From its outlook you could expect something good, even if a bit strange: Peter Weir running a seafaring movie, which from its trailer promised to be a gripping and exciting adventure through the seas of the early 19th century? But the trailer was lying. The movie is much more than just the adventures of Cpt. Jack Aubrey on board the HMS Suprise. This movie is made from the very same fabric it displays on screen, a fabric of sweat, salt water, heat, cold and storms. A fabric of moral and human fiber, a fabric of people's senses and feelings. The biggest suprise of this crafted and superb movie is that it sticks to the human values, and brings back that feeling of old movies, before the explosion of CGI created new worlds and destroyed many others. In fact, the computer-generated elements in this movie are so rare and detailed that you'll not notice them and even if you do, you'll forget that they are not real. This movie is realistic to every woodchip that flies under the cannon charges and every bit of cloth these characters wear. Add to it a commanding presence by Russel Crowe, decent supporting characters and a superb sound construction and you'll have one of the finest movies of the year, and a sure bet to the oscars (it's produced by Miramax, you know).
