Adventure on the high seas. Not carefree swashbuckling, but a much more gritty depiction of the frequently unpleasant life on an 18th century warship, far, far from home. I didn’t warm much to Russell Crowe’s Captain Jack Aubrey; his bluff, self-assured manner, touched occasionally with light self-doubt, seemed far too generic. Paul Bettany’s character, the ship’s doctor and part-time naturalist, was far more interesting, and I enjoyed Bettany’s performance a lot. Must try to see more of him.