Greatest Dad Movie Of All Time Now Streaming On Peacock

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 4 seconds ago

It’s the destiny of any man to eventually become obsessed with history. Some men get into World War II, the Civil War, the Peloponnesian War, the exact point in history doesn’t matter, but it happens. There’s no fighting it. When it comes to historical naval warfare, there’s no movie better than 2003’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. For years, it was hard to find the film unless you owned an out of print DVD or Blu-Ray, but finally, it’s available to stream on Peacock. 

Master And Commander: Far Side Of The World Has Been Saved

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World loosely adapts the novels by Patrick O’Brian, taking the title of the first book and the plot of the fourth, to bring the Golden Age of Piracy to life. Russell Crowe is Jack Aubrey, Captain of the Surprise, a British vessel operating off the coast of Brazil in pursuit of the French privateer vessel, Acheron. Alongside him is the ship surgeon and, begrudgingly, his best friend, Stephen Maturin, played by Paul Bettany in a Beautiful Mind reunion. 

The smartest choice made by director Peter Weir was to keep the Acheron a mystery. We don’t follow the French vessel, and often, as with the crew of the Surprise, the viewer has no idea where it’s located. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World captures the reality of warfare in the age of piracy while showing us the harsh psychological impact of being at sea for days on end. 

That’s what makes Master and Commander the ultimate dad movie: it’s about the men on board, their relationships, and their duty. Ship to ship combat is awesome and it’s never looked better, but the respect between Audrey and Maturin is what elevates it far above say, Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s easy to entertain a man. Show him a film or show with highly competent men doing their jobs, respecting their duty, and never giving up in the face of staggering odds. 

The Ideal Russell Crowe Performance

Russell Crowe was the perfect choice for Aubrey. His early 2000’s streak of Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, and Master and Commander is the type of run no actor will ever have again. Gruff, stern, and subtly showing his real emotions as the film unfolds, the barrel-chested grizzled Crowe was the ideal vision of Hollywood manliness. His box office run didn’t even end with a film about historical naval combat. Against all odds, Master and Commander was a success. 

Ship films have a disastrous track record in Hollywood after the 1950s. Master and Commander: Far Side of the World should have, in a perfect world, launched a never-ending series of Patrick O’Brian adaptations. 20th Century Fox was happy it turned a profit, earning $211 million against a budget of $150 million. We never got the franchise, but getting even one film as amazing as Master and Commander is a miracle in and of itself.

Come for the historical combat, stay for the detail given to life on the open ocean and the bonds between men sharing a duty and a purpose. Stream Master and Commander: Far Side of the World on Peacock and watch as any dad in your life ends up standing behind the couch to watch it from beginning to end.