Master and Commander : The Far Side Of The World has a large budget with a respectable B-list director in Peter Weir, and you’ve got CGI effects making an attempt to recreate a massive historical spectacle, and mostly succeeding. I’m told that it’s based on a popular series of books by Patrick O’Brian, and it does look like a passable attempt to start a franchise.

However it’s all a bit too sanitised to be convincing, and an early arm amputation has all the drama of a routine tooth extraction. Russell Crowe shouts and struts as only he can, Paul Bettany is excellent as the ship’s cerebral doctor, and it all passes the time very agreeably and demonstrates your home cinema equipment well.

Mild Peril Rating:

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