User Reviews

I'm not planning to review each episode of this outstanding mini series separately, so this review is for all of them. I love this series. In my opinion, it is one of the most realistic series about sailing ships ever produced. There is a good bit of adventure, drama, war and even a bit of humor to be found. If anybody ever wanted to know what life was like for both Officers and "enlisted" men in the British Navy during the age of sail, this is the series to tell the story. The acting is superb throughout the entire series. The tale is entirely believable, based on the book(s) by C.S. Foster and beautifully adapted to film. I have just finished watching the first 6 episodes, which is what was sold as the original DVD set. I understand that there are two more DVDs available and I will endeavor to get my hands on them ASAP. Lest you worry that ladies might not like it, I think they will. These are not "war movies" at all, although there is war aplenty in them. But there is enough other intrigue to keep anyone's interest. Highly recommended!

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!