Almost a Review: Master and Commander

[mishalak]

Well Master and Commander was a quite all right movie. I was mildly dissatisfied by the ending, but I enjoyed myself. Though I would be all put out by the movie if I didn't know that I could see Angel on tape. It was not quite as good for me as the average episode of vampirey sexiness. For someone who likes age of sail movies it might be a bit better or a bit worse. It certainly seems to get all the details right. Though the cannon seemed rather a bit too accurate at times and the crew a bit too clean and healthy. But that's very minor on the scale of nitpicks. There was plenty of tension in the movie, but I was never totally moved by the characters. I didn't fall in love with them in spite of myself like I did with the crew of Das Boot. I cannot remember seeing a better film about the age of sail.

Maybe I would have been rather unsympathetic to the actual people on such a ship, I don't know. The characters were just... caricatures. The doctor who's more interested in nature. The young officer who's supposed to tug at our heartstrings. The officer who has a bravery problem. The old sea salt. The daring and lucky captain. It's not bad, it's just not great.

I was rather worried that Martin (heck1701) would not show up. That would have been a bad thing because I forgot to bring a book to read before the movie. Oh and they were doing a metal detector thing over the crowd to prevent people bringing in cameras to release it on the net. I had to sodas in the pockets of my jacket, but I was just bold as brass. I took them out and held them in my hands as I held out my arms for them to wave the wand thing over me. They guy didn't say a thing. I don't like the sugary sodas at the movie very much, so I bring my own seltzer a lot of the time.

Comments

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the review!

/sighs/

Well, I'll still go see it. If only to get it out of the way so I can go back to Patrick O'Brian's amazing novels...

Mary, disappointed

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Well I hope in depressing your expectations you'll have a more enjoyable time. The best times I've had in movies were when I went in expecting something awful and got a gem instead.

[rvrjoe775.livejournal.com]

It has to be better than The Perfect Storm, which had a whole cast of characters I just couldn't care about. The film seemed to want me to see them as noble workers bravely facing the odds, but I just saw a bunch of people too stupid to turn around and go home.

Although I was not familiar with them, people rave about the books. If the film can capture any of that feel it should be worth the time to view. Easy to say when the movie costs me nothing but gas money and my time, of course.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I've not seen A Perfect Storm, but yes indeed it is better than that. I'm just spoiled by movies like K-19 and Das Boot where when people die I end up crying for the monsterous loss of it all.

I've not yet seen a ships and sail movie that really moved me. Then again I've not seen a huge number of them. The only othe one I can remember right now is Moby Dick.