DVD Review HTF REVIEW: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) (1 Viewer)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest




Studio: Disney
Year: 2006
Rated: PG-13
Film Length: 150 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (2.35:1)
Subtitles: English SDH, French & Spanish



Release Date: December 5, 2006


The Movie:
(****/*****) 4/5

When the original Pirates of the Caribbean arrived in theaters in 2003, very few people could honestly have predicted that a movie based upon a ride from Disney Land would end up as both a critically and popularly acclaimed film, much less an Oscar nominated film. I was particularly sceptical myself, but was won over by the original story-telling and the fantastic acting antics of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. So, in a complete reversal from my lack of initial interest in the first film, I was very excited to see the sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest as it arrived in theaters this past summer. Obviously I wasn't alone. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest has since become the box office smash of 2006, one of the highest grossing films of all-time and one of the most anticipated DVD releases of the past few years.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest begins shortly after the events of the first film have concluded. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Kinghtley) are supposed to be marrying, yet both have been taken into custody by British Magistrates. In exchange for his and Elizabeth's freedom, Will is sent on an adventure to locate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in order to gain posession of his mysterious compass. However, the elusive Davy Jones also wants a piece of Captain Jack and his fellow adventurers. We are treated to island natives, the Kraken and loads of high seas adventure as Jack attempts to locate the dead man's chest in an attempt to save his own life.

While not quite as much fun as the original, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is still a heck of a good time. Most of the original players from the first film have returned and it is clear that they all enjoy working together. Johnny Depp, of course, is the star of the show. His Captain Jack Sparrow never ceases to entertain and is one of Depp's finest cinematic creations. The film does seem a bit long in places and some of the more slapstick elements can become tiresome. However, this is still a great bit of action / adventure / comedy and it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The Video:
(****/*****) 4/5

Pirates of the Caribbean arrives on DVD with a first rate transfer. Unlike the first film's DVD release, this transfer is free of edge enhancement, halos and other annoying video artifacts. I was particulary impressed with the amount of detail in this DVD transfer. Intricate wood grains in the various sea vessels, skin details and hair were all very impressive. Grain was also well represented without a hint of extraneous noise. Much of this film was shot in extremely low light and this DVD does an excellent job of accurately presenting shodow details and exceptional black levels. Colors are often muted, but this is consistent with the theatrical presentation of the film. When the film does feature brighter and more saturated colors, this DVD handles them exceptionally well. The only thing lacking in this transfer is consistency. Very occasionally, the picture appears slightly soft. Take for example the scene near the beginning of the film where Bootstrap Bill visits Captain Jack on his ship. As the film cut between shots of Bill and Jack, the picture would be noticeably sharper and then softer from one cut to the next. This is a minor quibble, but this lack of consistency keeps Pirates of the Caribbean from achieving a perfect video score. Still, this is an exceptional transfer and is indicative of the best of what DVD has to offer. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The Audio:
(*****/*****) 5/5

As with the video, the audio portion of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is VERY impressive. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, this ranks among the finest DVD soundtracks of recent memory. The surround channels are extremely active with loads of directional activity. My subwoofer was continuously rumbling with outstanding low frequency effects. Dialogue was crisp and perfectly intelligible. The most impressive aspect of this Dolby Digital track is how well it handles multiple sounds simultaneously. There are so many scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean where you have heavy dialogue, furious music and booming sound effects. These scenes are so well done that there is never a hint of fatigue or any feeling that the sound is overpowering your system. Once again, Pirates of the Caribbean is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The Supplements:
(*****/*****) 5/5

For this review, Disney supplied the 2-disc special edition. The single disc edition contains only the elements presented on disc one of the 2-disc set. Here's what's included:

Disc One:
-Audio Commentary with Writers Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
-Bloopers of the Caribbean

Disc Two:
-Charting the Return (Pre-Production Documentary)
-According to Plan: The Harrowing and True Story of Dead Man's Chest
-Captain Jack: From Head to Toe
-Mastering the Blade: Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport
-Meet Davy Jones: Anatomy of a Legend
-Creating the Kraken
-Dead Men Tell New Tales: Re-Imagineering the Attraction
-Jerry Bruckheimer: A Producers Photo Diary
-Fly on the Set: The Bone Cage
-Pirates on Main Street: The Dead Man's Chest Premiere

If you're a fan of supplementary material, then you will very likely be thrilled with this set. I have certainly seen special editions with more extras, but very few feature extras of such quality. No stone was left unturned as we are treated to multiple behind the scenes views of just about every aspect of production. From special effects and locations to sword training, watching these special features will take you, in chronological order, from pre-production to the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean. I was particularly impressed with the feature on the making of the Kraken as well as the behind the scenes re-design of the Pirates of the Caribbean Disney ride. Set aside about 5 hours to get through all of these features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The Final Analysis:
(*****/*****) 5/5

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a stunning release from Disney. An exceptional video and audio presentation, a great story and outstanding extras make this set a must purchase! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-Ray Player
Mitsubishi HD1000U Front Projector
Carada 93” diagonal 16x9 Criterion Series/Brilliant White Screen – www.carada.com
Rotel RSX-1056 Surround Receiver
Rotel RB-1080 Amplifier
B&W Speakers
M&K MX-125 Subwoofer
Interconnects: www.catcables.com

Compared to HD-DVD, this looked very dark and soft. Haven't listened to it yet. Sorry, but once you see HD, you can't stop comparing - your eyes get recalibrated.

Agreed. Compared to HD DVD or Blu-Ray this IS very soft. However, as far as standard DVD is concerned, this is about as good as it gets. Disney should be applauded for paying attention to quality, regardless of the format.

Good review, Ben!

It almost makes me want to give this film another shot since I enjoyed the first one so much.

Unfortunately I really hated the sequel though. It bored me beyond belief.

Still, sounds like a nice presentation for fans of the series.

On my christmas list. Thanks, mom-in-law!

On my xmas list too. Great review btw.

Umm, since when is this title offered on HD DVD?

Thanks for the review, Ben.

Good to know that the picture quality is nothing like the first movie. You also mentioned the other piece of info that matters to me: the single disk edition is the same as disc one of the two disc edition (as opposed to say, Fight Club). This is not a movie for which extras matter to me, so I'll be getting the 1-discer and saving some cash.

-Reagan

You mentioned that disney supplied you the 2 disk set. Does this version have a DTS track? I'm asking because a DTS track was listed on amazon. Thanks! Nice review.

Nope. Unfortunately there is no DTS track. The DD track, however, is outstanding,

it isn't, but when you're switching between media, it's hard not to compare.
ok if I go watch on a different display, but not one after the other on same display.

Thanks, that's unfortunate about the DTS track, but of the DD track is good it's not much of a loss.

Am I alone in thinking this movie was hugely overrated and didn't deserve that $400+ million it earned domestically? Plus it stole elements from the first movie blatantly -- jokes about Elizabeth being naked, more jokes about Will being a soprano, etc.. Plus the movie was much more bombastic and a bit headache-inducing. But the acting was good and Johnny Depp is still a scream as Jack Sparrow (I also heartily welcome the return of a certain character who was last seen in the first film).

Anyway, enough with my criticism of the movie itself, now let me ask a few questions about the DVD. Are all three Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks encoded at 484 kps, or are the French and Spanish dubs encoded at 384 kps? And how many chapters is the film divided into? (I hope it's at least two dozen chapters and not the measly sixteen the first movie had.)

Not as good as the first, and I didn't like it much after my initial screening. Gotta admit it was more entertaining the second time. Not a great flick, but entertaining...

My Region 2 has DTS, looks like i did the right thing and bought that then.

No Matthew, you are not alone. Major disappointment of the year.

The film was visually stunning, but they absolutely destroyed the characters. Well at least Jack and Elizabeth. Will was always and idiot. Also the film felt about 30 mins to long without a real end to the whole situation.

The $10 price bump between the regular and 2-disc sets is disappointing. Most places aren't even offering a discount for the 2-discer.

Buy it at Amazon- it's only $20.

I ordered mine from Amazon as well.

I take it there are no deleted scenes?

While I thought that the first movie was better, the ending of this one kicked ass!