Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy [Blu-ray]
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June 8, 2010 /
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- Lose yourself in the magic of every moment of the swashbuckling phenomenon that took the world by storm with all three films of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN trilogy in one spectacular eye-popping, ear-stunning Blu-ray™ boxed set. Thrill to the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and the unforgettable cast of rogues
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
From producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor) comes Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl , the thrilling high-seas adventure with a mysterious twist. The roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow’s (Academy Award(R) Nominee Johnny Depp) idyllic pirate life capsizes after his nemesis, the wily Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), steals his ship, the Black Pearl, and later attacks the town of Port Royal, kidnapping the g
Rating:  (out of 67 reviews)
List Price: $ 82.99
Price: $ 41.99
Genre: Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 30-DEC-2008
Media Type: Blu-RaySerenity offers perfect proof that Firefly deserved a better fate than premature TV cancellation. Joss Whedon’s acclaimed sci-fi Western hybrid series was ideally suited (in Browncoats, of course) for a big-screen conversion, and this action-packed adventure allows Whedon to fill in the Firefly backstory, especially the history and mystery of the spaceship Serenity’s volatile and traumatized stowaway,
Rating: (out of 1615 reviews)
List Price: $ 26.98
Price: $ 13.49
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Review by Dave for Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy [Blu-ray]
Rating:
As the other reviewer stated, this is a repackaging of the previously released Pirates of the Caribbean blu-ray discs, with all the extras that were on those discs, but no new additional material. To rehash what you get:
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” Review:
This is the strongest of the 3 films. Although each film definitely has somewhat of a “fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants” type story style (as if there were no strong script, but rather ideas that popped up on set), this one actually works and makes for a very fun viewing experience. Pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp, who created this legendary film character) teams up with blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) to help rescue the Governor’s daughter Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) from pirate Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Of course there is treasure involved as well as a curse. Depp walks away with the picture. The love interest (Bloom & Knightley) do their best to compete, but without Depp, this picture would have tanked. Amazing special effects and plenty of swashbuckling action!
Extras :
* 3 Audio commentary tracks: #1 is director Gore Verbinski & Johnny Depp; #2 is producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Keira Knightley, and Jack Davenport; #3 is co-screenwriters Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert
* Lots of trailers, including one for POTC 3 in HD 1080p
* “An Epic at Sea: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean” which is a 9-part 38 minute documentary.
* “Fly on the Set” documentary which describes in greater depth 5 different sequences in the film (“The Town Attack,” “Tortuga,” “The Blacksmith Shop,” “The Cave” and “Jack’s Hanging”)
* “Moonlight Serenade Progression” which shows from pre-production to the final scene of how the spectral pirates came to be
* 3 on-set “diaries”: Producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Photo Diary” (4 min.), “Diary of a Pirate” (9 min.), featuring actor Lee Arenberg (Pintel), and “Diary of a Ship” (8 min.) by the crew of the real Lady Washington, which was used as the H.M.S. Interceptor in the film
* 19 deleted scenes
* Blooper reel
* Vintage “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” (Jan. 1968) excerpt describing how the Disneyland attraction came to be, and includes a “ride-through” of the attraction itself.
* Photo/image gallery
* “Scoundrels at Sea”: customize your viewing experience with this exclusive-to-Blu-ray feature, allowing you to access trivia, clips, etc. on your own. A lot of work, but can add a little fun to repeated viewings.
* And plenty of Easter Eggs!
* Specs: English PCM 5.1 surround track, 2.40:1 widescreen
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” Review:
Although it has its moments and plenty of wonderful special effects, I felt that this one was somewhat of a disappointment. The Jack Sparrow character is not quite as quirky as he is in the first film, but rather a little overdone. This film has a feeling of being made up as it was being filmed. Too much explanation of plot twists and too many intricate ribbons to tie together things that were not originally intended to be tied together…this franchise officially begins to bloat with this 2nd installment. This time, Jack Sparrow must lift the curse of eternal damnation by recovering the heart of the slimy Davy Jones, which is inside the Dead Man’s Chest. Stabbing the heart would not only destroy Jones, but also set free Will Turner’s father, Bootstrap Bill.
Extras :
* 1 Audio commentary track with co-screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
* Lots of trailers, including one for POTC 3 in HD 1080p
* “Charting the Course” is a 26 minute pre-production documentary
* “According to Plan: The Harrowing and True Story of Dead Man’s Chest” is a 63 minute look at the actual filming, which was plagued with many a problem (and shows in the final product)
* “Meet Davy Jones: Anatomy of a Legend” (13 min.) shows how actor Bill Nighy was transformed into the octopus-like character Davy Jones
* “Fly on the Set: The Bone Cage” (4 min.)
* “Mastering the Blade” (16 min.) shows how the stars learned to swashbuckle with swords
* “Captain Jack: From Head to Toe” (22 min.) shows how Jack Sparrow was costumed…very cool to see the attention to detail.
* “Dead Men Tell New Tales: Re-Imagineering the Attraction” (13 min.) shows how the Disneyland attraction was changed to include characters from the film (interesting to see Depp come face to face with his Audio Animatronic counterpart)
* “Pirates on Main Street” (4 minutes) shows the premiere at Disneyland
* “Jerry Bruckheimer: A Producer’s Photo Diary” (5 min.) shows stills from the production
* “Liar’s Dice” a blu-ray exclusive game with dice
* And plenty of Easter Eggs!
* Specs: Uncompressed PCM 5.1 surround track, 2.35:1 widescreen
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” Review:
This is one of those movies that requires multiple viewings to appreciate it and catch all of the nuances. I was not bowled over by it the first time I saw it, and still think that it could have been tightened up quite a bit in the editing room, however, it is a nice end to the trio of POTC movies. It seemed like the pressure to make this installment better than the others is felt throughout; the first movie was nothing but a joyful and spontaneous romp with Jack Sparrrow and his supporting characters. By installment 3, you sense an almost over-manufactured quality, as if the franchise is on steroids. The comments by the crew in the extras almost bear this out; especially in the Tale of Many Jacks featurette. “How do we keep it unexpected?” the crew asks, responding, “Maike it weird.” However, the weird becomes “tedious” (the word they use to describe the filming of the scene), and especially when watching the multiple Jack sequence, I kept asking myself “Why is this scene necessary?” Although it is technically brilliant, it really does nothing to further the plot along, and just adds to the yawn factor. One thing Walt Disney really understood was good storytelling; even though a sequence maybe astounding, if it doesn’t integrate into the whole, it should be removed. There are 2 deleted scenes on the disk; “I Like Riddles” and “Two Captains, One Ship.” The 2 Captains scene is extremely fun to watch as you see the competition between Barbossa and Sparrow. It has the light playful feeling that was part of the original, but somewhat gone in part 3. And as most probably know, you must watch the movie even AFTER the credits…there is a short scene at the end that wraps the bow up even more neatly to complete the trilogy. Without giving away a plot spoiler, I have to say that the final sequence before the credits gave me hope that if there is another installment, that the producers realized they need to focus on Sparrow and cut the weight of all the extra storylines: the love story of Will and Elizabeth, the Chinese Pirates, the Brethren Court, Tia Dalma, etc…it is just too much.
Extras :
* Bloopers
* Lots of trailers
* Deleted scenes
* “Anatomy of a Scene: The Maelstrom” (20 min.) An in depth look at this amazing scene.
* “Masters of Design” (25 min.) 5 featurettes which describe the Costuming (Keith Richards amazing wardrobe by Penny Rose), Sao Feng’s Map, The Code Book, Crash McCreary: The Cursed Crew, and Rick Heinrichs: Singapore.
* “The Tale Of The Many Jack” (5 min.) shows how this bizarre (and superfluous) scene created multiple Jack Sparrows.
* “The World of Chow Yun Fat” (5 min.) is a little odd in that he speaks Mandarin with subtitles, but still interesting, as it enlightens us as to what a presence he is and how he pretty much brought his own methods of filming/working to the project and was allowed to do so because he is such an international star.
* “Keith & the Captain: On Set With Johnny And The Rock Legend” (5 min.) is lots of fun; almost like a train wreck as the poor man speaks unintelligibly, but he is still magic when he picks up a guitar and starts to strum.
* “The Pirate Maestro: The Music of Hans Zimmer” (10 min.) is another case of being pressured; you hear how he also wants to outdo the previous films. Interesting to watch one of the musicians play a saw and then see Verbinski jamming on an electric guitar.
* “Hoist the Colors” (5 minutes) Composer Zimmer tells how the opening song came to be.
* 2 Deleted Scenes
* “Inside the Maelstrom” blu-ray exclusive is an approximately 40 minute interactive look into the creation of this amazing special effects sequence.
* “Movie Showcase” blu-ray exclusive features Disney’s patented Movie Showcase chapter access function.
* And plenty of Easter Eggs!
* Specs: Uncompressed PCM 5.1 surround track, 2.35:1 widescreen
Review by Coach for Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy [Blu-ray]
Rating:
This is a must have because all three movies are worth seeing multiple times. The blend of action and humor is outstanding and it is a pleasure to take it all in over and over again.
My minor complaint is that the second and third disc seem to not have the same high quality as the first and it always takes some adjustment on the HDTV to keep the quality consistent. The Samsung reports 1080i on disc two and three while one is registered as the 1080p; don’t know why. This should not hold you back, because the quality of the trilogy is among the best we’ve seen.
If you have to own just one Blu-Ray it should be from this series.
Review by bbsk8er for Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy [Blu-ray]
Rating:
have the movies on DVD but saw the blu-ray versions playing in the store and had to have them. best blu-ray purchase i’ve made; picture quality is excellent
Review by J. A. Torrontegui for Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy [Blu-ray]
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This trilogy edition includes the corrected version of the “Curse of the black pearl” blu-ray, with no miss-framed shots. Great.
Review by S. Fry for Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy [Blu-ray]
Rating:
I owned the trilogy on DVD previous to buying the blu-ray set, and it was well worth it. The sound is amazing and the picture quality is awesome even on my flat screen which only goes up to 1080i. I highly recommend this set for anyone who is a Pirates fan.
Review by Brian Reaves for Serenity [Blu-ray]
Rating:
This is one incredible movie. No, you don’t have to be familiar with the series to enjoy it, but the familiarity will make several moments in the movie that much more tragic. The action here is incredible, and unlike several of the Star Trek movies, the characters don’t deviate from their series personnas. The emotional impact of several scenes is so intense it was hard to stay seated (a crash landing sequence can almost give you motion sickness). This brings a satisfying end to the storyline the original series had started. It’s a shame the show never got to tell this story in its entirety. You can see where some parts of the movie are rushed in a way. Something that could have been stretched over weeks in a series had to be handled in minutes, and that robs it a little. But you have to applaud Whedon for being able to tie up all the loose ends he started with just two hours. Shame on the network for cancelling this, but congratulations to Whedon for giving the fans–both old and new–the ending the show deserved. Heroes will shine, and some will fall, but Serenity will live on.
Now bring the show back!
Review by T. Stewart for Serenity [Blu-ray]
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It wasn’t suppose to happen like this…
Back in the summer of 2001, Fox announced that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” mastermind Joss Whedon would be creating a new television show that was a cross between Science Fiction and the Western Genres… For months Fox spent millions of dollars promoting the one “sure fire series of the season” but then the problems started… the pilot was too slow, Executive Heads Clashed, and Baseball season all got mixed into the mixing pot… and in the end fans where left with an out of order, mixed up, tale of identitify (which is ironic if you think about it).
But the fans of Joss Whedon and of the character he creates would not let this be the end of the “firefly” universe, and after much fanfare, petitions, and literal Bitching; Universal Pictures did something rather uprecidented: they green lite a “big-screen’ movie which Joss Whedon describes as “a thank you to the fans.”
And that is exactly what the film version of “Serenity” is. On the exterior it is a fast-past, character driven, science fiction blast for everyone to enjoy, and the people that did see it did enjoy it alot. It has survived over a month on IMDB’s Top 250 Movies of All Tilme List, and has recieved glowing reviews from THE NEW YORK TIMES, EBERT & ROBERT, THE SAN FRANSISCO CHRONICLE, and more… I distinctly remember a quote from the New york Times saying “George Lucas eat your heart out.”
But on the interior the movie was about the salvation of people, and it was a political commentary on big brotherism, and how if things in our society today keep going down the same road are future generations won’t be much different from mal and zoe.
If your a fan of science-fiction or just good storytelling this is a movie for you.
Review by Mark R., Whittington for Serenity [Blu-ray]
Rating:
A wonderous vision of the future started in the all too short run of the TV series Firefly continues in the big screen version of it, Serenity. The TV show and movie is about the crew of a star ship that is as much unlike the USS Enterprise as it can get. It’s a ranshackle freighter skippered by Mal Reynolds, a man part Han Solo, part Jesse James. He was on the losing side of an intersteller civil war against the Alliance, a buraucratic, oppressive government that seems to consists of people who believe quite fervently they know better than other people how they should live their lives. Captain Reynolds and his motley crew, including his former second in command from the war, her husband the pilot, an engineer who is as cute as she is sharp with the hyper drive, a muscle bound mercenary in a constant state of mutiny, a preacher, a courtesan, and a doctor and his troubled (to say the least!) sister eck out a thin living doing odd jobs out on the frontier, some of them not exactly legal. They bicker and at times almost come to blows. Especialy due to the fact that the doctor’s sister is wanted by the Alliance government for having been “enhanced” and damaged by a top secret government labortory.
Oddly enough, this crew might well save the human race among the stars. The story is a paean about how the unlikeliest people can become heroes and how the right of individuals to live free if an absolute. I hope there will be many more films in this “verse.”
Review by trashcanman for Serenity [Blu-ray]
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If you’re already aquainted with the greatness of Joss Whedon’s cult television series “Firefly” then this is a no-brainer. “Serenity” is the best science fiction film since “The Matrix” and for true fans of the series, it is a literal dream come true. Essentially, this film is not so much a stand-alone popcorn affair so much as it is the greatest series finale in history. It’s emotional, funny, action-packed, full of quirky characters both familiar and new, and just plain cool to boot. There is also a deep philosophical argument explored as the costs of personal freedom and government control are contrasted in a brilliant manner. Would you choose to live the life of a criminal if it was the only way you could be free? Does a government have the right to take any step necesssary to keep it’s citizens under control and happy?
“Half of writing history is covering up the truth” is just one of the memorable observations made by our heroes over the course of this journey. The plot centers around insane genius River and her older brother, Simon, who rescued her from a mysterious government facility where she was being experimented on. Part of the genius of the series (and this film) are the insane rantings of River, which begin to make sense if you pay attention. “Old men, covered in blood. It never touched them but they’re drowning in it” may seem nonsensical to some, but it is a rather poetic yet eerily accurate representation of both the government officials in her universe, and in ours. The events taking place in this future are vaguely familair as plot devices, but what makes them brilliant is the way they relate to what’s happening in our society. Anyhow, back to the plot: River and Simon joined the crew of Serenity, the ship captained by Malcolm Reynolds, a true hero who isn’t afraid to break the rules if it means doing the right thing. Serenity’s crew includes an endearing assortment of contrasting characters that all get their moments to shine in the film: Jayne the hardcore mercenary, Kailee the loveable mechanic, Mal’s old war buddy Zoe, and her pilot/comedian husband Wash are all well represented. Having left Serenity since the original series, Book the minister and Inara -Malcolm’s love interest who happens to be a well-respected prostitute (not to mention unbelievably gorgeous)- turn up along the way as well.
The style of the universe that our heroes inhabit is still a mix of all of the cultures of “Earth-that-was”, primarily american and asian, with cursing in chinese being an amusing device for letting characters express their disapproval realistically and emphatically without getting an “R” rating in the process. If you’ve never seen “Firefly”, do not hesitate; go buy it this very moment and see what you’ve been missing out on, then I can guarantee that this film will blow you away.
If you are just looking for a spectacle like “Star Wars”, legendary action sequences like “The Matrix”, or just some light sci-fi fare, you will be disappointed. This movie is both epic and personal, hilarious and heart-breaking, deeply thoughtful yet fun. It represents the fulfillment of a promise from it’s creator and is a miracle unto itself that came about simply because the fans refused to let his brilliant creation die just because of a bad decision by a biased television executive. The story behind the film is almost as uplifting as the film itself and serves to justify those of us who support the things we love, even years after they’ve “died”.
Not fitting into any particular established pop culture mold -not unlike the characters themselves-, “Firefly” and “Serenity” may have flown in under the public’s radar, but for those of us who know what great entertainment is capable of, this is the stuff we live for seeing and we’re happy to keep it our little secret.
Review by Donald M. Boettger for Serenity [Blu-ray]
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I’ll admit it right up front: I’m a Firefly/Serenity geek. I’ve seen the movie nine times in the theater (by far the most for me, any film, any genre). I’ve never developed such a deep connection with any other entertainment franchise with the possible exceptions of “The Lord Of the Rings” — the books, mainly, though the movies were great too — the “Narnia” series, and “Watership Down”.
So what is it about this fictional world that draws me in so? Has senility kicked in and I’m experiencing my second childhood? Maybe, but I think I still have a bit of critical judgement left.
I think the real reason is that this is science fiction done right. It’s not about bumpy-headed alien monsters or supernatural forces. It’s about people, ordinary people like you and me who find themselves caught up in events outside their control. It’s about holding things together when every force in the ‘verse is trying to rip them apart.
Technically, this film is beautiful, with just enough SFX to tell the story without having the effects become the story. The one really heavy CGI sequence is a head-spinning thrill ride, but it’s not what the movie is about.
“Serenity” is far more fast-paced than the Firefly series was, and that’s a mixed blessing. The serial television format allows for more deliberate pacing and character development, which is compressed in the movie. One side effect is that “Serenity” holds up well to multiple viewings, as you catch the nuances that might have flown past too quickly on the first pass. On the upside, the fast pacing means this film is action packed. There are more twists and turns in its first nine minutes than most movies give you in their entire running length.
Even so, “Serenity” takes enough time to show you the lighter side of these characters. There are a lot of laughs here, including a few really big ones. Some of them come just when the tension seems to be nearly unbearable. That’s a sign of gifted writing.
Though it’s never rubbed in your face, the movie also carries a timely political message, demonstrating how evil may result from the best of intentions.
It’s no surprise that Firefly has more female fans than many other SF tales. If I may be permitted a gross generalization, women tend to be more empathetic and relationship oriented than men. “Serenity” has what women, and men who are in touch with that attribute, are looking for: people you care about, trying to hang on to their humanity at the raggedy edge.