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

[Wayde]

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007 Blu-ray

Written by Alissa Buchanan

Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom,Keira Knightley, Chow Yun Fat, Geoffrey Rush
Studio: Buena Vista
Production Year: 2007
Media Year: 2007

Rating:PG-13
Runtime: 168 Minutes
Video: Anamorphic 2.35:1
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 / PCM Uncompressed

The Movie

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you find yourself in the belly of a Kraken, now’s your chance to find out.

Disney’s third and final installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise picks up at the cliffhanger of Dead Man’s Chest – rest assured, Jack Sparrow is not dead but merely “taken” (which is different) by the notorious sea-beastie, and lost to the physical and psychological perils of Davy Jones’ Locker.

With tension between pirates and the East India Trading Company climaxing, Jack’s presence is required for the pirate elite to make a last stand. His friends - or as close as you can get when you’re a pirate - Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) set out to find him, navigating the dangerous and complex voyage to the aptly named World’s End. And find him they do – more off-balanced than ever, and humorously plagued by his own inner demons, who never fully leave him throughout the course of the film.



If you’re looking for the same non-stop action and Johnny Depp pirate-isms of the first and second Pirates movies, you might find yourself disappointed by the third. Although they’re still here, this time it’s actually the plot that drives the movie – or rather plots, as there are more twists and turns in this third chapter than in the first two put together. Be prepared to spend some time sorting out loyalties, as in typical pirate fashion, you can never be sure just who’s on the level and who’s brokering a deal to get ahead.

But don’t feel like you have to switch in your eye patch for reading glasses just yet – there’s still enough cannon fire, swordsmanship and high seas high jinks to give even the most landlubbing among us their sea legs. The maelstrom scene alone, a battle between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman in the thick of a supernatural disaster, is sure to give you your fill of action.
And what about the romance?

It wouldn’t be a Pirates movie without more elaboration on the Will Turner-Elizabeth Swann-Jack Sparrow love triangle, but this time things are a little different: you can expect a lot less damsel in distress and a lot more ball-busting as Elizabeth comes into her own as a pirate and takes her turn at the helm of a ship.



But while that saga plays out, keep a weather eye on the horizon for a new love story. It’s no less intriguing but a lot less…pretty. Look for it to play a key role in the outcome and involve some very familiar faces. No spoilers here.

To make 2 hours and 48 minutes short:

If you’ve seen the previous two movies, you’re no doubt looking for some closure for Jack Sparrow and the rest of his pirate mates – in that case, this movie is well worth the risk you take in purchasing any third in a trilogy. It’s got brains, beauty and (no review would be complete without it) all the swashbuckling you could ask for to cap-off Disney’s big success story.
So by all means…Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

Video:

The disc features a clean 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode and for the most part looks stunning on a big-screen HDTV at 1080P.

Based on previous Pirates offerings and the location again taking place largely in the turquoise seas of the Caribbean, expectations for image quality in this movie are high. Overall, At World’s End fails to disappoint - although the more action-packed scenes in the movie give way to some graininess, anything shot on the sandy beaches or featuring the prominent color palettes of Singapore quickly reclaims visual appeal. Lighting is well-managed, be it in the glaring open desert Jack finds himself in after being swallowed by the Kraken, or the shadowy underbelly of a Singapore sauna room.

Audio:

The Blu-ray disc features an uncompressed PCM 5.1 Surround track (48kHz/24-bit) for its premium audio option.

Unlike watching this movie in the theater ,where the cannon fire leaves you deafened to any form of dialogue, the sound on the disc is completely immersive. Whether it’s Hans Zimmer’s spirited Pirates theme providing a musical backdrop for high-seas gunplay, or Orlando Bloom’s passionate diatribe with Miss Swann on the state of their relationship, you’ll never have to adjust the volume (although you may be tempted to hit the mute button in the love scenes).

Special Features:

While the At World’s End movie disc features only a 5-minute bloopers reel, an additional disc in the package captures the remainder of the extra material, all in 1080i High Definition.

• Enter the Maelstrom: The Interactive Experience. Probably the most interesting feature on the disc, it’s an interactive look at the maelstrom battle scene between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman.
  
• Keith & The Captain: On-set with Johnny and the Rock Legend. Chronicling Keith Richards’ appearance in the film, after Johnny Depp credited him with inspiration for the Jack Sparrow personality.
  
• The Tale of Many Jacks. A look at the scene where Johnny Depp plays Jack Sparrow many times over, and in many variations.
  
• Deleted Scenes. In 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
  
• The World of Chow-Yun Fat. A closer look at Sao Feng and the Singapore setting.
  
• 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 behind-the-scenes look at set creation, makeup and props for the film.
  
• Anatomy of a Scene: The Maelstrom. In case you didn’t get enough of it in the first special feature.
  
• Hoist the Colours. A history of the pirate battle song.
  
• Inside the Brethren Court. A tell-all on the various pirate leaders encompassing the Brethren Court.

[Big Worm]

Thanks for the very nice review! I just picked up my disc, but based on the previous 2 I expect no less. I actually saw the movie at the theaters and as far as the movie goes it was very good. I just love the whole trilogy.

I heard rumors of them making a fourth. Anybody else here that?

[Sonnie]

The way this one ended it gave me the impression there would be a 4th.

I thought this one was pretty good... lots of action and good bass. It was a little long, but I didn't mind it. I would like to see it again on Blu-ray once I get my Blu-ray player.

[jerome]

I liked this one too but my favorite is still the first one. Not so technical as this one but more entertaining (in my opinion).

I felt like Johnny Depp was kind of backing off in this one and that the all action was moved to other actors.

But I was very impressed by what they achieved in this movie. The battle scenes are wonderful, especially the Maelstrom scene ...

[Wayde]

Funny... I didn't even watch it all the way through.

I never saw the first or second - not my cup of tea. I tried to watch this one... 1/4 of the way through I like huh??

Isn't Davy Jones Locker from a Beastie Boys song? I had no idea what was going on. But I liked Chow Yun Fat, that was a nice touch near the start with him. Visually it looked interesting with the imaginative sets, costumes and filth.

I'll get the woman that wrote the review for me to get on the Shack and post. She watched it on my system and liked it. Watching movies is one of our favourite pastimes

[Alissa]

Thanks for the compliment, i enjoyed writing it! I've heard that Johnny Depp is open to a fourth movie, which would be exciting. But if it never happened, i'd be happy with the ending in the third - it was a definite comeback after the slightly disappointing Dead Man's Chest.

[Sonnie]

Hello Alissa and welcome to the Shack!

Great review! Thanks for helping out!

[Alissa]

My pleasure, and thank you!

[vitod]

This was the worst of the series so far. Very talky and very little action. I fell asleep a few times. Boring.

[thxgoon]

I was also bored with this movie. It was nice to see some more complicated plot development but they certainly could have moved things more quickly. It was a big departure from the first 2.

[polaris rider]

ijust bought the bluray version havent watched it yet but i noticed that the cover said it was 1080i not 1080p so what is it. any imfo please.

[Wayde]

I'm not sure if a Blu-ray disc can be 1080i...

Here are the specs pulled from highdefdigest.com

Video Resolution/Codec
1080p/AVC MPEG-4