Master and Commander: The Far End of the World (2003)
Directed by Peter Weir
Written by Peter Weir & John Collee

Although even writing out the title of this film bores me very nearly to tears, I can't find much fault with the movie itself. Big, booming, beautiful, realistic, and free from imposed blockbuster-movie conventions, it's as good as a seafaring movie will ever get.

So enjoyment depends entirely on how much you like old naval ships, commodore hats, duty-bound seamen, cannonball fights, and ad-hoc pre-AMA surgical procedures. I myself prefer this genre with a heavy dose of humor (Pirates of the Caribbean, for example), although even then it's got to be pretty fuckin' funny to keep me interested. Otherwise, my attention span starts getting scurvy.

I guess we all have genres that just don't do much for us, and no matter how good a film is, it'll hit a glass ceiling of potential enjoyment. So it was with this one for me, matey.

Review by Shawshank Red