Novelist CS Forester created 19th century British Naval officer Horatio Hornblower in 1937. The character leapt to movie screens for the first time via 1951’s uncreatively titled Captain Horatio Hornblower.

In 1807, British Naval Captain Horatio Hornblower (Gregory Peck) embarks on a mission to disrupt Napoleon’s Spanish allies. This sends him and his crew to Central America.

There Hornblower aims to arm a revolution that will force Napoleon to send French forces to assist the Spanish. Various complications – and romance – occur along the way.

Honestly, it seems a little ridiculous that a story like this crams in a love affair. However, that theme comes from the original Forester text so I guess I can’t complain too much.

Still, romance feels out of place in a sea-faring adventure tale like this. When Hornblower connects with Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo), it drags down the rest of the film.

I will give the producers of Captain credit for the fact that then-34-year-old Peck and then-30-year-old Mayo represent a rare “age appropriate” couple. Not that anyone would question a 34-year-old Peck’s ability to attract a 20-year-old, but it still seems nice to see a close match.

If I ignore the tedious romance, Captain becomes more interesting, but not a lot more interesting. Despite a lot of warfare and swashbuckling, the end product seems pretty mediocre.

Not that no excitement comes along for the ride. A few action sequences manage to kick to life in a reasonably vibrant manner.

Nonetheless, these remain the exception to the rule, as much of the film just seems perfunctory. Captain follows a predictable path set for other seafaring tales and doesn’t find much to set itself apart from that pack.

All of this leaves us with a perfectly watchable mix of action and romance but not anything that seems noteworthy. Though I didn’t mind the 117 minutes I spent with the film, I can’t claim it ever really captured my attention.

Captain Horatio Hornblower appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Despite some anomalies, the image largely held up well over the last 75 years.

In terms of sharpness, the movie usually demonstrated appealing delineation. Some softness interfered at times but not to a significant degree.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized, and no edge enhancement became apparent. Grain remained appropriate, and no specks, marks or other defects showed up at any time in this fresh presentation.

Colors were strong. A Technicolor production that embraced a variety of tones, the hues tended to be vivid and full.

Blacks seemed deep and dense without too much heaviness. Shadow detail worked similarly well, as dimly-lit shots were appropriately clear and thick.

Some “day for night” elements became predictably murky, though. Nonetheless, the Blu-ray brought the movie to life in a positive manner.

The DTS-HD MA monaural audio of Captain Horatio Hornblower appeared fine for its era, and speech was more than adequate. The lines showed age-related thinness, but they were always perfectly intelligible and without edginess.

Effects seemed adequate. Those elements lacked much depth but they were without notable problems.

Music was acceptable for its age, as the score tended to be a bit tinny. There wasn’t much range to these components, but again, that stemmed from the limitations of the very old source. This became a perfectly acceptable mix for its vintage.

When we hit the disc’s extras, the main attraction comes from a January 21, 1952 Lux Radio Theater adaptation of Hornblower. It lasts 59 minutes, 27 seconds and brings back Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo to reprise their film roles.

With audio but no visuals, obviously this production lacks the big action of the movie. However, it compensates with a tighter story so I think it becomes an engaging rendition of the tale.

In addition to the movie’s trailer, we get two vintage shorts. The disc includes My Country ‘Tis of Thee (20:00) and Captain Hareblower (6:58).

With Thee, it provides a sanitized version of American history. Watch it as a historical curiosity and nothing more.

As for Hareblower, it pits Bugs Bunny against Yosemite – or Pirate - Sam. I like the short a lot, as it turns into a well above-average reel.

As a swashbuckling tale of adventure on the sea, Captain Horatio Hornblower proves completely, wholly fine but no better. While it manages moderate entertainment, nothing about it seems especially memorable or creative. The Blu-ray comes with pretty good picture and audio as well as a few bonus features. Chalk this one up as a decent flick but not one that excels.