Clearly the heart which beats in this DVD treasure box is the billion-dollar hit film, currently ranked the third-highest grossing movie worldwide, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, presented in its full 150-minute theatrical glory.  This second act of the PIRATES trilogy was so densely action-packed and larger than life in theaters, it was an adventure just to process and enjoy it all in one viewing.  Now fans can relive Captain Jack's confrontation with destiny and Davy Jones at home to appreciate the characters' evolution in the story, enjoy the dazzling visual effects magic, and fully absorb this rich tapestry of swashbuckling fun.

The film-to-DVD transfer preserves and displays the wide palette of lush tropical hues and chilling blue shadows filling the canvas of this Caribbean journey.  Cross-screen motion remained crisp and clear with no noticeable edge-strobing distortion.   Audiophiles will duck and cover with every cannon shot in the clear, distinct 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, while the center dialog remains rich and precise even during effects-heavy scenes.  In other words, an excellent DVD version of DEAD MAN'S CHEST is safely, sublimely stowed on Disc One, ready for action if your entertainment system is up to the challenge.  Have your deck hands fire up the popcorn and you're ready to sail, mates!

You can read our FilmEdge review of the movie itself if you missed it online this summer, but come back to complete our DVD review of the spectacular bonus features just ahead!

Screenwriting Men Tell New Tales Paired up with the two-and-a-half our PIRATES feature film are the screenwriting duo, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, who provide a full-length audio commentary track as the first DVD bonus feature.  The team of scribes watch the film with you in real time, picking out specific scenes or lines of dialogue which carried significant importance as they created this first sequel's story arc and plotted out Jack Sparrow's death-defying tale.

Elliott and Rossio's sense of humor and obviously intimate knowledge of the characters make the commentary track a must for fans who want to plumb the dramatic depths of the PIRATES trilogy — especially if you want to learn hints about the third chapter, AT WORLDS END, sailing into theaters next May.  We won't give away all the behind-the-scenes secrets the writers tell about how both sequel stories were created, but listen carefully to their descriptions throughout DEAD MAN'S CHEST and you'll gain hints about the adventures on the horizon in 2007.

Most intriguing about the creation of this middle chapter is that Elliott and Rossio, along with director Gore Verbinski contributing to its story development, had to reverse engineer a sequel to be backwards compatible with THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, which was originally written as a stand-alone screenplay.  Only after Disney Studios' request to write the sequel did the writers deliberately pick up plot threads and character details which could be woven into a second film, which then reinforced the illusion that PIRATES 1 and 2 were inseparably connected.  Of course, while they were going to all that screenwriting trouble to link up 1 and 2, they created and extended this new story to carry on through the upcoming third film, which the Studio decided to produce simultaneously.

Naturally it was a massive and difficult challenge just to perpetuate what succeeded best in THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL without merely repeating the formula, but creating two new chapters at the same time which met those same high standards was a task as demanding and turbulent as the seas themselves.  Elliott and Rossio illustrate these creative challenges while commenting on scenes like that in Lord Beckett's office, where the continuous painting of his giant world map on the wall parallels how events in DEAD MAN'S CHEST slowly expand and evolve to incorporate new uncharted mysteries awaiting in AT WORLDS END.

Elliott and Rossio's commentary also sheds light and humorous insights into the hardships and frivolity experienced by cast and crew as specific shots and moments call up amusing tales from the writing duo.  You'll also hear them describe many alternate lines and scenes cut from the final film — a great asset since no deleted scenes appear in the DVD set — and these tidbits also deepen viewers' understanding of the cinematic creative process.

It's not often that DVD bonus material includes commentary tracks by a screenwriting team, so you'll gain a multi-layered appreciation of DEAD MAN'S CHEST by watching the film again with them as you ponder the possibilities of the third exciting chapter.

Bloopers of the Caribbean Rounding out the bonus features of Disc One (and thus concluding the extra material offered in the single-disc DVD edition) is nearly four minutes of hilarity entitled Bloopers of the Caribbean.  If you enjoyed the first installment of forgotten lines, funny faces and comical outtakes seen in THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL DVD, you'll find this new collection from the sequel even more laugh-inspiring.

Loading Disc Two into your player opens this DVD set's true treasures with hours of in-depth documentary features detailing the enormous 200-day production of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST and AT WORLDS END — though of course this disc keeps most of the third film's secrets hidden for another year!  Ten selections are offered which focus on specific phases of film production, characters and scenes, taking you on the sound stage sets and Caribbean beaches right along with Johnny, Orlando, Keira and the entire PIRATES crew:

Charting the Return (25:30) This pre-production video diary winds the clock back to the earliest development of the PIRATES sequel, when the studio and creative team decided that the most efficient (and also the most challenging) way to tell new tales of Jack Sparrow was to complete the trilogy by filming parts 2 and 3 back-to-back.   This documentary sits you down in The War Room as story concepts and productions schedules are devised for DEAD MAN'S CHEST.  Then you enter the treacherous waters of pre-production where artists sketch out and design sequences in the story without even having completed script scenes to reference.  Sweat it out with location scouts who scour the globe for exotic islands and photogenic beaches where PIRATES 2 can tell its tale.

This is a true adventure with director Gore Verbinski charting the course, of whom it's said "the only way he'll pick a location is if you have to swim to it, hike to it, rappel into it or parachute onto it."  The location finding motto: "the more extreme and remote, the better!"   As fans now know, DEAD MAN'S CHEST gained enormous production value from these hard-to-find and harder-to-access location settings.

Charting the Return marks the turbulent pre-production course from October 2004 through early 2005 when, after much stress and strife, day 1 of a 200-day production schedule finally begins.  Viewers may be shocked to learn just how close DEAD MAN'S CHEST came to not being filmed at all!

According to Plan (63:00)

After facing the difficulties pre-planning this enormous cinematic venture, this next hour signs you up with the production crew as they fly, sail, hike and truck their way from dense tropical jungles to white sand beaches of the Caribbean.  Have your passport in hand as you island hop from St. Vincent to revisit the Port Royal bay, to the thick jungles of untamed Dominica, to the Exumas where the sandbar island sinks under the sea at high tide. 

While the camera crew battles intense heat and humidity to film action for DEAD MAN'S CHEST, keep a sharp eye out to see a few sneak preview shots of vessels and characters that will appear in next year's third film, AT WORLDS END!  According to Plan concludes in the Collyer Tank, a dredged and structure-filled bay where the numerous sailing ships of both films were anchored on gimbals to simulate the rolling waves of the open sea while filming under controlled water conditions . . . that is until the crew weathered out a hurricane which shut down production for days. But no matter what obstacles the production team faces, everything is going "according to plan!"

Captain Jack: From Head to Toe (27:30)

Using a portrait of Jack Sparrow as your map, navigate across his costume and personal effects to learn the tales and adventures behind Jack's beard, dreadlocked hair dingles, pistol, sword and much more.  Johnny Depp along with makeup artist Ve Neill and costumer Penny Rose take you backstage to learn how they created Captain Jack, from the top of his famous hat to the tips of his cannibal toe necklace.  These items can be navigated manually or played back automatically.

Mastering the Blade (16:00) Watch cutting-edge swordfighting action by Will, Elizabeth and Norrington as DEAD MAN'S CHEST advances the cinematic art of swordplay.  Three featurettes show actors Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Jack Davenport training extensively with stunt coordinator and 2nd Unit action director George Ruge, the swordfighting veteran who choreographs their on-screen battles.   Feel the heat right along with Orlando as he trains with his flaming sword, then follow Norrington's dramatic character change as Davenport trains to appear in every PIRATES 2 swordfight sequence.

Meet Davy Jones: Anatomy of a Legend (12:30)

The Devil of the deep blue sea, Davy Jones himself, was an eye-dazzling highlight of DEAD MAN'S CHEST.   ILM visual effects supervisor John Knoll takes viewers on-set and to show how talented CG artists used actor Billy Nighy's brilliant performance to create the tentacled terror of the seas.  Illustrated with numerous 'raw' film clips, Knoll explains how the new IMOCAP technique allowed Nighy to interact directly with fellow performers on stage, then let ILM turn the actor into a walking nightmare.  In my original movie review, I declared Nighy's amazing work a standout performance in the film, and this excellent documentary shows just how skillfully the he played this crustacean creature long before computer artists added one tentacle to his ultra-expressive face.  This amazing and informative segment is an invaluable highlight of the 2-disc DVD set.

Creating the Kraken (10:00)

Whether you pronounce it Kray-ken or Krackin, this featurette demonstrates the on-set imagination and extreme practical methods used to bring this beastie to life on the big screen.  The segment's centerpiece is filming the Kraken's mechanical stand-in actually breaking a life-sized ship set in half while at sea.  Enjoy that spectacle, then learn how the visual magicians at ILM turned the practical effects into the lethal terror of the Kraken as its tentacles crush ships and drag sailors down to Davy Jones Locker.  The featurette ends with the filming of Johnny Depp being sprayed (numerous times) by the foul-stenched goo spat back at him from the Kraken — it's slimetastically funny!

Dead Men Tell New Tales: Re-Imagineering the Attraction (13:00)

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Fly on the Set: The Bone Cage (3:45) This eighth bonus featurette offers a raw footage diary from the island of Dominica as Orlando Bloom, Kevin McNally, Martin Klebba and the Black Pearl crew swing and spin, trapped inside the cannibal's bone cage.  This visually spectacular sequence took its toll in blood, sweat and nausea as the actors were suspended in the ball-shaped cage while it careened back and forth across a blue-screen chasm to film the visual elements.  No doubt it was a swinging good time . . . the first five times, but perhaps the fun wore thin in the last few dozen takes!

A Producer's Photo Diary with Jerry Bruckheimer (4:50)

Pirates on Main Street: The DEAD MAN'S CHEST Premiere (4:00)

This final bonus feature is your all-access pass to Disneyland's star-studded world premiere event for DEAD MAN'S CHEST.  Walk the red carpet with all the PIRATES crew down Main Street, though the gauntlet of screaming fans begging for your autograph. Then take your seat along the Rivers of America for the outdoor premiere of the film. When you're finished watching this segment, feel free to view our exclusive FilmEdge photo gallery as FilmEdge covered this same star-studded world premiere event at Disneyland in June 2006!  You'll see great, up close pictures of Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and all the PIRATES crew walking the Main Street carpet.

Hidden DVD Easter Eggs

As you navigate the DVD bonus features, peel your eyes and explore the uncharted edges of the menus to discover hidden Easter Egg secrets for additional gems of PIRATES movie making.  We won't spoil the treasure seeking mysteries for you, but click around to meet the Twin Pirates, Chopper the Dog and the life-saving Coconut Man!

Amid great anticipation for the DVD release of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST itself, Caribbean Traders and FilmEdge heartily recommend adding the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD set to your collection if you want to enjoy the full experience surrounding the home video release of this film.

The purchase value obtained in over five hours of bonus feature material makes the 2-disc DVD set an unbeatable treasure, and if you liked the complete DVD set for THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, you will be even more impressed by the exhaustively but most enjoyably in-depth documentaries and featurettes in this Special Edition.

Fans will appreciate the tremendous efforts by cast and crew to deliver DEAD MAN'S CHEST into theaters this past summer, and they'll have many good laughs with the PIRATES team as they display a swashbuckling sense of humor in between takes.   PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST is a must-own DVD this holiday season.  On December 5th, prepare to drop anchor in your living room and relive the fun all over again.