Captain Jack Sparrow is back in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in the Pirates franchise. And now the swashbuckling adventure that was a hit on the big screen is available in this Blu-ray & DVD combo pack.

This entry in the saga takes Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his lovable crew of miscreants on a journey to find the long lost Fountain of Youth. Along the way, Sparrow meets up with the dreaded Blackbeard (portayed wonderfully by Ian McShane), and becomes a prisoner of sorts aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Penelope Cruz stars opposite Johnny Depp as Angelica, Jack Sparrow’s long lost love interest. While the chemistry between these two actors is undeniable, there’s still something missing that existed in the previous trilogy between Depp and his former co-star, Keira Knightley.

The rest of the film consists of everything you’d expect out of a Pirates film by this point: people being thrown into the water, people running in the jungle, sword fights in low lit areas, and Keith Richards portaying himself while dressed like a pirate (well, he’s technically playing Captain Teague) .

The standard Blu-ray/DVD release doesn’t really have a treasure chest of extras, but the extras (limited as they are) are still quite entertaining. The DVD features a traditional blooper reel, which does admittedly make one chuckle out loud a few times, while also showcasing just how talented many of these performers really are. There’s also a series of 3-D LEGO animated shorts, likely to promote the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game that was released earlier this year. But these are some of the funniest animated shorts I’ve ever seen as they portray key points from the film with humor, intelligence and silliness, making for an entertaining addition to this release.

Another thing worth noting about this Blu-Ray is its compatibility with the Disney Second Screen iPad app, which enables you to watch the movie simultaneously on both your television and your iPad (or computer). While this may not seem very interesting, it allows you to interact with the film while watching it by giving you access to behind-the-scenes material in relation to what is playing at certain points in the movie. For example, there’s a gruesome scene where a mermaid is about to attack a hopeless pirate during which you’re able to see that scene without the special effects, and read a bit about what went into making the scene. So far this is one of the few titles for which Disney has added this feature, but it’s a fun feature that will likely be further explored in the future.

While it may not be the best entry in the Pirates series it’s always fun to watch Johnny Depp saunter around as Jack Sparrow. Plus, the action is thrilling, the special effects are engrossing and the story is predictably fun.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Directed by Rob Marshall. Starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush and Ian McShane. Rated PG-13. www.disney.go.com/pirates.

Review by Dan Kemp

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