Theater review: Crowe expands horizons in new epic

By Trent Loomis
On-line Forty-Niner

In Russell Crowe's latest epic, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," the Australian born megastar adds humor to his macho on-screen persona to give the film a human quality that hasn't been explored in subsequent movies.

The film takes place in the wartime during Napoleon's reign and starts out with Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey (Crowe) of the British Navy guiding his vessel, the H.M.S. Surprise through calm waters before it gets ambushed by a superior French ship.

The Surprise is badly damaged and suffers many casualties, but is able to make the necessary repairs, which start a game of cat-and-mouse with the mysterious French ship to the other end of the world.

It is an exciting movie that not only satisfies the adventurer in all of us, but also lets us in on a side of Crowe never seen before. He cracks jokes and handles delicate situations with compassion.
The title "Master and Commander" is a bit ostentatious, but serves "Lucky" Jack well as he is a god among men, and the sole inspiration to fight.

Crowe's vulnerable human side can be attributed to director Peter Weir, ("The Truman Show," "Dead Poet's Society") who transformed Jim Carey and Robin Williams from typecast comedians into indelible dramatic characters.  It's a subtle move, but it reaps rewards, especially from the crew of the H.M.S. Surprise.

The movie is based on author Patrick O'Brien's series of Aubrey/Maturin novels, which follows Aubrey and the ships doctor, Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) from the coast of Brazil, south to Cape Horn and all the way to the Galapagos Islands, literally on the other side of the world.

"Master and Commander" happens to be the first movie filmed partially on the Galapagos Islands.

What "Master and Commander" has up its sleeve that no other modern day film can boast is its genre. The fact that there aren't any movies that cover this period and platform make it all the more intoxicating.

There are a few things that we've seen before but its anchor is too small and light that it won't sink this cinematic ship.