Master And Commander

Well ladies and gentleladies you're back, with yours truly.

Anybody like history? Is it just me? No? A couple of you?
Good. I really like reading through history, and one of my all-time favorite authors is G.A. Henty, a historical fiction writer. For those of you who don't know what historical fiction is, it's when an author creates a fictional character and puts them through an actual historical event. It's a great way to write because you have actual events that create a spine, and then a fictional character you can have fun with.

But enough about writing, we're here to look at a movie. How many of you have seen the movie Master and Commander?

-SPOILERS ALERT-
So, Master and Commander is about a British captain of the man-of-war HMS Surprise, a ship commissioned to venture across the Atlantic in pursuit of the French ship Acheron. Their orders: to intercept and destroy the Acheron, which is intent on going to the Pacific and bringing the war into those waters.

The plot of the movie is basically just them chasing the Acheron around until they finally catch it and take it. But what makes this movie really interesting is the character development. You have Jack Aubrey, the captain (termed 'lucky Jack' by his men) forced to make hard decisions. Should he make the better decision for his men (as Master), or for the mission (as Commander)? Hence the title. He comes across some very difficult situations and it is very nice to see how both the conflicting roles play out.

Of course, being done in the Napoleonic wars, there's a little stuff about 'tyranny' and 'revolution' which wasn't necessary but overall actually fleshes the plot out a little.
-END SPOILERS-

How was this movie, overall?
Great. You should definitely watch it. I'd even say it's worth owning, but your choice. The plot, while simple, works great. The dialogue is very well done and interesting, and there are a couple of very well done jokes. And the actor for the captain is RUSSEL CROWE, people. You know, the guy who was the main character in GLADIATOR? That EPIC movie?

Yeah. Give it a watch.

Signing off, gents!