3. Master and Commander
Moving away from childrens literature (for now), Jack OBrians historical fiction series follows the fortunes of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr Stephen Maturin on their many various adventures in the British Navy fighting those dastardly Frenchies, playing stringed instruments, growing sideburns, getting royally hammered and occasionally being sidetracked by sites of special zoological interest. The series, spanning a mighty 20 volumes (with a 21st unfinished) and written over a scarcely-believable 30 year period from 1969-1999, can boast of millions of fans worldwide, as well as an historical and literary merit that speaks of a special achievement. Taking its title from the 10th of the series, and borrowing plot points from various books in the series, 2003s Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World had a lot going for it, including a peerless director in Peter Weir and a marvellous cast including Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd,James DArcy and David Threlfall. The central relationship between the man of war and the man of science had a wonderful chemistry behind it, and the engaging subplots and attention to historical detail made for a film that was both entertaining and weighty, steeped in historical evocation while providing more than enough entertainment along the way. The first film was a major critical success, and bagged 10 Oscar nominations and a couple of wins for cinematography and sound editing. In short, Master and Commander film had everything it needed to be transformed into a successful franchise think Sharpe-on-Sea, with added brains. Everything, that is, except the box office. Ah, the money the common factor tying together all the entries on this list. The Far Side of the World came in over budget and didnt perform as well expected at the box office, all but destroying any kind of incentive for the studio to invest in further entries. Its a sad situation, as the first entry was an extremely promising start and the source material is there, ready and waiting, with providing plenty of scope for exploration. Instead, were left wondering what might have been - and who knows, perhaps a successful franchise might have prevented Paul Bettanys rapid descent from admired character actor to failed leading man. It seems people just arent that into boat-based historical epics these days, beyond the cheapened maritime gratification of Pirates of the Carribean Series, or the recent Battleship. Just go and watch Hornblower instead.
Calum Lindsay
I'm just a boy, sitting in front of a blank page, asking it to write itself. Never more at home than when I'm being sent on a journey by a good piece of cinema, I've lost count of the hours spent trying to persuade people that Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson is the finest actor of his generation. When I grow up, I want to be Elwood P Dowd, but I'd settle for being George Bailey.
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Calum