Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Blu-ray (2003)

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Blu-ray (2003)

Starring: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Peter Weir
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Video: 2.40:1 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9 1080p HD
Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Lossless Audio; Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, English, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean
Extras: Six deleted scenes; historical and geographical trivia track; pop-up map; search content index; personal scene selections; theatrical trailer; preview trailers; D-BOX motion code
Feature Length: 138 minutes
Movie Rating: *****   Video Rating: ***
Audio Rating: *****    D-Box Motion Quality Rating: *****

“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” is the story of Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) of the HMS Surprise, a British Navy battleship at sea during the Napoleonic Wars.  Aubrey’s ship is attacked by the French warship Acheron, a vessel that is superior to the HMS Surprise in terms of speed, build and weaponry.  He and his loyal crew chase the Acheron across two oceans in a mission to either capture or destroy the enemy.  When Aubrey’s pride and dedication to duty begin to transform the mission into a dangerous obsession, the ship’s doctor Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), who is also Aubrey’s good friend, tries to keep Aubrey’s actions in check by acting as a voice of conscience. 

Although there are a couple of extraordinary battle scenes with brilliant special effects, “Master and Commander” is not a high-octane action movie.  Rather, it is a movie that places a great deal of emphasis on character study and being a realistic depiction of life at sea.  Crowe and Bettany give strong performances and they complement each other well.  Highly recommended.      

 
The high definition video quality of “Master and Commander” is good, but it is not up to the same high standard as its audio counterpart.  Images favor the soft side, but are otherwise clean with fine detail.  Black levels remain consistently dark throughout the movie.  Colors are accurate with nicely-saturated hues.  Other than occasional film grain, picture defect mastering is solid with no major flaws or compression artifacts.  The overall audio quality is excellent with the English DTS 5.1 track.  The soundtrack aggressively incorporates all of the discrete channels into its mix.  Dialogue is crisp and securely anchored in the center channel.  The surround channels are very active, utilized for ambient sound effects and the music score, plus include numerous split rear effects.  The low frequency effects channel is powerful and at times explosive (especially during the battle scenes).

“Master and Commander” is compatible with the “D-BOX” Motion Code™ System, meaning that if you have the compatible D-BOX equipment, your movie viewing experience will be enhanced by adding both motion and vibration to your seating.  About twenty percent of this movie has motion effects and/or vibration present.  Motion effects range from the gentle rocking of ocean waves to the potent rumble of cannonball explosions.  Three particular scenes in the movie are stand-out D-BOX material.  The first two scenes occur with the naval battles in Chapters 4 and 31.  The firing of the cannons and the explosions caused by the cannonballs are both vividly brought to life.  In addition to the very palpable impacts and rumbles, D-BOX incorporates precisely-timed up, down, and side-to-side motion.  The combination of motion and vibration made me feel like I was part of the crew experiencing the battle firsthand.  The third scene that was particularly impressive occurs in Chapter 14 when the HMS Surprise encounters a violent storm at sea.  D-BOX nicely simulates the intensity of the battering waves with its strong, continuous vibration and motion.  Overall, I would rate the D-BOX motion/vibration quality for “Master and Commander” as excellent.

- Calvin Harding Jr.











 

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