To the Ends of the Earth

This is a 4 1/2 hour film about a voyage from England to Australia. On board is a young English gentleman who writes about his voyage.

At first his writings are distant and objective. But as the voyage progresses, and he learns about the sea and about a world he could not imagine (and other people who he had never been around), his writings become more personal.

Nobody is a hero. Everybody just "is." The acting is superb, especially by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jared Harris, the Captain. There is no fake drama on-board. The Captain is not a Captain Bligh.

Instead, it is a creaky old man-o-war trying to get to Australia on its last legs. Months at sea in a cramped space around the same old people.

Because there are no glorious battles the voyage is, in some ways, as slow for the viewer as it is for the sailors and passengers. But never boring.

The series has a heart. It is lovely, exciting, and interesting. Cumberbatch, in an early role, displays the talent that we have come to expect from him in recent years. He carries the show.

It is a must watch. One of the best things we have watched in years.

To the Ends of the Earth is an exceptionally well written, directed, and acted film. It is probably the best sea voyage film I have ever seen. And I have see all three versions of Mutiny on the Bounty. The writers had an excellent trilogy by William Golding to work from. Benedict Cumberbatch is tremendous as the naive, somewhat pompous, self possessed Mr. Talbot. Jared Harris is formidable as Captain Anderson. The supporting cast is equally as talented, richly portraying characters from the early 19th century. However the real leading "character" is the ship, tossed and turned, battered and beaten. It determines the fate of all those on board.

I love Benedict Cumberbatch, I adore Jared Harris, I was in love with Charles Dance when both of us were younger, and I watched this on Netflix on the strength of those feelings. The three gentlemen were impeccable, and the supporting cast equally so. Except perhaps Sam Neill, who presented a caricature rather than a character. But the whole thing lacked heart and conviction, it couldn't decide what genre it wanted to be, the pace was excruciatingly slow, it felt like a string of set pieces unrelated to each other narratively and cohesively. The visual aspects were pretty awesome, more's the pity. I wanted to love it but it didn't give me much to love other than the acting.

At last, something different, something different, something different! After flailing around (day after day) in the never-ending soup of present day cinematic, repetitive, mundane bilge ... stumbling across this wonderful series is like finding the proverbial oasis in the desert. I wish to thank the gods of Netflix for making it available and allowing me (admittedly late) to find and watch it. As a new-found fan of Mr. Cumberbatch (via Sherlock), I had just started to search out his other works when I found this wonderful epic.

I found it to be an excellent period piece that kept me enthralled and interested from beginning to end. And the end ... so refreshingly lifting in spirit and emotion. The language was impeccable and precise. The acting fantastic and the drama left little wanting.

I pray that the BBC Production Company never stops seeking out and filming these types of films.

This miniseries is a delightfully absorbing story that takes you out of your familiar time and place into a world of strange events and unique situations. Don't think of it as a sea-going adventure, though, for it doesn't seem that way, despite the occasionally lurching furniture and ocean views.

It is, in fact, a lovely "Bildungsroman" (journey of self-discovery), set in the early 19th century, and centered very clearly around the somewhat naively self-centered and very privileged Edward Talbot, who, despite his having reached maturity, is journeying out of his sphere for the very first time. The situations which beset him and force him to reexamine his life are not specific to sea voyages, but rather they are brought about because he is in the confines of a ship with a multitude of people from various walks of life, for a very long voyage across the world.

Fans of Benedict Cumberbatch should note that this is an absolutely unmissable performance by him. It's arguably his best -- and most wide-ranging -- performance in his very illustrious career.

If you like great stories, unusual period adventures, and/or Benedict Cumberbatch, this miniseries is a Must Watch. Don't let its apparently sea-going theme put you off, especially if you don't go in for that sort of stuff. This is a psychological study through and through (as might be expected from William Golding), and the sea is only a mere backdrop.