6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Kevin McNallyAdventure | 100% |
Action | 79% |
Fantasy | 68% |
Period | 14% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (3 BDs, 2 DVDs)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Mobile features
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
I had high hopes for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. While The Curse of the Black Pearl was an absolute blast, Dead Man's Chest amounted to a bloated, beached corpse and At World's End was little more than a flashy misfire. Each one had its moments, sure. But there were so many competing plots, subplots and sub-subplots, not to mention double, triple and quadruple crosses, that neither one thrilled or entertained audiences as much as Pearl. But everyone from producer Jerry Bruckheimer to leading man Johnny Depp approached the fourth film with the same candid assurance: On Stranger Tides wasn't just a relaunch designed to recapture the magic of the first film, it was an apology of sorts for having sailed into such muddy sequel waters. Yet somehow, by some strange fate, voodoo incantation or pirate's curse, On Stranger Tides isn't the return to form we were promised. On the contrary, it's slower, duller, more cumbersome, more distended, and more unnecessary and extraneous than both Pirates sequels combined. I'm sure it all sounded exciting on paper -- castle escapes, London carriage chases, zombies, Captain Jack teaming up with Captain Barbosa, flame-spewing ships, Blackbeard and the Queen Anne's Revenge, mermaid attacks, Ponce de Leon's lost ship, the Fountain of Youth -- but, with fish-out-of-water director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine) at the helm, the fourth Pirates film gets lost at sea.
"I think we left the fun lying around here somewhere..."
First things first: while On Stranger Tides was filmed in native 3D, not every scene in Disney's 1080p/MVC-encoded transfer has that patented 3D pop we've all come to know and love. (And pay for.) Dismal London cityscapes, dank underworld haunts, foggy ships' decks, shadowy harbors, ominous caves... not exactly playgrounds of 3D depth and dimensionality. Still, even the film's darkest scenes aren't as flat and poorly defined as similar scenes in Clash of the Titans 3D, Green Lantern 3D and other misadventures in post-conversion. Swords jut through the shadows, mermaids rise out of the water, masts loom overhead, and Ian McShane towers over his crew, all reasonably well. Yes, at night. Yes, in the haze. Yes, deep underground. But when the sun rises? Wow. Sun-beat jungles and white sand beaches extend believably into the distance, pirates trail off into three-dimensional expanses, and leaves, foliage, branches, blades, flintlock pistols, venomous snakes, mystical compasses, sneering zombies and silver chalices push out of the screen. Actually, the difference is quite staggering; a fact that will no doubt lead some to criticize some of the more problematic 3D sequences. The only shots worth criticizing, though, are those that suffer from ghosting, a problem that appears every few minutes, albeit in the backgrounds and only in brief bursts. Fortunately, each instance is fairly minor, meaning 3D videophiles have little to worry about.
Meanwhile, color accuracy and skintone saturation are excellent throughout, primaries have tremendous power (when given the opportunity), black levels are rich and satisfying, and contrast ranges from delightfully dreary to suitably savory to downright stunning. Fine detail rises and sets with the sun, sure, but there isn't any smearing or unintended softness on display. (The rare exception being a series of closeups of Syrena in the jungle. A bit of DNR has been applied, albeit by Marshall and his crew in post. The anomaly was visible in the film's digital theatrical presentation as well.) Textures are refined and exceptionally well-resolved (even when darkness presses in), edge definition is crisp and clean (without any significant ringing) and delineation is as revealing (or secretive) as Wolski intended. Shadows are heavy but hardly ever blot out the production design, night falls fast without completely consuming the environments, and the light fades without leaving the backgrounds to languish in its absence. Naturally, the result is an uneven presentation -- one scene will wallow in shadow while the very next scene will leap off the screen -- but only in the sense that the film's photography is purposefully uneven. Serious artifacting, banding, aliasing and crush are held at bay, and there really isn't any technical issues to speak of. Needless to say, On Stranger Tides looks great in 2D and 3D. Any Pirates fan worth their sea salt will be pleased, especially when Jack, Angelica and Blackbeard set out through the jungle in search of Ponce de León's ship.
No ship to ship battles, no canon fire, no grand supernatural spectacles. What's left for an able-bodied DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track to do? Plenty apparently. Disney's lossless beastie belches fire, reigns destruction and brings On Stranger Tides roaring to sea-splitting life without so much as a single mishap or issue. It's flawless, me mateys, and every bit as powerful and immersive as its Pirates predecessors. Dialogue is brisk, lively and perfectly intelligible for start to finish, even admist all the tower explosions, mermaid attacks and surging seas. Sword clashes clang beautifully and ring true, wood splinters and stone cracks with weighty ease, and low-end elements make their presence known. (And then some.) LFE output is explosive and nuanced, rear speaker activity is aggressive and subtle, directional effects are head-turning and convincing, dynamics are startling and entrancing. Disney's lossless mix does it all, soaring to every height and diving to every depth the film's sound design requires. And Hans Zimmer's score? It belts out each dun dun dun dah dah! with a hearty laugh of multi-channel glee and sings an alluring mermaid song with soft, almost fragile effortlessness. It all comes together in one amazing 7.1 channel lossless track that stands proudly alongside its franchise brethren.
In addition to 2D and 3D versions of the film, the 3D edition of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides includes a third Blu-ray disc packed with a variety of high definition extras. (The 2D-only release offers an audio commentary, a blooper reel and an animated Lego short. Nothing more.) It isn't exactly exhaustive, mind you, but the inclusion of a production documentary, a series of featurettes, several deleted scenes, and other bonus materials make the 5-disc On Stranger Tides 3D release the way to go, regardless of whether or not you have a 3D-capable display. If, that is, you feel an additional 75-minutes of special features are worth the 3D edition's higher price. Decisions, decisions.
On Stranger Tides goes down with the ship without ever conjuring up enough magic to revitalize the franchise. Pirates of the Caribbean still has enormous box office draw, but if the current trend continues, you have to wonder how many more sequels audiences will gulp down before seeking out sweeter waters. Thankfully, Disney's 3D release has a few things going for it. A solid 3D presentation and an even stronger 2D transfer gets the Blu-ray edition off to a striking start, a top tier DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track sweetens the deal, and a satisfying selection of extras -- 75-minutes of which are exclusive to the 5-disc 3D combo pack -- tops it all off nicely. If On Stranger Tides shivers your timbers (or does something else pirate-y and punny), picking up the 3D edition is a no-brainer. Unless you aren't a fan of 3D or special features, in which case the 2D release should suit you just fine.
2011
with Lego Ship
2011
Limited Edition | Bonus Disc
2011
reissue
2011
Pirate Tin Bank
2011
Empty Case
2011
DVD Packaging
2011
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Extended Edition
2012
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