Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – Home Video Release – Jason’s 1st Impressions

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Men Tell No Tales is now on Digital HD/4K and will be on Blu-ray/DVD October 3, 2017.    This is the fifth big screen adventure of Captain Jack Sparrow and crew.   For those who have not seen it yet this film features a mix of new and returning characters as well as story lines.    The main quest in this film is for the Trident of Poseidon.  As always along the way there are double crosses, plot twists and daring escapes by Captain Jack Sparrow.    We learn a little more about the backstories of the main characters such as where/how Jack Sparrow received his name.    This film also comes full circle and concludes several story lines that have spanned the previous movies.    If you enjoy the original films you will feel right at home with this one.  The movie follows the same format and feel of the others.

This release features four primary bonus features.  The usual deleted scenes are included (four of them this round), a bloopers featurette, and a photo diary by Jerry Bruckheimer.   The bulk of the bonus features are shared though a multi piece featurette called “Dead Men Tell More Tales: The Making of A New Adventure.”  Clocking in at almost 50 minutes you can sit back and use a play all option to watch this set of features that looks at several aspects of the film including the new cast members, the returning, and some of the legacy of the franchise.

I have never been a big fan of deleted scenes, but they are a staple on most releases.  I find them interesting when the directors or producers explain why the scene was cut or took a different direction in the final product.  Unfortunately in this release you just get the scenes.  The total running time of the four scenes was just over 3 minutes.    The bloopers reel clocked in about the same length and included clips of most of the cast.   Jerry Bruckheimer’s Photo Diary was interesting, just as they have been on previous films.  It is a really short piece and features black and white photography from the set.

I found the “Dead Men Tell More Tales” featurette to be interesting. I always like to see what goes into these films.  Highlights from this group of featurettees are interviews with three of the new cast members as well as one with Mr. Gibbs who has been in every film.  I find when they are talking about what goes into making the film the most interesting.  The behind the scenes look at the large sets and sequences is what I look forward to seeing.  Overall I would have liked to have seen more.  For example more on the bank robbery scene or even on the ships.   They do have one featurette that explores the Ghost Shark scene in more depth.

If you enjoy the adventures of Jack Sparrow and want to return to this world you will have fun with this film.  If you are looking for something completely new or in a different vein you will be disappointed and feel this film recovers a lot of what has been done before.

Is this home video release worth adding to your collection, that really depends on what are expecting.  The bonus material is interesting and covers a range of topics but does not go particularly deep on any of them.   I would say it is about average for a release now a days.