The year is 1805 and Napoleon has captured most of Europe, and all that stands in his way from total domination is the Britain Navy that our now directly in his cross hairs. The H.M.S. Surprise is an English naval warship sailing the Atlantic Ocean looking for French ships to intercept and destroy to stop Napoleons conquests at any means necessary. Lead by Captain Lucky Jack Aubrey, the crew maintains a well-oiled working atmosphere due to Aubrey's diligent leadership, and his crucial friendship with the ship's medical officer, Stephen Maturin. It is because of this that the ship and its crew have become almost infamous on the High Seas. While sailing the desolate Brazilian seas, the Surprise comes across an errant French warship that they have been ordered to destroy or capture if at all possible. But this ship proves to be harder to take down as they out gun and outnumber that of the Surprise and also seem to have some uncanny luck at catching Lucky Jack off guard. So the Surprise begins a chase that will take Aubrey to unseen corners of the Pacific Ocean as well as to the brink of his own leadership abilities as the phantom ship tests everything he knows and pushes the ship and its crew right to the brink. Friendships will be questioned, skills will be tested, superstitions will be brought to the forefront and it appears that all that stands between them and failure is Captain Aubrey.

Some people have referred to this movie as Gladiator of the high seas, and while the movie has a lot of the same great action, but I thought that a lot of the human emotion of Gladiator was missing which is a shame because the movie could have easily had just as much humanity had it developed it character better. This is because the movie seemed to harp on the action and forgot to develop some of the side characters enough that we actually care when they are killed. Heck you may find it hard to discern in the end who was killed and who actually lived as they jumble most of the crew up. Besides Lucky Jack and the doctor Stephen the movie failed to make the characters compelling enough that we would care whether they lived or died. But that being said I don’t think the movie was about anybody more that Russell Crowe’s character and while I truly dislike Crowe in real life I have to give him props for being a great actor that completely enthralls you in the story. And while Crowe is slightly despicable at times he is still compelling and highly entertaining to watch. The movie revolves around him and he truly is the make or break point and he again makes the movie. The action is superb, the story is compelling and enthralling and while the movie does have some faults that are easy to forget as you are drawn in once more by a movie that is dramatic and unforgettable.
4 stars out of 5