felix-alongshore In my opinion the film does not exploit the full potential of the story. Ioan Gruffudd is great in the Hornblower role, but at least some of the supporting actors play not as convincing as he does. For example Dorian Healy, the bad guy, appeals threatening primarily through the lighting and the music, not so much through his acting. The captains are portrayed in a rather static way. At times the cutting is clumsy, in particular during naval battles. There are no aesthetically outstanding images. The music is expectable and too conventional. You immediately realize that this is a TV production with less resources behind it than a cinema production such as "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" (2003), which is far more impressive.

zelazbert I certainly had my doubts when I rented the first volume of this series - apparently called "The Duel" here in the United States and "The Even Chance" in its native Britain. A rose by any other name...It is really good. The main character Horatio is played immaculately by Ioan Gruffudd (I would really like to hear how that is pronounced.) It is hard not to compare it to the movie Master and Commander. I found that movie very entertaining, and also very worthy in its own right, but I have read the books by Patrick O'Brian, and how can a movie do justice to that? I mean, really.I have not read the Forester books, so I cannot comment on the adaptation. I CAN compare the overall experience of seeing the Hornblower films to, well, everything else I have seen about similar subjects, and it fares well indeed. In fact, there has been nothing better overall. I enjoyed everything they did with it. I have to say, I thought it looked a little cheap at first - but I hesitated to even mention that because it was more than made up for in authenticity and raw acting.I only mention it now so that if anyone reading this sees that, they are forewarned - it isn't special effects heavy, it's more genuine. And the scope and range of it is far deeper than anything else yet (about the same subject.) OK, now that Hornblower's praises have been sung again, rightfully, I just want to mention a highly under-read series that I hope some of you will pick up on, by the name of Flashman. I don't really compare Hornblower to Flashman directly, but they are both historical fiction (and I suppose military.) And I have to say, George MacDonald Fraser has given us something special in Flashman, in that his main character has serious and admitted flaws, unlike Horatio. As far as I know, no movies have been made from that series, but anyone who likes the Hornblower adventures as much as I do might like these too.

Sheriff_Of_Nottingham Just finished watching the first episode of the Hornblower series and I must say that it is excellent. The late 1990s and twenty first century is an exciting period for fans of historical epics as the production aspects of the films are perhaps the best ever. It is as though someone placed a camera in the 1790s and filmed everything live. The shots of the battles between the English clipper ship and the French corvettes are by far the best I have ever seen. The British accents, codes of conduct, and smart uniforms are very authentic. And the scenes filmed in the small seaport on the English coast establish a real sense of place.The story centers around a young midshipman attempting to prove his worth in the Kings Navy while at the same time confronting a malicious fellow officer. Even though the series is set in the late 1790s, it deals with the timeless issues of honor, courage, loyalty, and duty to which almost anyone can relate.For fans of British history and sea faring adventure, it does not get any better than this. 10/10

grahamsj3 I'm not planning to review each episode of this outstanding mini series separately, so this review is for all of them. I love this series. In my opinion, it is one of the most realistic series about sailing ships ever produced. There is a good bit of adventure, drama, war and even a bit of humor to be found. If anybody ever wanted to know what life was like for both Officers and "enlisted" men in the British Navy during the age of sail, this is the series to tell the story. The acting is superb throughout the entire series. The tale is entirely believable, based on the book(s) by C.S. Foster and beautifully adapted to film. I have just finished watching the first 6 episodes, which is what was sold as the original DVD set. I understand that there are two more DVDs available and I will endeavor to get my hands on them ASAP. Lest you worry that ladies might not like it, I think they will. These are not "war movies" at all, although there is war aplenty in them. But there is enough other intrigue to keep anyone's interest. Highly recommended!