Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Blu-ray Review

4.1 Stars (out of 5)

Synopsis

Cunningly clumsy Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) meets his match when mysterious beauty Angelica (Penélope Cruz) forces the pirate to join her in search of the Fountain of Youth in the fourth installment of the humorous and action-packed "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. Sparrow tries to determine whether Angelica is friend or foe while the riotous adventure sets him aboard a vessel belonging to the fearsome pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Buy Now $24.99

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Starring:

Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Gemma Ward, Judi Dench, Sam Claflin, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Richard Griffiths, Keith Richards

Director:

Rob Marshall

Blu-ray Release Date:

October 18, 2011

Subtitles:

English SDH, French, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 4.4 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison

• Subwoofer - 4.0 Stars
• Dialog - 4.5 Stars
• Surround Effects - 4.5 Stars
• Dynamic Range - 4.5 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, French: DTS-HD HR 7.1, Spanish: DTS-HD HR 7.1

This 7.1 mix has enough action to put wind in your sails. One of the most impressive features is the amount of action in the rear speakers. Wind comes from all directions, rainfall envelops the room, creaking boats sound almost too realistic, and ocean waves make you feel like you're at sea. There's also enough bass to shiver your timbers, heavy horse hooves thud, thunder booms, gunshots land heavy, and waves land on beaches with heft. The mix also shows off its range with crisp clanging swords, high pitched bird chirps, and the impressive ringing of chalices. Hans Zimmer's signature Pirates soundtrack sounds great, it utilizes all speakers and brings more bass to the party. However, every time an action scene occurs, the soundtrack swells so loud that it drowns out the sounds of adventure. This my not bother some, but after a while I found it annoying, and I decided take an extra half a point off in every category because of it.

Video  4.6 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison

• Color Accuracy  - 5.0 Stars
• Shadow detail - 4.0 Stars
• Clarity - 4.5 Stars
• Skin tones - 4.5 Stars
• Compression - 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Do you like to look at dirty homeless looking people in 1080p with crystal clarity? Well this is the Blu-ray for you. This Pirates of Caribbean has light film grain, but has turned the darkness up a little bit. There are several scenes at night, and some details are lost in the shadows. The colors are a little warm and help bring out the grit and grime on all the filthy pirates. Clarity helps bring out details on clothing textures, Jack Sparrows mascara, unkempt dreadlocks, brown teeth, and smooth skinned mermaid faces.

Bonus Features 2.5 Stars (out of 5)

• Disney Second Screen: Sync On Stranger Tides with your computer or iPad via Disney's downloadable app for behind-the-scenes content and other extras.
• Audio Commentary: With executive producer John DeLuca and director Rob Marshall.
• Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (HD, 5 minutes): Watch a few scenes of the movie Legoized.
• Bloopers of the Caribbean (HD, 3 minutes): An outtake reel.

Movie - 3.0 Stars (out of 5)

Review

I don't look forward to watching Pirate of Caribbean movies, I don't dislike them because they are fun to watch with the family and are always entertaining. In fact, I think I like this movie better than the last one. The plot isn't as crazy, and it's based on legends that we have heard of. The secondary characters in this movie are not utilized as much as they could have been. Which means Captain Jack Sparrow was almost in every scene, and by the time the movie was over Jack's drunken charm wore off and I grew tired of him.

Stranger Tides, is a silly movie filled with too many things to keep track off. Let's see, there's a treasure, mermaids, zombies, voodoo, a love interest, and a magical ship. By the time they threw in a few plot twists I almost didn't care anymore. Yes this film is entertaining and fun, but it seams like the series has lost its heart. It had decent action, but for some reason I didn't find it engaging. However, they ended the movie in a way interested me, and left me looking forward to the next Pirates movie.