Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End earned nearly a billion dollars in theaters worldwide over the summer, but it’s certainly not done collecting its booty. The swashbuckling, vfx-driven adventure debuts on DVD and Blu-ray Disc today and comes with behind-the-scenes looks at the film’s intricate visual effects and design.
The third installment in the popular Pirates of the Caribbean saga finds Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) trapped on a sea of sand in Davy Jones’ Locker. In an increasingly shaky alliance, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) set out on a desperate mission to find and rescue him. In their quest, they learn that Jack is one of the nine Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court, whose members must come together in one last stand to preserve the freedom-loving pirates’ way of life.
The two-disc collector’s edition lists for $34.99 and offers a detailed breakdown of the ‘Maelstrom’ sequence, which called for ILM to push the limits of visual effects technology and artistry. Other bonus features include an in-depth look at the vfx that went into the creation of multiple Captain Jacks, as well as five individual ‘Masters of Design’ documentaries highlighting talented designers Jim Byrkit, Crash McCreary, Rick Heinrichs, Penny Rose and Chris Peck. There is also a blooper reel, a revealing look at the relationship between Keith Richards and Johnny Depp, a featurette on actor Chow Yun Fat and an exploration of the pirate code and the history of piracy.
There’s more visual effects fun to be found in today’s release of Battlestar Galactica: Season One and the extended, unrated version of Battlestar Galactica: Razor from Universal Home Entertainent. All thirteen episodes from the first season of the SCI FI Channel series come packaged in a six-disc HD DVD set lists for $99.98 and offers the four-hour miniseries that kicked off SCI FI’s reimagining of the classic space fantasy.
Battlestar Galactica: Razor is the special movie event that aired on SCI FI in late November. The extended edition features approximately 15 minutes of reintegrated footage, plus audio commentary, a featurette on the look of the show, deleted scenes, a sneak peak at season four and all seven of the Razor mini-episodes. The release carries a suggested retail price of $26.98.
