Master and Commander | The Most UNDERRATED Cinematic Masterpiece | Film Summary & Analysis

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is an epic, Napoleonic era war film released in 2003. Co-written, produced and directed by Peter Weir, the movie’s plot and characters are adapted from three novels in author Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series, which includes 20 completed novels of Jack Aubrey's naval career. Russell Crowe stars as Aubrey, captain in the Royal Navy, alongside Paul Bettany as Dr. Stephen Maturin, the ship's surgeon.

The movie was filmed on the open sea, as well as on replica ships, and on the Galapagos Islands. It cost $150 million to make, co-produced by 20th Century Fox, Miramax Films, Universal Pictures, and Samuel Goldwyn Films, and released on November 14, 2003. Unfortunately, it underperformed at the box-office, grossing $212 million worldwide.

However, the film was praised critically. At the 76th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director—winning Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing. In all other categories it lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

While originally there was a plan to create a franchise, no sequels were made.