Alright Boys and Girls!! It's Nov. 27, 2003. You know what that means?

A SERIOUSLY delayed movie review!!

Today's seriously delayed movie review is over *drum roll* Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (if that link actually worked, be impressed...if not *shrug* life goes on)

Okay. Not one chance in one thousand would suggest that I would like this movie for two reasons. First, it's a historical movie. With very few exceptions (basically anything Mel Gibson has done), I just don't care for historical movies. "But Lord of the Rings was historical," you point out. Okay...realistic history. As much as I would like to believe that Sauron created the One Ring and 3,000 odd years later Frodo had to toss it into Mount Doom, I'm still grounded enough in reality to know that it didn't actually happen....probably. The second reason is the Russell Crowe Factor. The "Russell Crowe Factor" is basically just the fact that Russell Crowe is in a movie. I don't believe that there is a human, alive or dead, who I have despised as much as him. Why? Basically because he's just an ass (hey! it's my blog and I'll bash one of the highest paid actors in the world if I wish). If a movie is teetering on the boarder of good and bad, the RCF can make or break it (for example: "Well, the movie was alright, but Russell Crowe was in it, so I just cannot with a clear conscious recommend that you spend money to see it. Wait 'til it comes on HBO, and even then, only if you have nothing else to do") And scientists thought that gravity was a strong force....nothing compared to the RCF.

Anyway, now that you know that I shouldn't like this movie, I'm going to totally thow you a curve ball. Not only was this movie AWESOME, but it will probably take the number 2 or 3 spot on my Top 10 List of movies for 2003.

If you're wondering what even willingly got me into a theatre where a movie in which the RCF is ten out of ten was playing, I can answer that in two words: Billy Boyd. I had been hearing him do interviews about this movie for quite some time and decided right away that I wanted to see it (okay...it was more less BECAUSE he was in it that I wanted to see it).

I went into the theatre expecting to see quite a bit of him, as he is listed fifth in the credits. To my surprise (and disappointment), he's really not in it that much. So, while I'm watching this movie, looking for Billy Boyd, I get totally roped into the story of these 197 men and boys who were on this ship during the Napoleonic Wars. Through visuals (different camera angles, costumes, make-up, etc), music and story, this movie won me over as fast as any have.

The movie follows the HMS Surprise as it is on a mission to "destroy, burn or take as a prize" the French warship The Acheron, which has twice the numbers and twice the guns of the Surprise. "Great," you're thinking, "a war movie." Well, yes and no. There is no denying that there is aways an underlying threat of attack from the Acheron, which comes out of nowhere to attack the Surprise twice within the first half of the movie, but I believe that I really enjoyed this movie because of the people. With most war movies, I do not even bother getting to know the characters because, honestly, they're not around long enough to get to know. In this movie, you meet Captain Jack Aubrey, known to his men as "Lucky Jack", the doctor (and dear friend of the Captain) Stephen Maturin, and several young captians in training. Those are basically the characters that you concern yourself with, as there is much going on with those characters (you wouldn't even know the name of Billy Boyd's character if Russell Crowe hadn't yelled "Bonden!" several times in his general direction).

I kind of feel bad doing this, but there's not much else I can tell you. Everything that I want to tell you in this review would be giving away MAJOR plot points or the fate of the crew, which I simply cannot do because I do not wish to ruin this movie for you.

What I can tell you is that I saw this movie twice in it's opening weekend. For me to pay once, little less twice, to see a historical-war movie starring Russell Crowe must tell you that it is something worth seeing (not to mention the fact that I actually want to see it again).