Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides picks up the series with Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) having come to London in order to find/rescue his friend Mr. Gibbs (Kevin McNally).  He instead ends up falling in with former flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz) and is forced onto the ship of Blackbeard (Ian McShane).  There is a prophecy that Blackbeard will be killed by a one-legged man and he's hoping to get to the Fountain of Youth so that he can avoid his impending fate.  The English are also racing against the Spanish in order to get to the Fountain.  The one-legged man turns out to be Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) who has gone from pirate to privateer in the King's navy and is leading England's expedition.  Barbossa has taken Gibbs along for the ride since Gibbs has memorized the map, before he destroyed it!  The two ships begin the ill-fated race in order to reach the fountain to see who will be reap its glory.

Depp gives his usual goofy and fun loving, over the top portrayal of Jack and plays off well with Penelope Cruz.  Both Cruz and McShane make a great addition to the film with their over the top personalities.  Stranger Tides brings a lot of action, suspense, drama, and intrigue to boost the film to keep viewers transfixed.  The new look at the Pirates film will allow young and old viewers to see a new side of Jack Sparrow and provide enough fun and fuel for a whole new set of fans to come along for the ride. 

The Blu-ray DVD includes audio commentary from director Rob Marshall and Exec Producer John DeLuca as well as the featurette "Bloopers of the Caribbean."  Another featurette included is "LEGO Animated Shorts: Captain Jack's Brick Tales" and "Disney Second Screen."  The Audio Commentary provided is light and both DeLuca and Marshall have a great time praising all that is involved with the Pirates franchise.  Unfortunately the detail on the background of film along with the production is lacking.  The two do chat about some of the difficulties of filming and how some ideas came to fruition and actually made it to the final product.  "LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean" has some of the scenes from the film being played out in LEGO parts.  Really cute, kitschy, and fun to watch, so make sure you give yourself a good laugh with it.  "Bloopers of the Caribbean" is just a standard blooper reel that runs around three minutes in length.  The final featurette is "Disney Second Screen" and this allows you to synch up your computer or iPad and enjoy some additional content while watching.  This is a unique and neat feature, but there could be a lot more extras involved, and sometimes gadget use can be confusing. 

Hit up your local stores or DVD hot spots and snag your copy of Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides starting on October 18th!