Master & Commander - Bis ans Ende der Welt

Egal, was Sie erwarten – Sie werden etwas anderes bekommen. Master & Commander - Bis ans Ende der Welt ist wie James Ivory auf dem Wasser. Ohne einen Monumentalfilm-Charakter, ohne Action, ohne große Helden. Es ist eine psychologische Exkursion in das Leben der Besatzung eines alten Kriegsschiffes, in ihre persönlichen Konflikte und Regeln, die sie befolgen muss. Das Highlight eines Kriegsfilms wäre eine erfolgreiche Schlacht am Ende. Hier sieht man einen verwundeten Arzt auf einer tropischen Insel, wie er Mistkäfer sammelt. Eine schöne Kamera, die in vielen detaillierten Nuancen die Charaktere der einzelnen Figuren darstellt. Russell Crowe erscheint auf der Leinwand und man vergöttert ihn gleich. Zu den anderen Hauptfiguren baut man eine Beziehung auf, als ob man sie viele Jahre kennen würde. Peter Weir ist ein einzigartiger Regisseur. (13.11.2003)

Thanks to the engaging filmmaking and realistic setting, I can safely say: I was there with them. On the ship during the storm, during the battles and during the moments of relaxation, and I was not bored at all. In the opening battle I was thrown into the whirlwind of the action, with blood, sweat and tears at my fingertips, during the scene with the crashing my ship was being tossed from side to side, and on the Galapagos I relaxed with the Doctor to the strains of the double bass and it was enjoyable. If Weir wanted to show a detailed portrait of life on an English battleship, he succeeded. If he wanted to make an adventure story, he certainly didn't miss. And certainly not with this select ensemble of actors. I believed Crowe and Bettany and their captain and doctor, respectively, every second. And by the way, do you want to know how a scarecrow can help win a naval battle? Then don't hesitate with this film. (30.06.2004)

Monumentally grand, beautifully shot, bombastically scored, and masterfully acted... Although the plot may be somewhat simple, it serves as a perfect microcosm of the life of an ordinary ship's crew, likely one of the most comprehensive portrayals available in today's mainstream oceans. (01.07.2004)

Ich erinnere mich noch nicht einmal mehr, wann ich mich das letzte Mal vor dem Höhepunkt eines Films dabei erwischt habe, dass ich kaum atme. Es muss schon lange her sein und es muss wohl in einem Film wie Master & Commander - Bis ans Ende der Welt gewesen sein. Dies ist ein wunderbarer Ruf nach alten Zeiten, ein Rückblick auf solide Filmemacherei mit einer klaren Vision, präziser Ausführung und perfekt komponierten dramatischen Ebenen. Peter Weir verfügt über Captain Jacks Kommandierfähigkeiten und Standhaftigkeit, bleibt jedoch zeitgleich ein analytischer Beobachter wie Dr. Stephen. Die Art und Weise, wie hier einzelne Charaktere aufgebaut sind, wie die Chemie innerhalb der Crew fungiert wird, sollte Lehrstoff irgendeines Lehrbuchs zur Filmtaktik sein. Innerhalb weniger Minuten ist man da an Bord und nimmt an einer Kreuzfahrt teil, die sowohl lehrreich als auch aufregend und emotional ist. Außerdem schimmern hier Weirs typische Dualitäten kleiner und großer Universen durch, wenn sich Krieg, Politik und Wissenschaft sich systematisch in den Beziehungen und Gesprächen der Charaktere widerspiegeln, ohne dass der Film in übertriebenes Klugeifern versinkt. Von allem gibt´s hier gerade so die richtige Menge und das sprichwörtliche Schießpulver wird hier trotz des donnernd langen Filmmaterials nicht nass. Das hat meinen Hauptmast weggefegt. Huzzah! (und ein Zweier soll ja, bitteschön, wie Peter Weir es uns erzählt hat, keine Utopie sein). (03.04.2011)

A perfect combination of artsy chamber piece focused on characters and “how things worked on those beautiful vessels with sails" with a simple adventure for boys about friendship and duties like out of a dime novel you read secretly during lessons. Despite having nothing whatsoever to do with the equally marvelous book the movie is based on (this is more a mixture of the first and third book with a bit from the tenth book in the Aubrey and Maturin series), this is a simply wonderful movie in its sense for historical precision, characterization of characters or nods for readers (Jack’s missing earlobe, letters to Sophia, Maturin’s “floral" waistcoat etc.) And technical aspects keep step with the content - they are the highest possible standard. The only thing that disappoints me is the non-existence of a director’s cut. As a whole twenty-four minutes of cut scenes demonstrates, not just ballast, but much high quality material was left out of the final cut. (28.01.2007)

I can't even believe how sensitively such a one-sided issue can be portrayed. For two hours, I wanted to serve on the Surprise under the perfect captain Crowe and fight for England. It's a shame that the script can't adapt to Weir's fantastic directing and sometimes slips into completely unnecessary twists, like in the case of the superstition about Jonah. (17.07.2007)

In terms of its production quality, Master & Commander is a spellbindingly impressive project that’s beautifully anachronistic in relation to the trends of the time when it was released. Because of that, however, it inevitably fell short of box-office expectations and failed to become the start of a film franchise, but that doesn’t change the fact that its qualities have stood the test of time. Especially today, when digital effects have long since lost their wow effect, the stubborn authenticity on display here is breathtaking in its immediacy and physicality. In line with the book series whose name the film bears, the narrative focuses on depicting the battleship as an organism and all aspects of life throughout the hierarchy of its crew. To heighten the drama, the individual peripeteias represent the best of the events of the naval battles. The ingeniously constructed screenplay flawlessly connects the two storylines. To the same effect, the individual cut sequences and dolly shots help to map the topography of the ship while constantly illustrating the real dimension of both ordinary tasks and the chaos of battle. (22.07.2023)

For a large part of its runtime, Master and Commander maintains an excellent five-star level of unconventional drama, which does without typical genre clichés and is characterized by a decent atmosphere. The director is not as interested in the war action as in depicting the life of a sailboat crew at the beginning of the 19th century, and through minor incidents and dialogues, the viewer learns a lot not only about a sailor's life but also about the whole society of that time. Among other things, it is a film about friendship and responsibility and a hierarchy of values. The final third of the film, which portrays the clash of two warships, is predictable, clichéd, and above all poorly shot, as well as fragmented, chaotic, and poorly edited. Peter Weir simply doesn't know how to do this, it's not his area of expertise. The culmination of the film for me was not the battle frenzy, but several dialogues between the captain and his ship's doctor. Overall impression: 80%. The film has an excellent cast, with Russell Crowe excelling in his role. In addition to the cast, the film's strengths include the authenticity of the setting and the cinematography, which utilizes all the possibilities that the ocean environment provides. (26.08.2008)

Master and Commander is a picture not so much about great sea battles, but more a study on Captain “happy Jack" Aubrey. Peter Weir’s ingenious direction is aided by the great Russell Crowe and the no less excellent Paul Bettany. Wonderful shots of the sea alternate with the amazing wildlife of the Galapagos. I found the music very powerful. (02.09.2007)

There are few historical blockbusters full of epic battles that can be called realistic, and Master and Commander is one of the exceptions. It is an ambitiously and maturely crafted film in every aspect, with phenomenal technical execution and skillfully condensed in terms of plot. (12.12.2003)

Eine Yachtidylle erwartet man hier vergebens. Weder eine Liebesgeschichte noch malerische Sonnenuntergänge oder ein heroisches Finale wird hier geboten. Lediglich der weite Ozean und zwei Holzbote. Weirs Master & Commander ist ein Filmphänomen, der so nah der Realität kommt wie kein anderer historischer Film. Das bedeutet aber nicht, dass es um einen gespielten Dokufilm geht. Neben einer großartigen Besetzung wird der Film auch von einem grandiosen Set begleitet, das allerdings gleichzeitig beweist, wie kostspielig Marinefilme sind. Es ist daher unwahrscheinlich, dass wir jemals die wahren Höhepunkte der napoleonischen Kriege sehen werden wie Trafalgar, Nil und überhaupt das gesamte Leben des berühmten britischen Admirals Horatio Nelson. (03.03.2016)