Disney DVD gives their sprawling swashbuckler a feature-packed release that is sure to give both your DVD player and PC a workout. Presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the film transfer is nothing short of perfection. While some may doubt the ability of such a large-scale film to transfer suitably to television, the sharp image and beautiful colors do so with ease and grace. From the creepy moonlit scenes to the sparkling treasure cave, the colors are bright, vivid, and spectacular. With sound options that include THX-optimized DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Disney DVD has offered viewers a vivid soundscape that perfectly compliments the visual presentation. The DTS soundtrack, in particular, will have viewers ducking under their coffee tables to avoid cannon fire. It seems only once or twice a year that a DVD comes along that truly redefines what can be accomplished on the format, and this is no doubt one of those discs. This release of Pirates of the Caribbean is virtually overflowing with great extra features, and viewers may need a free weekend just to navigate their way through its wealth of materials. Starting off with three separate commentary tracks, viewers will likely want to start with director Gore Verbinski and star Johnny Depp's amusing and informative recollection of the film's production. Though it may not be the most technical commentary, the two play well off of one another, and the result in an interesting and informative track. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer provides a bit more detailed take on the production, and stars Keira Knightley and Jack Davenport check in with what is definitely the most amusing commentary track. It's obvious that the two stars are comfortable with each other, and hearing them joke around as they recall the exhausting shoot is a blast. Writers Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert's commentary provides notable insight on how the screenplay changed from draft to draft (and script to screen), though one gets the impression that they're stepping on each other's toes a bit to get a word in, and the result is a bit crowded. "An Epic at Sea: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean" checks in at about 40 minutes and covers everything from location scouting to the spectacular Disneyland premiere of the film. "Fly on the Set" takes a look at both the director in action and how the filmmakers managed their many cinematic feats and sleights of hand. If one wishes to explore the life of actual pirates they need look no further than the "Below Deck" feature, which actually takes viewers aboard a pirate ship to explore the true-life tales of history's most notorious seafaring scallywags. From Blackbeard to Sir Francis Drake to women pirates and Chinese pirates, this informative feature utilizes interviews with maritime historian David Cordingly and film clips and is one of the most fascinating and insightful features on the disc. The accompanying feature, "A Prisoner's Last Tale," also speaks with Cordingly to provide detailed insight on the day-to-day life of a pirate. "Diary of a Pirate" consists of a "Producer's Photo Diary" (which is also narrated by Bruckheimer), a video journal by star Lee Arenberg and a detailed study of the brig Lady Washington (which served as The Interceptor in the film). Deleted scenes mostly offer a more intimate look at the characters, and a blooper reel collects some of the most amusing on-camera flubs. After viewers take a detailed look at one of the film's most entertainingly frightful scenes in "Moonlight Serenade," an image gallery offers production sketches, storyboards, and production and publicity photos. The vintage promotional short "Pirates in the Park" takes them on a nostalgic ride through the actual Disneyland attraction. If viewers aren't entirely exhausted by this point, the DVD-ROM features are sure to do them in. From an effects studio to a virtual reality viewer and storyboard viewer, these intense interactive features will truly put your home PC to the test (the DVD-ROM features will not work on Macintosh computers). From the serious film student to the curious youngster, this release has something for everyone. A must-have for DVD fanatics and fans of the film alike.

For years people had been clamoring for the release of the '80s classic The Goonies on DVD. Featuring a cast of crazy and kooky characters, director Richard Donner's fantasy-filled children's tale comes to DVD in an edition worthy of One Eyed Willie's gold. Warner has done a spectacular job cleaning up the anamorphic 2.35:1 print, making colors look exciting and alive. Sloth and Chunk have never looked so clean and concise! Black levels are solid and there is a minimum of edge enhancement. To say the least, this is the best The Goonies has ever looked, and Warner gets high praise for doing a terrific job on the transfer. Audio is presented in a new Dolby Digital 5.1 remix, and although it's not as impressive as other remixes, this one does a great job of enveloping the viewer in the world of The Goonies. All the speakers are used during many action sequences, and dialogue, effects and Dave Grusin's hyperactive music score are all crisp and clear. Also featured are Dolby Surround 2.0 tracks in English and French, as well as a Dolby Mono 1.0 track in Spanish. Finally there are subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Many fans will be happy to know that Warner has put much time and effort into including some great supplemental features. A video/audio commentary track with all seven original Goonies plus Richard Donner is both amusing and nostalgic. Warner splices scenes from the movie with images from the recording session to bring fans a unique and interesting commentary track by the stars of the movie. "The Making of the Goonies" is a 1985 promotional documentary that includes interviews with cast and crew, as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses of the production. A two-part Cyndi Lauper video for the song "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" entertains with guest stars such as pro wrestlers "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and the Iron Sheik. Directed by Richard Donner, this video is a riot to watch, and the song is unexpectedly catchy. Finally there is an anamorphic theatrical trailer along with some deleted outtakes featuring the infamous "Octopus" scene, mentioned in the film but rarely seen by fans. Drooling fans of this classic kids film will be ecstatic to get their hands on some great extra features, a nice transfer, and finely mixed audio tracks. In the words of Cyndi Lauper, The Goonies certainly 'R' good enough!

Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale are war-torn lovers in director Michael Bay's epic reenactment of the 1941 tragedy Pearl Harbor. Buena Vista has done a great job on this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer (spread over two DVDs). All aspects of this picture look great, including even colors, dark black levels, and natural-looking fleshtones. Aside of a small amount of edge enhancement during one scene, this is a fine-looking transfer that should please fans. The audio is presented in DTS 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English and French, as well as an English 2.0 soundtrack produced for those listening with headphones. The Dolby 5.1 and DTS soundtracks are very full, featuring continuous use of surround sounds throughout the entire film. Bombs and explosions rocket around the viewer through most of the film's running time. All aspects of the dialogue, music, and effects are distortion-free. Also included on this disc are English subtitles. This two-disc Pearl Harbor set, while not jam-packed, includes a few well-produced extra features. Two documentaries, "Journey to the Screen: The Making of Pearl Harbor" and "Unsung Heroes of Pearl Harbor," are both extensive and very informative. The first documentary focuses on the making of the film, which includes interviews with stars Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and most of the main crew. The second feature takes a look at the real Pearl Harbor and includes interviews with survivors from that awful day. The second documentary is easily the more impressive and moving of the two. Finally, there is a music video by Faith Hill for the hit song "There You'll Be," a short promo for National Geographic: Beyond the Movie -- Pearl Harbor, as well as a teaser and trailer for Pearl Harbor. This is a nice, if insubstantial, DVD edition of Pearl Harbor.