'Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World' (PG-13) If there's one advantage to not seeing the historical seafaring epic "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" on the big screen -- you're far less likely to get seasick by the crashing waves to appear to envelope the theater.

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Clips: 'Master And Commander' Behind The Scenes: 'Master And Commander' Slideshow 'Master And Commander' Images Interview: Billy Boyd

But that's also proof of how convincing "Master and Commander" played in theaters, the spectacularly detailed epic by director Peter Weir that is sure to satisfy historical buffs, adventure fans and devotees of the Aubrey-Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian -- the source material the film is based on.

Russell Crowe stars as British Naval Capt. "Lucky" Jack Aubrey, to command the badly damaged H.M.S. Surprise during the Napoleonic War era. Not only is Aubrey charged with the responsibility of protecting his crew, he must do so in the dire circumstance of chasing down -- and perhaps foolishly so -- the far superior ship of his enemy.

"Master and Commander" has all of the elements to qualify its epic status: from exquisitely detailed sea vessels, a band of diverse characters, breathtaking cinematography, tension-filled action and drama, and a hearty narrative that addresses the devastating physical effects and psychological trauma of war.

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DVD's This Week

Crowe's performance isn't as large as life as say, his Oscar-winning turn in the epic "Gladiator," but he is convincing nonetheless. Paul Bettany steals most of the scenes from Crowe and his fellow shipmates in a brilliantly understated performance as the Stephen Maturin, the ship's surgeon and Aubrey's closest confidant. The best dialogue naturally occurs between Aubrey and Maturin, whose difference in philosophies shakes the foundation of the duo's friendship.

Billy Boyd has a supporting role as Coxswain Barrett Bonden, but his character is far less pivotal to the plot as his character, Pippin in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

DVD Features: Two versions of the DVD are being released simultaneously: a single-disc version all but void of any bonus features and a deluxe two-disc edition that has all the bells and whistles. Among them are an HBO "First Look" documentary, production featurettes, deleted scenes, an interview with Weir on how he translated the works of O'Brian for the big screen and a 28-page companion booklet that contains a map tracing the South Seas route of the Surprise. Interactive features include multi-angle battle-scene studies and an interactive cannon demonstration. Surprisingly absent are any commentary tracks from Weir, Crowe, Bettany or any other cast members or filmmakers. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)

'The Haunted Mansion' (PG) While it's based on a theme park ride, don't go touring Disney's "The Haunted Mansion" thinking it's strictly kids' faire. It has its fine share of fun and laughs, but it's also surprisingly scary at times.

Eddie Murphy stars as a workaholic real-estate agent who finally gets his family out for a long-awaited vacation. However, he can't resist checking out just one more potential sales opportunity -- the gothic Gracie Mansion. But no sooner than they check out the mansion, they become trapped -- and find out that one of them is a part of its past and the key to lifting the curse off of the place.

While it's not as polished as last year's other theme park-ride-turned film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "The Haunted Mansion" at least knows when it should end. Murphy is fun as usual (as is Jennifer Tilly as a disembodied fortune teller), and the hi-jinks the family encounters in the expertly constructed mansion set keeps the film moving at a brisk pace.

But while some of the ghostly apparitions come off as relatively harmless, director Rob Minkoff chooses to incorporate zombies into the flick that are slightly reminiscent of the fiends in the first two "Evil Dead" movies. That's fine for an R movie -- but for a PG movie aimed at the family set? The good thing is, they grab at -- but have no intention of eating -- their victims, ala the George A. Romero "Dead" movies.

DVD Features: Deleted scenes, bloopers, a virtual tour of the Haunted Mansion, "Superstition" video by Raven and a making-of featurette. DVD-ROM features include a look at the history of the Disney theme park Haunted Mansion attraction. (Walt Disney Home Entertainment)

'46664: The Event' (NR) For lovers of concert videos, "46664: The Event" is an absolute must-own. The two-disc set features more than four hours of a November 2003 concert that featured more than 30 South African, American and British artists to launch the Nelson Mandela's 46664 Foundation (46664 is the number the South African leader wore in prison) -- a global initiative to raise the awareness of the pandemic of HIV/AIDS.

Highlights of the DVD includes performances of Cat Stevens "Wild World," given a new world twist by the former Stevens (now known as Yusaf Islam) and Peter Gabriel; songs by Bono and The Edge (including a stirring rendition of "Unchained Melody), The Corrs ("Breathless" and others), the Eurythmics (Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart teamed again for the classics "Sweet Dreams" and "Here Comes the Rain"), Live Aid's Bob Geldof and more.

The concert, while it kicks off with a bang with Beyonce Knowles' "Crazy In Love," only gets better as it rolls along. By the time it reaches a performance by Queen, Bono, Anastacia, Dave Stewart and Andrews Bonsu of "Amandala," it becomes downright electrifying. It concludes with a salute to Queen's Freddie Mercury -- himself a victim of AIDS -- with stirring performances of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by the Soweto Gospel Choir, and "We Will Rock You"/"We Are the Champions," featuring Anastacia on lead vocals, accompanied by guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and several other concert players.

The disc set expertly captures the enormity of the event, with sweeping camera moves throughout highlighting the events crowd of more than 40,000 people. It also snags intimate shots of the select attendees of the event, including Oprah Winfrey and Mandela himself. The disc set bonus features include pleas for the organization by the likes of Robert De Niro, a backstage documentary on the organization of the event, short films addressing the escalation of HIV/AIDS, artist interviews and more. (WSM Home Entertainment)

Also New: "The Ingmar Bergman Collection, a six disc DVD set featuring five of the Swedish director's finest films, including "Persona," "Hour of the Wolf," "Shame," "The Passion of Anna" and "The Serpent's Egg" and a bonus disc featuring interviews with the film legend (all films rated R, except "Hour of the Wolf, is not rated -- MGM Home Entertainment). Cate Blanchett shows how passionate a journalist can be to a fault with "Veronica Guerin," a character-driven suspense thriller about a real-life investigative reporter who pays dearly for exposing drug lords in Dublin. (R -- Touchstone Home Entertainment).

Audrey Tatou and Chiwetel Ejiofor expose some dirty if not deadly secrets in London as two struggling illegal immigrants in "Dirty Pretty Things," a fascinating look at the sacrifices their fellow immigrants must make to gain freedom. The film was honored with an Oscar-nomination this year for Best Original Screenplay for Steven Knight. (R -- Miramax Home Entertainment); Fans of "In Living Color" can tap into the comic origins of Jim Carrey in the first season release of "In Living Color," the hilarious sketch comedy series created by Keenan Ivory Wayans that also featured Damon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Tommy Davidson and David Alan Grier. The three disc set features the episodes from the 1990 season, with characters including Fireman Bob and Homey the Clown. (NR -- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment).