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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Neil Bray (15th September 2011). |
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The Film
 Back before Curse of the Black Pearl was made I’m sure there were many people who thought it was utter madness to make a film based on the Disney theme park ride Pirates of the Caribbean. I know I did. But, lo-and-behold the film came out and was actually a hit. The reason for that was kismet: everything came together just right. The casting was inspired, the script was both exciting and funny and the final result appealed to a broad spectrum of the cinema going public. Inevitable sequels followed with Dead Man’s Chest (which was also excellent) and finally At World’s End (which was a big let-down if you ask me). As far as we all knew that was the end of Captain Jack Sparrow’s adventures. But wait! Suddenly, rumours abound that another film is to be made. Was this really a good idea? Shouldn’t they leave the series alone? Did we really need another Pirates of the Caribbean film? Well, now that I’ve seen On Stranger Tides I can happily confirm that YES, we did need another Pirates of the Caribbean film. Because, On Stranger Tides, is everything that At World’s End wasn’t: it’s coherent, exciting and fun. A welcome return of many faces from the original trilogy will please many fans; but it is the new characters that really make this film the success it is. Ian McShane is superb as Blackbeard with a performance teetering between evil and really, really evil. He obviously enjoyed every second of this film and it shows in his performance. Then there is Penelope Cruz: never one of my favourite actresses (and someone I always feel a need to switch on subtitles for), but here she is a delight. As for the story: I really don’t want to give away anything – so I won’t. What I will say is that some of the sequences are spectacular, such as the mermaid sequence, and this film is blockbuster that is actually worth seeing. There are lots of very funny one-liners and Johnny Depp is on top form delivering a performance that shows why he is one of the world’s most popular actors. Of special note: I really appreciated the cameo of one of Britain’s most beloved Dames!
Video
Presented in 1080p Hi-Definition with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 this films is an absolute joy to behold. Visually stunning and crystal clear, this is definitely demonstration level. The colours are sumptuous and vibrant and the black levels are superb giving a real sense of depth to the dark and light. Brilliant.
Audio
An absolutely perfect sound track. My speakers nearly took off, but even on lower volumes the dialogue was crystal clear and the effects immersive. Available tracks are: English DTS HD Master 7.1, French/Italian DTS HD High Resolution 7.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround and Audio Described English 2.0 Stereo. Subtitles available: English, English HoH, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic and Dutch.
Extras
Startup Trailers/Sneak Peeks: Brave/Cars 2/Treasure Buddies (3.26) Bloopers of the Caribbean (3.29) – some funny moments, but a bit disappointing overall. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (2.06) – this is two fully-animated, but very short lego films. Neither is particularly good and will probably only appeal to players of the game itself. Audio Commentary with Director Rob Marshall and Executive Producer John Deluca – This is a pretty good chat-track. There’s a fair amount of butt-kissing throughout as they talk about everyone involved, but that can be overlooked because the information they deliver is both exhaustive and very interesting. The only niggle I had is that they frequently refer to how good the 3D is on this film – but I only had the 2D version to review. I really think they should record two different tracks for the different version (or edit one to remove the references to the 3D). The second disc is a DVD (2.10.49) Extras are the same as the Blu-ray with two exceptions: No Commentary and one addition trailer for “John Carter” (1.35). Present in 2.40:1 anamorphic. Audio: English 5.1, English 2.0, English Audio Descriptive 2.0, French 5.1 and Hindi 5.1. Subtitles: English, English HoH, French, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic.
Packaging
This film is packaged in a standard blu-ray case with an embossed slipcover.
Overall
An excellent film and a very worth entry into the Pirates franchise. Fans will definitely be pleased. This release is only let down by the distinct lack of extras of any worth. Previous Disney releases have been chock full of goodies, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find a later re-release having all the good stuff. Even a decent Making Of would have improved this package immensely.
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