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Four months after the more lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, another sea-faring adventure with an equally obnoxiously long name, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World debuted in U.S. theaters. While it did not garner box office numbers even close to those of Jack Sparrow and friends, Master and Commander's more obvious ambitions were pointed towards Oscar gold. This quest for award recognition ultimately dilutes the entertainment value and sincerity of the overall picture, but its likable spirit and great production values are enough to recommend the film.

The plot is extremely simple. Set in 1805, Captain Jack Aubrey and his crew have orders to find the French boat named Acheron, and "Sink, Burn, or take her a Prize." It's the simplicity of the story (as well as characters and development) that lead me to believe that this might have been a better film had it striven more for escapist fun, instead of important Oscar bait.

At its heart, Master and Commander is a popcorn adventure film. The problem is that it tries to be so much more, and is only marginally successful in its goals. Dramatic moments are dispersed throughout the picture to provide depth, but these fail to support the film with the necessary gravitas or weight that is expected of an awards contender.

That being said, when the film gives way to its more simplistic and showy sensibilities, Master and Commander is a fairly entertaining movie. The best sequence occurs at the very beginning, in which the Acheron ambushes Jack Aubrey's ship. This sequence is exciting and intense, and the visuals are at their peak during this point.

However, the moments of drama and obvious "Oscar" scenes do occasionally work. There are a grand total of three surgically oriented scenes that serve to show the horror and primitive nature of early medical procedures. These scenes are impressive, thoughtful, and hard to watch.

Unfortunately, many other scenes are literally hard-to-watch, such as the final confrontation at the end of the film. The editing is fast, heavy fog obscures quite a bit of the action, and the shaky cam gets out of control, resulting in a surprisingly sloppy finish to the proceedings. In addition, the deaths of several supporting characters don't leave the impact they should due to the extremely limited development of almost any of the characters.

Thankfully, the weak characters benefit from solid performances. Russel Crowe is a likable lead, and Paul Bettany is especially notable as Aubrey's friend, Dr. Stephen Martin. Child actor Max Pirkis is also good in a supporting role as Lord Blakeney.

The film's score consists mostly of classical music pieces, and it regrettably comes off as pretentious more often than not. Nothing says "give us an Oscar" like classical music, and since the use of such really isn't justified in the film itself, it's more likely to annoy than enchant.

Everything from the music to the 130 minute run time seem to scream "for your consideration," which is so odd because this really doesn't feel much like an Oscar bait film at all. It feels like a film suited for the Summer blockbuster audience. But in trying to elevate its significance by adding long scenes of conversation (which create the illusion that the film is important, but really it's all fluff to pad out the awards-friendly run time), when the film would have been better off just being a little more fun, and a little less snobby. With all that being said, Master and Commander is an entertaining and solidly enjoyable movie, with individual moments of greatness that don't quite manage to form a cohesive whole. Master and Commander might not quite add up to the sum of its parts, but it's hard to deny the film's minor successes along the way.

Score: 7/10