New on DVD: Third 'Pirates' merely an exercise in gratuitous excess

Just about any way you slice it, "Pirates of the Caribbean -- At World's End" (Buena Vista, 2007, PG-13) is a monumental waste.

Budgeted at somewhere around $300 million, it's a tremendous waste of money. At nearly three hours, it's a tremendous waste of time. And with every tedious scene of exposition struggling to make sense of a plot that's simply not there, it wastes the good will drummed up by its far more fun predecessors.

Here, the filmmakers treat what seems like a dozen central protagonists with such equal fanfare, portent and gravitas you almost believe they must think the audience cares about what's going on, as opposed to the usual excellent sets, set-pieces and special effects.

The good news? Allegedly, it's the last entry in the series, but given the production excesses, don't be surprised if one way or another this cash cow keeps giving milk. The DVD supplements this third time out are pretty redundant, too -- computers, costumes, blah blah blah. But we do get a brief feature on Johnny Depp and his real life rock-star pirate inspiration, Keith Richards. Ahoy!

also new this week

"Battlestar Galactica:Razor" (Universal, 2007, Not Rated): The reinvented "Battlestar Galactica" quickly established itself as one of basic cable's must-sees, smartly tackling complex contemporary moral and military dilemmas through the spectrum of sci-fi. Alas, the show has drummed up so much support that it can barely keep up with fan demand. Diehards are especially miffed that season three supposedly won't arrive on DVD until late next spring, and even more miffed that its fourth and final season might be spread out over two years. In light of all the waiting and uncertainty, hopefully the excellent stand-alone feature-length"Razor" -- a sort of fill-in-the-plot gaps exercise -- will be only the first of many similar attempts to extend the superb show's life. This one concerns the early fate of the Battlestar Pegasus, which partly led up to the events in the show's second season and what happened after those events in the second season. For newcomers, it might be unnecessary, but for anyone already sold on the series, it's a no-brainer.

"The Wire" (HBO, 2007, Not Rated): Creator David Simon always imagined "The Wire" as television with the complexity of a good novel. In fact, four seasons in, the show is juggling countless plots, subplots and characters (the downtrodden and seldom-depicted city of Baltimore included) in virtuoso fashion. With season five about to start, catching up with season four serves as a vital reminder of what the show is really about: not cops, not robbers, not school but all the faults that conspire to make modern cities fail.