The period piece has garnered much praise
Fans of historical dramas can’t afford to miss out on this cracking series of ITV films that are streaming now, after others have enjoyed a 10/10 period drama and a “superbly filmed” BBC series.
The film saga has many fans, who’ve previously lauded the series on IMDb.
One person titled their 10/10 review: “One of the all time great seafaring adventures!”
The user added: “It ranks up there with the original Mutiny on the Bounty,The Sea Hawk and Master And Commander as one of the greatest of its kind.”
Another person said in their 10/10 review: “This is one of the most realistic historical dramas out there.
“Everything in Hornblower is played to perfection, from the sets (fantastic, towering ships) to the costumes to the cast. The actors are all so believable in their roles that it’s hard to pull yourself out of that world. I had only flicked onto it by accident on TV, but I couldn’t pull myself away.”
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A third described the drama as a “True Swashbuckling Adventure” and added: “A great cast and the sight of the beautiful sailing vessels in full rigging — I’d forgotten how much I love them.”
Someone else commented: “Storytelling at its best!” and elaborated: “The first in the Horatio Hornblower series, this installment is absolutely stunning. After watching this, you will find yourself longing for more. There is enough action, drama, and humor to satisfy just about anyone [sic].”
Yet another person hailed the show as “top notch entertainment” and said: “I viewed this show with some trepidation, as the name Hornblower to me (as with many others) is synonymous with Gregory Peck.
“But this is a different Hornblower and the magic is very much the same – fancy uniforms, good guys and bad guys, lots of sailing ships and lot of blood and thunder. What more can one ask for?”
Hornblower was a series of historical films led by Hollywood star Ioan Gruffudd and was based on the three of the 10 novels written by C. S. Forester.
The drama followed the fictional title character Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Naval officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
The films ran on ITV from 1998 to 2003, and there were eight in total.
Other cast members included Robert Lindsay, Paul McGann, Paul Copley, Sean Gilder, and Jamie Bamber.
There were also some other big names who made appearances, including Denis Lawson, Ian McNeice, Samuel West, Cherie Lunghi, and Greg Wise.
Prior to the ITV films, there were other adaptations of Forester’s novels, with Hollywood star Gregory Peck taking on the character in the 1951 movie Captain Horatio Hornblower.
While David Buck starred in an American TV series as the character in 1963 and Michael Redgrave appeared in a radio adaptation in the 1950s
Hornblower is streaming on ITVX now