You would think a film with a title made up from two books and a plot that is loosely based on three books from the popular series by Patrick O'Brian would end up a mess. Following the crew of the HMS Surprise with Captain ‘Lucky' Jack Aubrey at the helm as they fall into frequent battle with a French ship hunting them down, as well as covering themes of friendship, life at sea, the perils of war and maintaining hobbies seems too much for just one film. The mouthful of a title, Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, is probably a film that sailed by most in 2003, what with the excitement of The Return of the King released around the same time and that's a shame as it truly is a marvellous film that certainly deserves a revisit. With the 4K release out this month, there isn't a better time to appreciate the craftsmanship of Master & Commander.

When the HMS Surprise, a British naval ship, is ambushed by a superior French vessel, Captain Jack Aubrey decides to chase the enemy down before they become prey again. Along the journey Aubrey is faced with difficult choices, between duty and loyalty, with this latest mission leading them all to an uncertain fate.

Aside from the blaringly obvious fact that the film has an all-male cast, something the audience of today may find offensive, the film is at least historically accurate, and is more than the historical war epic it projects. Possibly thanks to the books, the characters that live within Master & Commander feel complete, each with their own stories to tell, even if they are not played out on screen. There are no stereotypes, aside from the majority of the crew believing they have a ‘Jonah' aboard the ship, aka someone with bad luck. At the core of this war film is the crew, camaraderie, and yes it's cliché, true friendship. Captain Jack, played by Russell Crowe and Dr Stephen Maturin played by Paul Bettany, the ship's surgeon, are polar opposites. The former believes in the rules and rituals of the Royal Navy and the latter is more liberally minded, jokingly labelled a rebel by Aubrey. Sometimes it's even a wonder why the doctor is on the ship at all – but perhaps that mystery is shared in the books. Somewhere these two men share a firm friendship, calling out each other for hypocrisies and playing their instruments together in the calmer moments of the journey. Theirs is a turbulent yet harmonious friendship. It helps that Crowe and Bettany maintain their excellent on-screen chemistry from A Beautiful Mind.

As well as the friendship at the heart of the film, there are breathtaking moments, even in the darker parts. Of course, a film set near entirely on the sea, save for the Galápagos Islands adventure, there are amazing shots of the ocean, the ships, and of course the battle scenes. Though graphic and grim these are spectacular in their own way.

But Master & Commander is not without fault. This is more about the sound quality of at the actual 4k transfer. One moment the dialogue heavy scenes are incredibly quiet, with the next full on crashing waves and cannons blasting so loud it feels as if you're at sea yourself. For a film that won an Oscar for Sound Editing, you would have thought the quality would transfer to the Home Entertainment release. But thankfully its not Tenet 2.0.

Though the film made it through awards season with decent nominations and some wins, being up against the likes of The Return of the King, Master & Commander didn't stand a chance. If released in any other year, Peter Weir would have been in the running for Best Director and even Best Picture. There is much to be admired in the film, and you can especially see why and how the film won its second Oscar for Best Cinematography. Master & Commander could very well be considered a forgotten epic but with releases such as the new Steelbook, keeps the magic of the film alive.

4K Special Features

Bonus features on this 4K release include deleted scenes, a historical and geographical trivia track and pop-up map.

Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World is out now on 4K Ultra HD and 4K Ultra HD Steelbook