For an epic without much battle, Commander stays afloat

Life on Napoleonic era battleships has never seemed more realistic than in Russell Crowe's latest effort, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, directed by Peter Weir. The film follows the British warship HMS Surprise as she traverses two oceans in search of her enemy, the French frigate L'Acheron.

Master and Commander opens with a fantastically powerful scene where the Surprise is nearly sunk by L'Acheron in a thick fog. The Surprise's Captain, Jack Aubrey, decides to make repairs to his vessel at sea as opposed to returning to England (to the dismay of most of his officers), and resumes his chase with L'Acheron to all ends of the globe.

Captain Aubrey is played brilliantly by Crowe, who displays all the signs of a seasoned mariner from days past, with a touch of British class, of course. Crowe is as comfortable ducking from enemy cannon fire as he is sipping tea in his quarters while playing the violin with the ship's doctor, Dr. Stephen Maturin

Maturin, played by Paul Bettany, shares a fascinating relationship with Captain Aubrey. Though they are personal friends, they often harbor very different outlooks on life in the 1800s. In fact, Maturin's relationship with Aubrey is what really drives this film. While the battle scenes are epic and tremendously engaging, Master & Commander is really a study of the characters of men forced to live in close quarters and deal with their different phobias, jealousies, and outlooks on life as well as accomplish their assigned tasks.

Some of the most poignant and deepest moments in the film come when Aubrey and Maturin disagree on the necessary or correct course of action. Aubrey is a show-boating warrior with no regrets and Maturin serves as his alter ego -- a progressive intellectual who seems more interested in stopping warfare rather than in carrying it out.

Master & Commander must be credited with unforgettable cinematography and strict adherence to historical detail. The set of the HMS Surprise spares no expense. When watching the film, it is easy to imagine yourself on the deck of this wooden hulk in 1805. Every element, from the ropes used in the sails to the dinner forks, had been meticulously researched and recreated.

The few scenes on land give the crew and the audience a breather from the tense and uncertain atmosphere of the sea. Director Peter Weir makes great use of the unique creatures of the Galapagos Islands to showcase Maturin's curious and academically centered naturalist side, which is a stark contrast from the main concerns on the Surprise. Maturin's sidekick during his specimen-collecting expeditions on the islands is the young Lord Blakeney, a next-generation British figure whose persona consists of a balanced blend of Aubrey's passion for battle and Maturin's thirst for knowledge. 13 year-old Max Pirkis plays this intense role with passion and convincing sincerity.

Master and Commander truly stands out as a thoughtful, majestic recreation of life aboard ship in the 1800s. At times, it seems as though the film is almost too true to form; of the two and a half hours it runs, about a total of 45 minutes are dedicated to battle or land scenes. The remainder of the movie painstakingly illustrates life above and below the decks of a 19th century warship, which often consists of some sort of cross between claustrophobia and boredom.

All of the acting was unparalleled in Master and Commander, although the real star was the Surprise herself. Her every creak and groan brought the audience onto her decks, and the film's two major battle scenes had many in the audience audibly gasping.