Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant (1998)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

After a strong first episode, 'The Examination for Lieutenant' is rather flat as Hornblower studies for his exam and then finds that the Indefatigable has a serious supply problem.The crew are put on half rations which causes problems for some crew members, one of whom has to be punished.After going with a group of men to find some supplies including cattle, Hornblower finds he and his men might be at risk from the plague and need to be in quarantine.Hornblowers examination is cut short as he and Captain 'Dreadnought' Foster dash to climb aboard a burning ship to alter its course and stop hit hitting the Indefatigable.You still see Hornblower reacting to events, showing bravery and thinking through each problem that he encounters. It is worth just to see Captain Pellew's face when he sees Hornblower steering the stricken ship. However it lacked the excitement of the first film and felt overlong.

SPOILERS As the Hornblower series continued with it's second episode, it continued to keep the audience attracted and kept our focus. With a plot dealing more with the negative moments of a time aboard ship, the story is not as fast and tense as the opening part, but it remains well made and entertaining none the less.As an acting Lieutenant about Captain Pellew's (Robert Lindsay) Indefatigable, Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) is working on his exam to become full lieutenant. Unable to find any time to himself on a confined ship however, he also has to face up to rationing and a personal hero in the form of Captain 'Dreadnought' Foster (Denis Lawson).Reintroduced to Hornblower, we are reminded once more of Ioan Gruffudd's superb acting skills. Stressed and unable to focus, Gruffudd's Hornblower is brilliantly shown to be advancing in age and experience throughout.Aided by recurring regulars Lindsay, Paul Copley and Sean Gilder, Gruffudd is aided this time by a well played performance by Denis Lawson as the arrogant and 'gung-ho' Foster. It's no wonder with casting and performances like this that the series has become such a success.Compared with it's previous episode however, this second outing for Gruffudd's Hornblower suffers from the simple fact that the plot is not quite as lively. Whilst brilliantly portraying scurvy and the problems with a ship short on food and with an unhappy crew, it does lack a lot of the excitement possessed by the first encounter. This is not a bad thing since variety and the covering of a wider world is always good, but with the exception of an explosive conclusion, it does feel lacking at times.All in all, it's difficult to fault any episode of this majestic series. Interesting and addictive from the word go, this series has given joy to countless numbers. In this second episode, we are again given brilliant acting and gritty realism. It's distinctively slower than it's predecessor though. Still, even a slow Hornblower episode is a million times better than most television dramas. Watch and love.

Slight, slight spoiler ahead.To some people I'm sure The Fire Ships is the best Hornblower movie. I think it was very good but lacked something. Archie. Yes I have soft spot for Blond sidekick. I want more Archie if I want anything from Hornblower. And this movie had no Archie.That isn't saying that this movie was bad overall. The diplomat is funny. Denis Lawson is okay. Horatio wears some very attractive clothes (namely the straw hat and the long pants.) The plot is action packed (but who actually thought that Horatio wouldn't solve all his problems.) If you watched the first one watch this one. Mourn the lack of Archie and then watch the third one. You'll be happy.

Having seen the first in the series of 4 movies, I was quite eager to see the next installment of the saga! Well, I have to admit that I was disappointed after seeing it! Disappointed not in the overall production value of the movie, because that was as terrific as the first movie, but in the story department! The story was very flat with almost no tension! In the first movie you had conflicts on several levels like the way of life on the ship, the arguments between the crew, the looming of war...and finally the hate until death between Hornblower and a crew member! In this movie you had almost the exact story items i.c. Hornblower rescues, Hornblower being lucky, Hornblower being alone with a little crew on a boat/ship...even the end of the movie where the captain thanks Hornblower is the same! Conclusion: beautiful movie with a flat story! Hopefully the next movie will have a different structure!