Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
82%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
23 wins & 90 nominations total
Russell Crowe’s rough charm is put to good use in this masterful adaptation of Patrick O’Brian’s novel
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a swashbuckling adventure that will have you feeling like you’re right there on the high seas with Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew. With intense battle scenes and a story of friendship that will tug at your heartstrings, this movie is a must-see for anyone who loves action and drama. And let’s not forget the authentic tang of salt, sweat, and gunpowder that will transport you back in time to the Napoleonic Wars. So grab some popcorn and get ready for a wild ride!
Production Company(ies)
Rossen Films,
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences, related images, and brief language
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Dolby Digital DTS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 19m
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Language(s):English, French, Portuguese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 2003 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 20, 2004
Genre(s)
Adventure/Drama
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $211,622,535
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $343,012,988
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 441
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 37,405,997
US/Canada gross: $93,927,920
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $152,245,112
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 509
US/Canada opening weekend: $25,105,990
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $40,693,590
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 299
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $150,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $243,130,762
Production budget ranking: 41
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $130,925,915
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$31,043,689
ROI to date (est.): -8%
ROI ranking: 1,440
Harpo Marx – Tomasso
Kitty Carlisle Hart – Rosa Castaldi
Chico Marx – Fiorello
Margaret Dumont – Mrs. Claypool
Allan Jones – Ricardo Baroni
Director – Sam Wood
Distributor – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Director(s)
Peter Weir
Writer(s)
Peter Weir, John Collee, Patrick O’Brian
Producer(s)
Samuel Goldwyn Jr., Duncan Henderson, Peter Weir
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
23 wins & 90 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Cinematography Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Editing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (219) | Top Critics (54) | Fresh (186) | Rotten (33)
We feel ourselves to be in good company with these men, and strangely jealous of their packed and salted lives.
January 18, 2022
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Intense battle scenes and a strong story of friendship.
December 26, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
Thanks in no small measure to Perfect Storm designer William Sandell, this handsomely mounted actioner exudes the authentic tang of salt, sweat and gunpowder.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
A quite sturdy and enjoyably romp through the ferocious Pacific high seas.
May 4, 2005 | Rating: B
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
Oak solid and unsinkable, Master And Commander is old-fashioned entertainment crafted with considerable care.
April 6, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Colin Kennedy
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It never achieves the visual elegance or majesty that a David Lean might have provided. The story line isn’t the freshest. And yet the film is satisfying all the same.
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
It seems the sea will keep churning and Jack Aubrey will be there to command his men to victory or a well earned death.
August 22, 2021 | Rating: 92/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
Despite the setting (a Royal Navy ship off the eastern coast of South America during the Napoleonic Wars) and the gore (blunt limb removal, exposed brains) the film is tender and poetic.
March 30, 2021
Chris Plante
Polygon
I can say most assuredly that it has already earned its place among the pantheon of classic war films and indeed the greatest films of all time.
February 6, 2020
VyceVictus
Lewton Bus
There aren’t too many films that can combine intelligence and thrills, but Master and Commander succeeds on both counts.
November 15, 2019
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News
Written by Weir and John Collee, this is a faithful adaptation of the O’Brian novels told with a well-paced, rousing exuberance and uncommon intelligence and humanity, richly detailed in both character and action.
November 13, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
Marketed as a rollicking adventure at sea, “Master and Commander” instead is a disguised lesson in social history with just enough action sequences to make it palatable.
May 30, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4
Michael Kleinschrodt
Times-Picayune…
Plot
In April 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars, H.M.S. Surprise, a British frigate, is under the command of Captain Jack Aubrey. Aubrey and the Surprise’s current orders are to track and capture or destroy a French privateer named Acheron. The Acheron is currently in the Atlantic off South America headed toward the Pacific in order to extend Napoleon’s reach of the wars. This task will be a difficult one as Aubrey quickly learns in an initial battle with the Acheron that it is a bigger and faster ship than the Surprise, which puts the Surprise at a disadvantage. Aubrey’s single-mindedness in this seemingly impossible pursuit puts him at odds with the Surprise’s doctor and naturalist, Stephen Maturin, who is also Aubrey’s most trusted advisor on board and closest friend. Facing other internal obstacles which have resulted in what they consider a string of bad luck, Aubrey ultimately uses Maturin’s scientific exploits to figure out a way to achieve his and the ship’s seemingly impossible goal.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
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