Screen adaptations always are. Master and Commander is a prime example set in the same time period.
I like Master And Commander: The Far Side of the World and I’m reading the O’Brian series. Next up are The Surgeon’s Mate and The Ionian Mission. Although Weir combined elements from five or six of the novels to make that film, I think he did it well. A film can only spend a little time to explore the lesser of two weevils, then the joke gets stale.
I appreciate ITV’s desire to do something with the Sharpe series, but it was beyond their ability. A tv show can’t depict Talavera. Sharpe’s Rifles could be depicted properly on film because most of it centered on small groups, the climactic battle only needs a couple of hundred extras, and most of the sets would be outside on a dirt road. ITV had to gut the stories to fit the budget. I’ll watch them again (they come and go on YouTube) but they’re pretty lackluster compared to the books. Cornwell’s running commentary on the politics and intrigues of the era were always fun, but that doesn’t translate to film.