Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

NFL Super Bowl XLVIII Champions: Seattle Seahawks Blu-ray Movie Review

The Legion of Blu.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 1, 2014

There was another power outage at Super Bowl XLVIII, not the literal loss of electricity that delayed Super Bowl XLVII but instead a total loss of energy from the feared Denver Broncos offense. Or, perhaps, there was just a blinding surge of power from the unstoppable Seattle Seahawks. Either way, one team fizzled while the other sizzled en route to the Seahawks' convincing 43-8 trouncing of the mighty Denver Broncos. The cold weather Super Bowl -- hosted at the relatively brand-new MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey and witnessed live by over 82,000 fans and countless millions more around the world -- was the biggest blowout since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thrashed the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII. The rout was on from the opening play from scrimmage forward, with the Seahawks shutting down the Broncos for the first half and allowing only a single touchdown and two point conversion in the third before again slamming the door for the fourth. On the other hand, the Seahawks scored frequently, refusing to let go and give the always-dangerous Peyton Manning a chance to mount a comeback in his brother Eli's home stadium.

That pretty much sums it up.

Though it was a disastrous Super Bowl for the AFC Champions, the 2013 campaign was anything but. Peyton Manning, now in his second year with the team and past the forgettable one-and-done 38-35 double overtime playoff loss the year prior to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, reinforced his Hall-of-Fame credentials and status as, arguably, the greatest signal caller in NFL history by winning his fifth MVP award and rewriting pages and pages of the record books. His offense was literally and figuratively mile-high, well above the rest of the league and frequently making short work of opponents. The Broncos cruised to a 13-3 record (two of the losses coming to eventual playoff foes San Diego and New England, the third to Peyton's old team, the Colts) but faced stiff competition from longtime division foe Kansas City, under new Head Coach Andy Reid, but held off the team in red and its 9-0 start to win the AFC West by two games. Head Coach John Fox's club defeated the upstart San Diego Chargers (thanks, refs, for failing to notice an errant defensive field goal formation and likely keeping the Steelers out of the playoff picture) in the divisional playoff game and tamed longtime Manning foe Tom Brady and the perennially powerful New England Patriots in the AFC title game.

The Seahawks' season in many ways mirrored the Broncos. They, too, amassed a 13-3 record, also dropping a game to the Colts and falling to division rivals San Francisco and Arizona in the season's second half. Pete Carroll's club, which had the year before had earned an 11-5 record and a trip to the playoffs, dominated the season, putting up impressive numbers and imposing its will on both sides of the football. Quarterback Russell Wilson, Running Back Marshawn Lynch, and Cornerback Richard Sherman -- the latter the centerpiece of the league's #1-ranked defense -- set the pace as the club cruised into the postseason, defeating the dangerous sixth-seeded Saints in the divisional round and topping rival San Francisco, the NFC's Super Bowl XLVII representative, by a 23-17 score at the noisy CenturyLink Field. The team destroyed the Broncos en route to its first Super Bowl victory. Linebacker Malcolm Smith earned MVP honors for his two turnovers and one defensive touchdown.

Seattle Seahawks: Super Bowl XLVIII Champions offers a fast-paced and frequently compelling look back at the Seahawks' Super Bowl run. The presentation isn't at all dissimilar to any of the previous Super Bowl Champion Blu-ray recap releases. It begins with a short look back at the team's campaign from a year prior before highlighting all sixteen regular season and playoff games. The program spends much more time on the Super Bowl than any other game, not so much dissecting it but instead peering into every big play and opening up the sidelines for some candid pictures and sounds with players and coaches. Narrator Scott Graham brings a commanding presence and authority to the feature, and the typically big, dramatic NFL-style presentation -- with plenty of amazing slow-motion imagery, story-telling shots, and slick editing -- is icing on the cake that will pump up Seahawks fans for the coming season and serve as a reminder of the special year that was.

NFL Super Bowl XLVIII Champions: Seattle Seahawks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Seattle Seahawks: Super Bowl XLVIII Champions arrives on Blu-ray with a sports-standard 1080i transfer framed in a 1.78:1 high definition window. The image proves largely satisfactory, even through the fog of a few prominent flaws. Generally, color reproduction is a strength. There's no shortage of eye-catching color throughout the program, particularly in the form of the Seahawks' neon-green accents but also Denver orange, green grass and turf, and other teams' colors. Crowd jerseys, signage, and digital displays also offer sharp, robust hues. Detail is generally pleasing, too. The image appears rather crisp and nicely defined throughout, with realistic textures on turf, uniforms, and faces. Image clarity excels, allowing for good visibility well back into the crowd. The image does display some rather heavy grain and noise, at times, as well as a few jagged edges and occasional light blocking. Overall, however, it's a good, enjoyable image that's about what one might expect of a new release sports program on Blu-ray.

NFL Super Bowl XLVIII Champions: Seattle Seahawks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Seattle Seahawks: Super Bowl XLVIII Champions features a robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is heavy on big, sweeping music that gives the material a grand feel. Clarity rates highly, spacing is good, surround is welcoming, and bass is solid. Hits and slams on the field are presented with admirable potency that can almost be felt. Crowd ambience is frequently enveloping, though occasionally somewhat muddled. Dialogue plays smoothly and evenly, whether narration or players and coaches "wired up" for sound. Most everything about the track plays big, and at reference level it's a handful but an enjoyable listen and a solid support piece that matches up very well with the video content. A DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack is also included, one that's equally strong but not immersive.

NFL Super Bowl XLVIII Champions: Seattle Seahawks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Seattle Seahawks: Super Bowl XLVIII Champions contains a nice assortment of extra content.

• Super Bowl Media Day (HD, 12:08): Richard Sherman, Bruce Irvin, Marshawn Lynch, Russell Wilson, Pete Carroll, Earl Thomas, Percy Harvin, and Steven Hauschka chat with Deion Sanders.
• Super Bowl Post-Game Ceremonies (HD, 7:00): The Vince Lombardi trophy presentation.
• Richard Sherman: Compton's Own (HD, 11:03): An excellent but all-too-brief piece highlighting the garrulous cornerback's antics, play, and very different life off the field.
• NFL Game Day Morning: Russell Wilson (HD, 3:14): The quarterback sits down for a brief interview with Michael Irvin.
• The Journey of Pete Carroll (HD, 3:10): A short piece looking back at the coach's career.
• Ken Norton: Back to the Super Bowl (HD, 3:16): Michael Silver interviews the Seahawks' linebackers coach.
• The Derrick Coleman Story (HD, 4:21): An interview with and look back at the life of the Seahawks' deaf fullback.
• The Richard Sherman Interview (HD, 3:46): The cornerback sits down with Deion Sanders.
• 2013 Shots of the Year (HD, 6:41): A compilation of the year's best video images.
• 2013 Players Wired for Sound (HD, 8:16): A collection of the year's best player sound bytes.
• 2013 Coaches Wired for Sound (HD, 8:23): A collection of the year's best coaching sound bytes.

NFL Super Bowl XLVIII Champions: Seattle Seahawks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It wasn't a competitive contest, but for Seahawks fans it was the most memorable game in the franchise's nearly forty years of existence. For the first time, the Lombardi Trophy travelled to the Great Northwest via Denver in one of the most lopsided games in Super Bowl history. Seattle Seahawks: Super Bowl XLVIII Champions recaps the Seahawks' season that was, touching on every regular season game before devoting most of its runtime to the Super Bowl game. It's a good, energetic recap in the classic NFL style and a must-own for Seahawks and, to a lesser extent, NFL fans. Solid video and audio and a fair assortment of extra content round a quality package into collectible form.