I've long thought that this movie was underrated and I have been over the last few months been reading the books, I am 8 books in and I recently rewatched this movie (Which has parts from several books) and I really appreciate the detail put into the film, I honestly thought that reading the books would make me view the movie in a less positive light, as often happens when you read the source material. On it's own it is an amazingly accurate portrayal of sea life and combat of the era, while it also has a ton of little nods, many of them very subtle, to people who read the books.
I cannot recommend this movie higher to anyone appreciates history. I also would highly recommend the book series to anyone who likes historical fiction. The first third of the first book is a lot to chew on, as it introduces the reader to a huge amount of the inner details of the workings of a 18th century sailing ship, but the payoff is worth it over and over as the book progresses.
This is a top 10 all-time movie for me. Not just the story telling but the visuals themselves, there are countless moments in the film where you could pause it and what you're looking at would look like something out of a painting.
