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Back in 2003, audiences were introduced to oceanic battlefields with the release of Master and Commander: Far Side of the World. Featuring an ensemble cast led by Russell Crowe, the film was a big hit thanks its depiction of naval battles during the Napoleonic Wars and strong performances. The movie is finally getting a 4K release–and a striking steelbook cover as well–and you can preorder it now for $40 ahead of its August 5 launch. The upcoming edition also comes with the film on a standard Blu-ray disc and a digital streaming code for it.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (4K Steelbook)
$40 | Releases August 5
Master and Commander’s Limited Edition Steelbook features a striking cover of Crowe’s character Captain Jack Aubrey alongside his ship, the HMS Surprise. The back cover has a compass motif, and there’s a subtle cartography influence for the maritime background. The interior artwork shows Aubrey staring out at the ocean.
This is a native 4K remaster (2160p) based on the original camera negative with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos.
For the extras, there are deleted scenes, a trivia track for history fans, and a pop-up map that tracks Aubrey’s ship across the film.
One thing that’s worth noting here is that the DVD release of Master and Commander offered a far greater variety of special features, which never made their way onto previous standard Blu-ray releases of the film. That two-disc DVD edition has been out of print for ages now, and while there are still copies of it available, it can be pricey. Still, if you’re looking to really dive deep into Master and Commander, it makes for a nice companion piece as it has several in-depth documentaries.
Master and Commander has held up very well in the decades since it was first released. The movie is a loose adaptation of the epic historical fiction series by English author Patrick O’Brien, and it tells the story of Captain Aubrey and his pursuit of a deadly French warship–the privateer ship Acheron–that threatens Britain’s naval supremacy. Torn between duty and his friendship with ship’s surgeon Dr. Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), Aubrey chases after the Acheron.
Just like several other historical movies released around the early 2000s, Master and Commander had an air of authenticity that helped elevate it. Naval warfare movies were relatively rare back then, and this movie featured period-accurate costumes and language. Filming took place on an actual ship–the HMS Rose–and a specially built full-scale replica that floated inside of a massive tank at Baja Studios in Mexico.
Speaking of Russell Crowe, an Amazon-exclusive Gladiator 2-Movie Steelbook Collection released in May and is in stock for $68. Crowe starred in the original Gladiator (2000), and Paul Mescal took on the lead role in the long-awaited 2024 sequel. Ridley Scott directed both films. Here’s a quick rundown of the 4K Blu-ray editions of Gladiator and Gladiator II that are in stock at Amazon.
- Gladiator 2-Movie Steelbook Collection — $68 | Amazon Exclusive
- Gladiator — $15.66 (
$26) - Gladiator/Braveheart 2-Movie Collection — $25 (
$34) - Gladiator II — $17.32 (
$38) - Gladiator II Steelbook Edition — $35
Another great Ridley Scott film to check out is Kingdom of Heaven, as it recently got a 4K restoration, too. This is the Director’s Cut that includes a ton of extra content, greatly fleshing out several scenes that never made it into the theatrical version. Sadly, the Steelbook Edition of Kingdom of Heaven’s Director’s Cut has been hard to find in stock, but you can get a region-free 4K standard edition.
Set during the Crusades, Kingdom of Heaven follows Balian (Orlando Bloom) as he joins his father, Baron Godfrey (Liam Neeson), on their journey to Jerusalem to reclaim it from the forces of the Ayyubid Sultan Saladin.
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