Murphy Howard
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Lucia Ayala
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
leehught-935-735275
If you have read the Hornblower books, you will be disappointed by the movies. If you haven't read the books, then the movies will be entertaining. Don't read the books expecting to see the movies themes and stories or vice versa.The theme, character traits and story developments of the C.S. Forester are not present in the movies I have watched. It is the typical case of using the reputation and basic elements of a book to write your own story for a movie. Always an unfortunate decision, but here the character of Horatio is lost. The large themes of Hornblower's decisive calculations, self- loathing, self-imposed isolation, moods and leadership have all been but aside for our more modern themes of bad guy vs. good guy and the hero model. The movies do use incidents from the books, but do not present them within the historic settings well. Neither do they string them together in relationships similar to the books.Watch it and then read the books. They use the same names (sometimes) but treat them as separate works.
Maedhros35
There is an iron law about some series' first episode: the hero enters the stage, green as grass, learns the ropes, makes some friends and an enemy; gets accepted and finally saves the day, applauded by (nearly) all of them - in the mean time defeating the enemy utterly. See Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for another example or many series.Unfortunately, despite the great costumes; the stunning ships, the good-looking battles and all, the story can be summed up as described above. Which is a pity, since many of the other episodes of this mini-series have a much better story. Still, given all the good points, it's watchable and gives you a small tasting of what is yet to come.
TheNorthernMonkee
SPOILERS Based on the novels of C.S. Forester, the television adaptations of the life of Horatio Hornblower are well loved and well watched. With superb, albeit far from perfect, set designs, the series thrives due to it's excellent scripting, acting and realism. In this first encounter with the legendary Hornblower, we are given a perfect introduction to the lives of the man and his shipmates.As a young midshipman, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) is hardly the most likely of heroes. Serving under Captain Keene (Michael Byrne), he is constantly sea sick and bullied by the sadistic Jack Simpson (Dorian Healy). When war is declared against the French however, Horatio is transfered to the command of the inspirational Captain Pellew (Robert Lindsay). There, getting used to the sea and free from his tormentor, he begins to flourish into a man of strength and intelligence.The amazing thing about the series in general is the way that Gruffudd's Hornblower meta-morphs from a young boy into an amazing Gentleman. In this first episode, he is superb as an inept boy who, when given the chance to flourish, succeeds with ease.Gruffudd is also helped by some brilliant casting including Lindsay, Healy, Paul Copley, Sean Gilder and Jamie Bamber. All these actors become regulars in the series and they all perform admirably throughout.Realism is another crucial part in the beauty of the Hornblower series. For a series to be based almost completely on a ship, it requires large amounts of effort to deal with the water vibrations. This series knows this and manages to capture the experience perfectly. Whilst not possessing the funding of recent Hollywood blockbuster "Master And Commander" (2003), it might not benefit from the ability to show two ships side by side without even slightly having a green screen effect, but it does manage to capture events on the boat perfectly, and for that it deserves praise.Ultimately for the Hornblower series, all credit should go to Russell Lewis' superb scripting. Based on the books, Lewis brings to Hornblower to a new audience and manages to catch our interest with ease. Desperate to watch the next episode straight after it's predecessor, audiences fall in love with the nautical adventures and are hooked.As a first episode, the Hornblower series could not have had a better production than "The Even Chance". Introducing the young and quiet Hornblower, it manages to catch the audiences interest and by the end of the episode we're obsessed. Warning, watching this first episode will cause you to spend large quantities of time watching the entire series. Brilliant!
Imnozy
I viewed this show with some trepidation, as the name Hornblower to me (as with many others) is synonymous with Gregory Peck. But this is a different Hornblower and the magic is very much the same - fancy uniforms, good guys and bad guys, lots of sailing ships and lot of blood and thunder. What more can one ask for?Add to this an excellent cast, from the principals down and you come up with a rip roaring piece of entertainment. The producers on the whole avoided the urge to "modernise" the story, the speech and demeanour of all concerned rang true, this in itself is worthy of note.So, if like me , you were reluctant to see this show as you didn't want your memories of the Peck movie spoilt - do take the opportunity if it comes to your screen again. It is a classic example of when the British do something well, they do it extra well - Recommended.
