TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

WeeClaude Lieutenant Hornblower is a fun, fast-paced adventure novel -- not that you could tell that from watching this turgid, dreary TV adaptation that crawls along at a snail's pace.In addition to being boring, this adaptation misses the whole point of C.S. Forester's original story. In the book, Hornblower seizes the opportunity to fill a void in leadership when his captain is incapacitated, and the ship's first officer proves to be an incompetent replacement. By devising a series of brilliant tactical maneuvers, Hornblower salvages his ship's mission, saves the day, and proves that he deserves the command of his own vessel.This stupid version of the story totally ignores all that. For one thing, Hornblower is depicted here as nothing more than a brave, pleasant young man, with little resemblance to the neurotic genius from the books. (He's Sherlock Holmes at sea, not a swashbuckler!) Also, the emphasis is shifted from Hornblower proving himself, to a lot of clumsy melodrama about the mentally ill captain and the mutinous act of removing him from command. Cue 700 scenes of David Warner overacting as the wacky Captain Sawyer, endlessly terrorizing his crew and, by extension, the bored viewer who is tired of watching his shenanigans.There are other things I could complain about - the direction is flat, the dialogue is unrealistic (Royal Navy officers wouldn't be so openly critical of their captain), everything looks too clean, the music is annoying, Mr. Bush has too small a role, etc. It beats me how fans of the novels generally regard this series as a good adaptation; I think it lacks the psychological depth of the books and just plain stinks. My advice is, leave this corny relic of the early 2000s un-viewed and read the book instead.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews We meet Hornblower(Gruffudd, with a strong sense of justice, though he doesn't always make the right decisions) in prison - facing the charge of mutiny! With the framing device securely put in place, the rest of this is presented as one long flashback. Him and his men serve under Capt. Sawyer(Warner, who renders the role explosively unpredictable, going back and forth between unflinching determination, and resigning confusion, in his eyes), who they gradually come to doubt the mental well-being of. But the man is a hero! One of the most revered commanders - and his own crew hold him in such high regard.This is one of the most thrilling entries. With Sir Pellew(Lindsay, tough, but fair) no longer in charge of our heroes, the problem they face is at the top of their own ranks. This explores potential problems with the military where each post has the hands necessary to run it - what if just a few vital ones fail to live up to their responsibility? The filming(barely ever letting slip that this was made for TV), editing, writing, acting, production values(just look at those ships!), richness in detail, realism, all superb. Themes explored include the enemy within, loyalty, rules, leadership, and acceptance.There is some disturbing, bloody, brutal and violent content in this. I recommend this to fans of drama. 8/10

Spilling_Moonbeams I am now addicted to Hornblower! This is one of the most realistic historical dramas out there.Everything in Hornblower is played to perfection, from the sets(fantastic, towering ships) to the costumes to the cast. The actorsare all so believable in their roles that it's hard to pull yourself outof that world. I had only flicked onto it by accident on TV, but I couldn't pull myselfaway. I have to say, Ioan Gruffudd is one of the best British actorsaround. If you haven't watched any of the series, well then, shame on you!

Anna-55 I have been eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Hornblower series since the first four came out two years ago. This movie doesn't disappoint! I can only wait for next Sunday to see the next one. Ioan Gruffudd has grown into the shoes of Forrester's legendary seaman and its really not hard to see how he eventually (in the book series) rises to Admiral of the Fleet. The man who plays Capt Sawyer provides a wonderful performance of a national hero unhinged by too many years at sea. As easy he is to hate, there are moments where you see him at the very brink of mental control and just about to fall over the edge (no pun intended) and feel maybe just a tad more sympathetic. (But don't think for a second I that I wasn't rooting for some "accident" to befall him). Congrats to Ioan Gruffudd and the rest of the cast and crew for a wonderful 5th Hornblower!