With a boosted budget, the sequel to Pirates of the Carribean is every bit as epic as the original, and arguably better. Loaded with humor, a perfect script, and action sequences that rival anything Hollywood has offered in the past decade in terms of their entertainment value, Dead Man’s Chest is almost flawless. It’s somewhat longer than it should be at the two and a half hour mark, but it never lets up long enough for the lulls in the action to sink in. Read the full movie review.

The problem with transfers like Dead Man’s Chest is that it spoils Blu-ray fans. This is as top of the line as the format can get. Rich contrast creates depth rarely seen in live action movies. The print is free of any imperfections. Details are staggering throughout. Sharpness couldn’t possibly be any better, and the colors are extraordinary. This rivals CG animated films such as Cars for dominance of the Blu-ray video quality competition.

Waves crash, cannons fire, and the kraken destroys a boat. How else could this possibly sound other than perfect? Uncompressed PCM delivers on all accounts. Bass can only be described as “epic,” delivering a low level punch that will test the limits of your equipment. It doesn’t drown out the active, immersive surrounds which are constantly delivering something to the viewer. There is hardly a scene that isn’t reference quality, whether for all-out action or the lower, subtle touches put into the film.

A commentary track from the writers is featured on disc one, along with a mildly amusing interactive disc game. Charting the Return is the first piece on disc two, a 25-minute piece on the shoot and its beginnings. According to Plan features loads of behind-the-scenes footage during its hour long run.

Captain Jack: From Head to Toe is a set of interactive featurettes that let viewers select which part of Depp’s wardrobe they’d like to see an HD video piece on. Meet Davy Jones is a piece that deconstructs the special effects on Bill Nighy’s character for 12 minutes. Creating the Kraken follows the same path as the latter.

Dead Men Tell New Tales is a feature on the changes to the Disneyland attraction for 13 minutes. While obviously selling the audience on the ride, it’s intriguing to see the updates to fit the movie. Fly on the Set: The Bone Cage is a wonderful behind-the-scenes piece with the only audio being that taken directly from the set and it’s a shame it only lasts for around four minutes.

Jerry Bruckheimer provides a photo diary, Pirates on Main Street details the premiere, and a short blooper reel provides some laughs. Finally, three separate featurettes focus on the stunts and how the specific actors handled them.