S.W.A.T. Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

S.W.A.T. Blu-ray Movie Review

Mill Creek has released Director Clark Johnson's 2003 Summer Action flick 'S.W.A.T.' to Blu-ray. The film was previously made available on the format courtesy of Sony by way of a 2006 disc. Can Mill Creek, more than a decade later, improve on Sony's now aging release? Read on.

S.W.A.T. Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Though it's a much newer release compared to the 2006 Sony issue (and MPEG-4 encoded to boot), S.W.A.T.'s latest is lesser in terms of picture quality. The image is disappointingly flat, bland, incapable of finding many details of significance. Faces, clothes, and environments often appear smooth and lacking more than essential texturing, and it seems only the 1080p horsepower adding clarity to an image that is at times not far removed from upscaled DVD quality. Compared to the original release, a mild, but critical, drop in sharpness is evident. Colors are stable and mostly enjoyable, but blue S.W.A.T. gear, green grasses, and some other key hues lack significant nuance at the micro level. Worst of all is a barrage of aliasing/shimmering/jagged edges that run rampant throughout the film that is not evident in the original release. Look at a sticker on Gamble's locker around the 12-minute mark for a very obvious example, the shooting range sequence around 20 minutes in (chock full of examples), and really anywhere in the movie for evidence. Less but not minimal problems include banding and macroblocking. Black crush is apparent in the darkest shots. Flesh tones don't appear too far swayed from accurate, however. The transfer has its moments, it's decently filmic in spots, and arguably of three-plus star quality in places, but only the least demanding audience will find this a watchable image from beginning to end; most will want to track down a copy of the more stable, though still not great, Sony release instead.

S.W.A.T. Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

At least S.W.A.T.'s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack functions well and at a high level. This sound presentation compliments the movie very well. Action scenes are of course the big draw highlight, and listeners will be impressed right off the bat with swirling and zipping helicopters buzzing around the stage, gunfire cracking with prominent authority from all over the place, and general action intensity filling every speaker and blasting into the listening area with plenty of high-yield intensity. Those positive action elements remain throughout, and the track compliments those moments with impressively large and spacious music that presents with fine-point clarity and plenty of stage width and depth, as well as a prominently supportive low end. Atmospheric elements are engaging in quieter scenes, helping to shape many non- action moments with seamless clarity that draws the audience into various locations. Dialogue is clear and detailed with firm front-center positioning.

S.W.A.T. Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

S.W.A.T.'s 2006 release featured only some deleted scenes. Mill Creek's release drops those in favor of a pair of DVD- era commentary tracks. The first features Samuel L. Jackson, L.L. Cool J, Brian Van Holt, Josh Charles, Jeremy Renner, Michelle Rodriguez, and Director Clark Johnson, the latter of whom has been recorded separately, and his tone is very much different from his actors; it would have worked better to leave him separate. The second track features Writers Ron Mita, Jim McClain, David Ayer, and David McKenna. This track is by default a bit more evenly keeled and informative with some interesting, honest commentary on the film and the challenges of writing it as well as the state of film ratings, rewrites, and other enjoyably candid comments.

S.W.A.T. Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

S.W.A.T. holds up after all these years as a decent enough Action flick, and watching for the first time since reviewing it back in 2008, it played well enough to modest expectations and not much of a memory beyond the faces starring in it. Mill Creek's Blu-ray is unfortunately, on the video side, sometimes not too far removed from upscaled DVD quality and is a noticeable drop in quality from the older release. The 5.1 lossless soundtrack is very good. A couple of old but new-to-Blu commentaries are included, but this release drops the deleted scenes from the last BD. Track down a copy of the Sony disc instead, or cross those fingers for a remastered UHD somewhere down the line; the movie would assuredly look great done right at 4K, and the potential for a killer Atmos soundtrack is evident throughout.