Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Blu-ray Movie Review

Captain Jack Sparrow returns at world's end in and in marvelous high definition.

Reviewed by Brandon A. DuHamel December 2, 2007

Everyone's favorite swashbuckling heroes are back for Disney's supposedly final installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. The entire all-star cast of Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner), Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann) and Geoffrey Rush (Captain Barbossa) has returned, this time with the added help of Chow-Yun Fat as pirate lord Sao Feng.

In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the story picks up at the exact moment wher the last film left off. The crew of the Black Pearl, with the aid of Captain Barbossa, is seeking to free Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ locker. Jack must be freed so that he can lend his aid to the Brethren Court (a council of pirate lords). Their mission is to assist the goddess Calypso in freeing her from her current human form, a state that they, themselves, placed her in. Calypso will assist them in making the world safe for pirates again.

Johnny Depp as Walt Disney Pictures' Captain Jack Sparrow: pirate and rapscallion

This third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean is easily the most convoluted of the three films so far. There are so many subplots that it is, at times, hard to keep track of who is who or what is what. I also found that the film tends to fall into many slow sequences that tend to drag the pacing down quite a bit. Although there is much action, as is typical of the franchise on the whole, there is not as much as in the previous two films. Dead Man’s Chest, in particular, seemed to force the action in an effort to out-do the success of the first film. This film, on the other hand, seems to be forcing a more cerebral and dialogue driven approach. Further proof that perhaps this film could have been trimmed somewhat is in the Deleted Scenes on Disc 2. For a movie that runs nearly 2 ½ hours, they saw fit to cut only 3 scenes. That says something right there.

When the action does pick up, however, it is well worth it. Though there is nothing shocking – there are the typical sword fights and gunfire scenes – the film is still highly entertaining. The maelstrom scene, in particular, is a sight to behold with stunning effects and riveting action. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is certainly not going to go down as a classic by any stretch of the imagination. As a weekend popcorn movie, however, it should suffice.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is presented on this high definition Blu-ray Disc release in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 in a 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 video encoding.

The transfer is remarkable in that it displays a fine amount of grain and detail throughout the entire presentation. Grain-haters may not like this at all, but this is film, ladies and gentlemen, and this high definition release from Disney looks even better than what you are likely to see being projected in most theaters today.

Flesh tones, black levels and contrast are all accurate with a marvelous amount of shadow detail. This is a film that does tend to favor dark, shadowy scenes. Also of note, are the many shots of ocean and water in general. Videophiles will be very familiar with the fact that water can and usually will expose weaknesses in even the best encodings. If an artifact (usually macroblocking) is going to show up, it's going to be in shots featuring flowing water. There are none to be found anywhere in this excellent encoding and the vast majority of the film takes place on water, in water andaround water.

Foreground detail is exceptional. The one tiny quibble I have with the detail of this transfer is the tendency for background detail to occasionally soften ever so slightly. This is a very minor exception to an otherwise perfect transfer and doesn't even warrant being marked down.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney has provided English 5.1 uncompressed PCM (48kHz/24-bit) and English, French, and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks for this release.

Listening to the uncompressed PCM soundtrack was sheer joy. I have to applaud Disney's sound engineers once again for a job well done. All six channels were well used and the mix had an all encompassing, cohesive sound and feel to it that worked well with the film's technically challenging visual materal.

The ambient effects were so realistic that there were several times upon hearing the creaking sounds of the wooden ships or distant footsteps in my rear speakers that I actually looked around to see if someone was walking into the room or knocking on my door.

Overall, the sound of the mix is one of great balance and warmth with easy high frequencies and just enough bottom end. Even in the most effects- laden passages, everything seemed well placed in the soundstage.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two disc set is filled with a wealth of extras that explain, in depth, how the film was made and offer detailed looks behind the scenes at everything from the special effects work, to the scoring of the film.

On Disc 1, the only extra is a blooper reel, "Bloopers of the Caribbean", which runs a little over 5 minutes in the film's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 at 1080i. Disc 2 is where the abundance of bonus materials are contained, and all are in 1080i high definition. The highlight of the bonus disc is the BD-Java based interactive feature Enter the Maelstrom: The Interactive Experience. This feature chronicles the making of the scene in which The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman battle each other whilst caught in a maelstrom. During playback, one can navigate to icons onscreen which pop-up bits of trivia throughout the audio commentary. The presentation will cut away to short behind-the-scenes documentaries based on your selections.

The remainder of the extras on the second disc include:

Keith & The Captain: On-set with Johnny and the Rock Legend; a brief look at Keith Richards' (lead guitarist for The Rolling Stones) appearance in the film as Jack Sparrow's father.

The Tale of Many Jacks; describes the creation of the scene where Jack Sparrow commands The Black Pearl with many different versions of himself.

Deleted Scenes; all in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

The World of Chow-Yun Fat; A behind the scenes look at Chow-Yun Fat's role of Sao Feng and the Chinese pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Pirate Maestro: The Music of Hans Zimmer; a documentary on composer Hans Zimmer and his work in scoring the music for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Masters of Design; a look at the set, prop and makeup designers for Pirates of the Caribbean.

Anatomy of a Scene: The Maelstrom; more behind the scenes analysis of the battle scene between The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman.

Hoist the Colours; about the song featured in the film which served as the pirates' call to action.

Inside the Brethren Court; a BD-Java based interactive feature that offers background information on all of the pirate leaders who appeared at the Brethern Court.

For anyone interested in detail about the exactly what went in to putting this film together this release provides a wellspring of information. For most people, however, the majority of the materials included here will not need to be viewed more than once, if ever at all.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End may not be the strongest film in the franchise - - That honor still resides with the first film in the series, The Curse of the Black Pearl. However, in my opinion it still offers enough of an enjoyment and action to make it a worthwhile purchase. The excellent picture and sound quality make it a reference release and many will find the wealth of bonus materials add a good amount of value to the release.