, the painting has stood the test of time, and even now it looks quite good and spectacular. I am glad that I have reviewed it, and I am sure that I will review it with pleasure more than once.
My rating is 8 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!