Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Blu-ray Movie Review

Dead Franchises Should Make No More Movies.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 19, 2017

Pirates of the Caribbean has been a major moneymaker for Disney, even with some steadily declining domestic box office returns. Take worldwide gross into account and the first film, The Curse of the Black Pearl, remains the low-water mark while this fifth film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, holds down fourth place. Return on investment hasn't been much of an issue, but steadily declining critical reviews are, and that proved particularly troubling during Summer 2017 that saw a steady decline in box office revenue as well as a steady stream of panned blockbusters, including this Pirates film. But there's no denying that the films have lost appeal and gained bloat (even as this is the trimmest of the franchise in terms of gross runtime) while failing to innovate, prancing around the same core qualities that shaped the first film and that has been shaping and defining the franchise ever since. Gone is the freshness, here is the staleness, a franchise that has become dependable only in its ability to recreate itself not in terms of innovation but rather recreate itself in terms of throwing the same elements onto the screen time and again.

Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) has dedicated his life to finding a way to free his father Will (Orlando Bloom) from eternal captivity on the Flying Dutchman. He believes he's found the answer: Poseidon's Trident, a powerful ancient item that can control the seas and everything therein. He ultimately teams up with an amateur astronomer and horologist, the spirited Carina (Kaya Scodelario), whose connection to the seas runs deep. He also finds himself working alongside Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), the perpetually tipsy captain who has lost much of his crew and his treasured compass. But in losing it, he inadvertently unleashes Captain Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem) and his crew of undead sailors who are seeking revenge on Sparrow, who fated them to their hellish existence many years ago.

Dead Men Tell No Tales might be new in name, but it can't shake a feeling of franchise fatigue that permeates nearly every moment. Another crew of cursed sailors made up of complex visual effects? Been there, done that. Action scenes could be dropped into any other film in the franchise and, with a few tweaks to the digital animation to swap out characters, they'd fit right in. Character moments, gags, and the movie's basic cadence feel all-too-familiar. The plot is bloated and contrived and even some main characters feel unnecessarily tacked on and thrown in, shoved to the forefront for story convenience more than anything else. The movie isn't exactly teeming with reasons to watch. Even the aforementioned special effects, as fantastic as they may be and which extend well beyond Salazar and his crew, cannot be considered a draw, not when they're just variations on the same style seen in the pervious four films and certainly not when several other overwrought Summer blockbusters are competing in the same marketplace of empty stories propped up by endless and increasingly complex visual effects. It's all window-dressing masking a dull story and largely directionless meandering for a series in need of retirement or, at least, a very long respite.

Yet even with all the negatives swirling around throughout the film's two-plus-hour runtime, a few enjoyable positives do creep in. Jack Sparrow at one point finds himself on death's doorstep, strapped into a guillotine with a couple of severed heads already in a basket in front of him. Of course he handles the situation as only he would, with some choice quips. He is ultimately rescued, quite unexpectedly and literally at the last second, in an unconventional manner that results in one of the movie's most creative and enjoyable scenes. Depp, of course, inhabits the character as only he can, verbally and physically capturing the classic Sparrow cadence like he just stepped off the first film's set; it's a career-defining character, for better or for worse, and in Dead Men he's as good as ever, even if the material limits him in many scenes. The film also features an extensive flashback to Jack's younger days, when he was first entrusted with the compass, before he became the man audiences have grown to love over the past decade and a half. Computer effects help present him as a fresh-faced teenager, essentially, and fighting his first battle against the then-living Salazar and company. It's one of the series' best sequences; it's a shame it's wrapped up in an otherwise forgettable entry that feels like it should have been two shorter films, one focused on Salazar and one on Turner's search for his father.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was digitally photographed and the Blu-ray transfer is impeccably clean and precise. The image presents with gorgeous texturing, robust colors, perfect blacks, and little-to-no source or encode anomalies. Textures of great visual significance are readily apparent throughout. Battered and weathered woods on ship's decks, torn and tattered banners and sails, dense seafaring costume materials, Barbosa's deeply carved facial features, and bunched and individual hair are just some of the mainstay highlights. The Blu-ray delivers so much robust texturing and intimate clarity it's almost like being there on the set; no element, near or far, is left wanting for anything else the format can muster for it. Colors are just as impressive, bold and flawlessly saturated, alive and revealing no shortage of punch and vitality. The palette's diverse shades -- from the brightest reds to the dullest grays -- never want for increased precision, nuance, or vibrance. Foggy seas, densely dark nights, and other less visually complex but no less technically demanding scenes never stumble. Blacks are perfectly deep and true. Flesh tones appear spot-on. Blu-ray doesn't get any better.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales sails onto Blu-ray with a power-packed and constantly engaged DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack (note that Disney continues in the ways of Sony by not offering the UHD's Atmos track on Blu-ray, though in this case, it's the UHD that's missing out on this track). Intensive surround activity engages right off the bat as a fire engulfs the rear channels. A thunderous low end jolt accompanies Henry's plunge to the ocean floor. The powerful aquatic depth puts pressure on every speaker, and moments later the Flying Dutchman surfaces from its watery grave with extreme potency and ribcage-rattling bass. Water splashes about and drips around with remarkable precision. Footfalls follow rearward. It would be easy, and fitting, to simply give a blow-by-blow of the track's dominance, as it seems to best itself with every new sequence, but suffice it to say that there's never a dull moment and, more important, a moment when the track doesn't engage with both power and precision alike. Be it cannon fire that thumps with prodigious weight and from all over the stage, all of the wonderfully clear and perfectly positioned creaks and moans that sonically define an old wooden ship-at-sea, the eerie natural (or unnatural, as the case may be) sounds as the ship enters the triangle near film's start, drenching rains, or airy dialogue reverberation, there's no shortage of fun and reference-worthy moments along the film's course. Expert dialogue reproduction makes this track complete.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales contains several extras. A DVD copy of the film and a Disney digital copy voucher are included with purchase.

• Dead Men Tell No Tales: The Making of a New Adventure (1080p): A seven-part feature.
  
  
  • A Return to the Sea (3:33): Cast and crew discuss returning to the franchise, making another epic film, and keeping the series fresh.
  • Telling Tales: A Sit-Down with Brenton & Kaya (8:48): The franchise's newest actors reflect on their experiences in making the movie.
  • The Matador & The Bull: Secrets of Salazar & the Silent Mary (13:38): Cast and crew discusses the antagonistic character, the visual components and digital effects, Bardem's portrayal, and more.
  • First Mate Confidential (8:48): A day in the life on the set of Actor Kevin McNally, who portrays Gibbs.
  • Deconstructing the Ghost Sharks (3:50): A short look at making one of the more interesting visuals from the film.
  • Wings Over the Caribbean (5:11): Paul McCartney makes a cameo in the film.
  • An Enduring Legacy (3:59): A short look back on the franchise.
• Bloopers of the Caribbean (1080p, 2:58).
• Jerry Bruckheimer Photo Diary (1080p, 1:40): A quick collection of still photos Bruckheimer captured on-set.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 2:59 total runtime): Highwayman, Henry Turner Learns a Lesson from Captain Jack, A Whale in Poseidon's Tomb, and Alternate Coda: Murtogg & Mallory 'Flogging'

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This ship has sailed, as the saying goes. Dead Men Tell No Tales may offer serviceable entertainment, great visual effects, and the return of fan-favorite characters, but it also offers more of the same of everything else. There's no identity, a convoluted plot, forgettable new faces, and repetitive action. And with talk of a sixth film on the drawing board and with the resounding chorus of "hang it up!" echoing along ship's deck, the filmmakers had better find a way to reinvent the franchise, though no doubt the next film will be a moneymaker, too, regardless of critical voices, franchise fatigue, or stale plot elements. It's only a question of how much it'll make. ROI, baby. Today's movie are all about ROI. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales does excel on Blu-ray. Video and audio are of reference quality. Supplements are fine. Fans can buy with absolute confidence, but those fatiguing on the franchise should wait for a good sale before dropping any money on it.