DVD Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is not any better, nor any worse, than when you saw it on the big screen as a summer blockbuster. But it definitely is a megahit.

The entertaining if unremarkable movie is untouched by director Gore Verbinski (no Lord Of The Rings extended versions here).

And its status is guaranteed as the bridge between the surprising and dazzling original and the much-anticipated third instalment, due in theatres in 2007. So Dead Man's Chest is what it is -- staggeringly popular fare.

This week's DVD release is expected to generate enormous sales. While there are stripped-down, basic versions available in full or widescreen, the two-disc widescreen-only special edition is the best way to sail the high seas on this ship.

With its spooky, limited-edition 3-D packaging, it looks good. Inside, the extras are not classic but are strong, ranging from funny bits to serious making-of stuff. Jumbled together, the DVD lets fans understand how goofy the actors were on set and yet how serious was the work the cast & crew did to get the movie functioning the way it did.

For example, a four-minute Bloopers Of The Caribbean segment on Disc 1 shows how loose the stars were getting back together, especially Oscar nominee Johnny Depp with his unique, mad genius in play.

In contrast, serious featurettes on Disc 2 show the nitty-gritty of the filmmaking. A great example is Meet Davy Jones, in which Bill Nighy gives the all-digital Davy his human component behind the scenes. An interactive segment, Captain Jack: From Head To Toe lets viewers discover how Depp and the crew fashioned Sparrow into an iconic figure.

The commentary on the disc is provided the screenwriters, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio -- a good choice. Also interesting is the Disneyland featurette Dead Men Tell New Tales, in which we see how Disney engineers and artists reinvigorated the Pirates Of The Caribbean theme-park ride that inspired the first movie. In turn, the movie has now inspired dramatic revisions to the famous ride.

So the Dead Man's Chest: Special Edition is highly recommended, with one caveat. Expect a trilogy box set with even more extras packed into the collection when the series finally matures in 2007.

GLUG, GLUG, GLUG: Beerfest is not my glass of libation. Too juvenile, too stupid, too tasteless. Nevertheless, there is an audience for the Broken Lizard comedy troupe led by director Jay Chandrasekhar.

To appease those people, Lizard has come up with what they are calling a Completely Totally Unrated Edition of their latest movie. There are separate full or widescreen editions, along with the tamer theatrical version. The unrated discs have T&A, more boozing, more hijinks.

CLEARLY THE CLASSICS: For more discerning audiences, there are riches to mine on DVD right now. I wrote about this title in my early Christmas-gifts special, but it bears repeating because the six-disc set, The Premiere Frank Capra Collection, is the Hope Diamond of DVDs. It was released this week.

All five of the proper fullscreen, B&W, 1930s movies -- American Madness, It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, You Can't Take It With You and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington -- are classics of a kind.

Each is set in context through bonus materials, and further explained in the separate sixth disc that offers the feature-length documentary Frank Capra's American Dream, hosted by Ron Howard.

Capra is a critical component in the development of sophisticated, social-issue filmmaking. In addition, every Capra film here is vibrant, intelligent entertainment populated with the stars of the day, from Jimmy Stewart to Clark Gable.