Suddenly, he’s not only not assured of an easy victory-or any victory at all, for that matter-he and his crew are also in dire danger of being captured. Instead of the Surprise finding the Acheron, the captain abruptly wakes to discover the enemy bearing down on his much smaller ship. But he (and the viewers) are thrown for a loop by the First Plot Point. As the crew works to repair the ship’s battle damage, we’re also given an inside view of the ship itself, which will play such an irreplaceable role throughout the rest of the story.įirst Plot Point: After refitting the Surprise and heading back out to sea to look for their opponent, the French privateer Acheron, Captain Jack Aubrey is confident everything will go according to his plans. The opening battle already showed us the stakes were high, but the characters’ reactions to it, particularly the captain’s intense desire to refit the ship and reengage the enemy, help us understand why they’re fighting and what will happen if they fail. The rejection of the Call to Adventure comes from the officers, as they push back against Jack’s plan.įirst Act: After the initial onslaught of the furious opening battle, Weir slows his movie down considerably to allow viewers to get to know the main characters-the captain and the surgeon-and the several dozen minor characters, featured from among the crew members. He then reveals to his officers his decision to refit at sea and pursue the Acheron. The ensuing battle takes up the full first half of the First Act, and the turn in the plot comes with the end of the Inciting Event and the recognition by Captain Jack Aubrey that the Acheron must have been looking for them.
Inciting Event: The Inciting Event actually takes place in the opening scene: when the Acheron attacks the Surprise. Viewers are hooked almost before they see the hook coming. It carries them through a few tense moments of uncertainty and indecision, then, almost without warning, plunges them into the midst of a horrific sea battle. The film never slows to explain the situation to the reader. Aside from arousing our natural curiosity about the unique setting, the hook doesn’t appear until a minute or so into the film when one of the sailors spots what might be an enemy ship. Nevertheless, it follows the requirements of structure to a T, beginning with its stark opening, showing the morning ritual aboard the man of war HMS Surprise. Hook: As a brilliant adaptation of Patrick O’Brian’s beloved Aubrey/Maturin series, this movie is unusual in a number of areas, not least in its non-formulaic tone and plot.
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