With director Peter Weir at the helm and Russell Crowe by his side, the movie, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” is a delightfully entertaining film.

The first 15 minutes will suck you in and hold you until the credits roll.

The movie is an adaptation of Patrick O’Brian’s series of novels, “The Far Side of the World.”

Crowe plays the witty, but intense, “Lucky” Jack Aubrey, captain of the HMS Surprise. Alongside Aubrey is the intellectual Dr. Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany).

Maturin is the ship’s surgeon, who is an amateur naturalist, Aubrey’s music partner and, more importantly, his close friend and confidant.

Set during the early 19th century, when Napoleon ruled Europe, Capt. Aubrey has orders to find the French vessel, Acheron, and “sink her, burn her or take her as a prize” before the vessel sails around Cape Horn.

The Acheron is much more powerful than the Surprise, a faster and bigger vessel with more men and cannons. This movie takes you through the journey of Aubrey and his men as they try to find and destroy the Acheron.

Throughout the movie, Aubrey and his men are in “this little wooden world” as Aubrey puts it, with the exception of two stops at the Galapagos Islands. You witness the crew’s tribulations on this journey.

They experience a horrific storm, dreadful humidity and two very riveting, but deadly, battles with the Acheron.

Aside from the weather and the battles, there are interesting subplots. You become acquainted with the 12-year-old Lord Blankeney, 1st Lt. Pullings and “Jonah”, an officer whom the crew labels bad luck.

Aubrey is a strong character portrayed as a brilliant captain. His strength helps save the crew and ship in key situations. Maturin is also a strong character, brilliant in medicine and the natural sciences. His toughness is demonstrated when he takes a bullet out of his stomach while looking in a mirror.

Director/writer Weir flawlessly depicts stormy, turbulent weather with beautiful cinematography – like the movies “The Perfect Storm” and “The Gladiator.”

He combines action, drama and humor perfectly. He should be considered as a nominee for best director for the Academy Awards.

Crowe brings diversity into his character. Crowe’s experience in sword fighting is shown in the movie. Crowe is infamously known as being a “bad boy” in real life and he transfers the right amount of his “bad boy” image into Aubrey.

His character also shows sympathy and humor throughout the movie. Crowe’s outstanding acting should give him a nomination for the Academy Award. He is not a stranger to the Oscars, having been nominated for “The Gladiator,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Insider.”

“Master and Commander: The Far side of the World” is simply a story that is very easy to understand. The directing is terrific, the cinematography is breathtaking and the acting is outstanding. It is a sea adventure epic that does not overuse computerization. The movie ends well with the audience wanting to see more.

(“Master and Commander” recieves four out of five stars. It is rated PG-13)