Buena Vista Home Entertainment distributed “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” to retail and rental outlets Tuesday, Dec. 4.

This was called the year of the Three: Shrek, Spiderman and Sparrow. Unlike the other two this one was worth the wait.

This is the third — and final (?) — episode of Johnny Depp’s Capt. Jack Sparrow’s adventures. At this point, it’s sort of like potato chips, bet you can’t watch just one.

All of the cast of characters have returned plus a group of new characters. The movie is quite entertaining and, with the exception of the bloopers on the special features, the additional material is also well thought out. This release is a solid value both in entertainment and return on investment. Get it.

The great music is still there, it’s a bit faster paced than Pirates 2 (even with sections of dialogue in place), and the majority of characters get their come-uppance. There’s numerous of sword fights and more cannons than I’ve seen in my life. The special effects are seamless and mix with great cinematography and top notch costumes and makeup. Many characters are more fully fleshed out, which was nice to see.

However the ending is not pure Disney, which surprised me somewhat. Major characters die, and all is not well with everyone. There’s an obvious link left open for another movie. Whether it’s made or not is another thing entirely.

One more point, stay until the end of the credits for an interesting extra scene.

As with both its predecessors, the cast of this release has hilarious fun with the concept of the movie and with its characters. Like this excerpt between Sparrow and Beckett:

Lord Cutler Beckett: You’re mad.

Jack Sparrow: Thank goodness for that, ‘cause if I wasn’t this would probably never work.

[catapults himself onto his ship landing safely on his feet behind his crew]

Jack Sparrow: And that was without even a single drop of rum.

In my opinion this release actually revives the word spectacular when describing movies.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgard, Naomie Harris, Tom Hollander, Vanessa Branch, Chow Yun-Fat, Reggie Lee, Kevin McNally, Keith Richards, Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Arenberg, David Bailie, Martin Klebba and David Schofield,

“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”

Rating (**** out of *****)

Synopsis: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment presents “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski like you’ve never experienced it before on Disney DVD and stunning high-definition Blu-ray Disc® loaded with an armada of bonus materials. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush lead a stellar cast in the biggest, most thrilling installment of the blockbuster franchise, filled with spectacular visual effects, exotic locales and breathtaking action. “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” arrives in time for the holidays on multiple platforms including 2-disc DVD and 2-disc 75GB Blu-ray sets featuring hours of extra material highlighted by bloopers and extensive behind-the-scenes content – plus the Blu-ray exclusive Enter the Maelstrom: a Blu-ray Disc -Java feature that takes Blu-ray interactivity to an astounding new level! “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” arrived December 4 on multiple platforms.

Captain Jack Sparrow returns in a massively entertaining epic adventure beyond the very ends of the earth in the No. 1 worldwide box office phenomenon of 2007. Join Elizabeth, Will, and Captain Barbossa as they navigate through treacherous lands, mysterious lore, and supernatural wonders of the Pirate world. Meet the legendary pirate lords as they prepare for a titanic clash with the ruthless Lord Beckett and Davy Jones’ fearsome Flying Dutchman.

The “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” 2-disc Disney DVD set immerses users in hours of behind-the-scenes content and pirate lore from the four corners of the earth. Features include a behind-the-scenes documentary called Keith & the Captain; Anatomy of a Scene: The Maelstrom; The Tale of the Many Jacks; Hoist the Colours; Masters of Design; Inside the Brethren Court; The World of Chow Yun Fat; The Pirate Maestro: The Music of Hans Zimmer; Bloopers of the Caribbean; and much, much more!

Relive the breathtaking action and mind-boggling special effects in glorious high-definition detail with the “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” Blu-ray 2-disc release. The Blu-ray Disc high definition feature film presentation was created from the original digital source files, delivering an unequaled, demo-worthy home viewing experience. Marvel at the wondrous 1080p detail of Davy Jones’ slimy, barnacle-encrusted crew and tremble at the ground-shaking cannonade of ship to ship battles with 7.1 channels surround, 48 kHz, 24-bit uncompressed audio – you’ll swear you smell the gun powder and feel the salty sea-spray splash across your face!

The Blu-ray Disc release includes all of the standard DVD bonus content re-mastered in high-definition, plus exclusive BD-Java enhanced features including Enter the Maelstrom, an extensive interactive look at the climactic sequence of “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and the return of the Jolly Roger host, who navigates users through animated menus with state-of-the-art BD-Java enabled artificial intelligence. This scurvy scallywag entertainingly guides you through the pirate waters of your Blu-ray experience, responding to your actions (and inactions) with humorous commentary.

DVD Special Features

DISC 1

• Feature Film Presentation

• Bloopers of the Caribbean – hilarious outtakes of cast and crew

DISC 2

• Anatomy of a Scene: The Maelstrom – a detailed breakdown of one of cinema’s most complex and impressive action set pieces

• Keith & the Captain– A revealing look at the dynamic relationship between living legends Keith Richards and Johnny Depp

• Tale of the Multiple Jacks – an in-depth look at the mind-blowing FX that went into creating multiple Captain Jacks

• Hoist the Colors – reveals the inspiration for the “Hoist the Colors” original composition

• Masters of Design – five individual documentaries highlighting the talented design teams behind this immense production:

-> No. 1: Jim Byrkit and The Map

-> No. 2: Crash McCreary and the Krusty Pirates

-> No. 3: Rick Heinrichs and the Singapore Set

-> No. 4: Penny Rose and the Captain Teague Costumes

-> No. 5: Chris Peck and the Pirate Code Book

• Inside the Brethren Court – a closer look at the legendary Pirate Lords and their

costume designs, origins and unique personalities

• The Pirate Code: Revealed – explores the pirate code and the history of piracy

• The World of Chow Yun Fat – a look at the man behind devious Captain Sao Feng,

international sensation Chow Yun Fat, and his meteoric rise to fame

• The Pirate Maestro: The Music of Hans Zimmer – meet the renowned composer who

created the film’s rousing score

Running Time: About 150 minutes

MPAA Rating: U.S. PG-13 for intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images; bonus material not rated