HD-DVD Review: Swordfish - Page 2

Swordfish comes to HD-DVD in grand form. The heavy color saturation is simply gorgeous on this format, though it pays for it with some noticeable compression artifacts when the reds stick around. There’s a fine layer of grain littering the backgrounds as well. In most scenes however, it’s not even noticeable nearly bringing this transfer to the level of perfection. Black levels are stunning in their richness.

Likewise, the audio presentation is brutal. Bass is to the point of becoming overpowering, drowning out other portions of the sound with sheer force. Movement is captured flawlessly in all channels. Surround use is aggressive and consistent through all action sequences.

Extras are lax, ported from the SD-DVD version. A director’s commentary discusses just about every aspect of the shoot, including the struggle to film the flying bus sequence. The latter is also given a separate feature that runs for eight minutes, giving behind the scenes footage of the multiple stages used to piece the bus together.

HBO First Look is a 15 minute commercial, while In Conversation is a fun, general sit down interview with some of the stars as they divulge information from the set. Two alternate endings have rough audio that makes them difficult to hear, and the creators made the right call to keep the proper finish in the film. Finally, a music video rounds off this set.

Swordfish made its theatrical debut on June 8, 2001. It was pulled immediately following the September 11 attack. A sequence involving an exploding building was the cause.

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Article Author: Matt Paprocki

Matt Paprocki is a 12-year movie and game critic. He currently freelances for Blu-ray review site DoBlu.com and video game site MultiPlayerGames.com.

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