Swamp Thing appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a surprisingly pleasing presentation.
Sharpness usually worked well. A smattering of slightly soft shots emerged – mainly in some darker interiors - but the majority of the movie brought appealing accuracy.
I saw no signs of jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes failed to materialize. Grain felt light but natural, while print flaws remained absent.
Unsurprising given the swamp setting, colors went with a green-influenced palette, and the hues worked well. The various tones came across as vivid and full.
Blacks seemed deep and dark, while shadows appeared well-rendered despite a little murkiness at times. The image held up nicely over the last 41 years.
I also felt the movie’s DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack seemed more than satisfactory for a flick from 1982. Though audio quality showed its age, it still seemed satisfactory.
Speech displayed a smidgen of edginess, but the lines usually appeared natural. Dialogue always felt easily intelligible.
Music appeared fairly lush and warm, while effects boasted reasonable accuracy. Some distortion accompanied louder elements like gunshots, but these elements brought more than decent definition in general. Nothing here impressed, but the mix suited the movie.
The disc includes both the movie’s US Version (91:20) and an Internatioal Cut (93:03). What does that extra one minute, 43 seconds add?
Skin! A shot of Adrienne Barbeau that only shows side-boob in the US version lets us see her chest in all its unfurled glory for the International edition. Also, the longer cut adds a scene in which dancing women strip at a party.
I think the film could’ve maintained its “PG” in the US with the Barbeau segment intact. Back in that era, “PG” movies occasionally provided some nudity, and Cable’s topless bathing seems innocent enough that it might not’ve generated an “R”.
However, the scene at the party becomes more graphic, by which I mean we see a male character fondle one of the topless women. That likely would’ve been too sexual for “PG”.
Whatever the case, the added footage for the longer version doesn’t impact the story at all. Both clips seem entirely gratuitous.
Alongside the US version, we get two audio commentaries, the first of which comes from writer/director Wes Craven and moderator Sean Clark. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific discussion of what brought Craven to the project, story/characters and links to the comics, sets and locations, costumes and makeup effects, editing and various challenges.
Overall, this becomes a fairly good track. At times it drags a bit, but Craven gives us an honest appraisal of the flick – one that he feels nearly harpooned his career – and we find a largely engaging piece.
For the second commentary, we hear from makeup effects artist William Munns and moderator Michael Felsher. They sit together for a running discussion of what brought him to his chosen profession as well as his design decisions and aspects of the production.
Note that I didn’t refer to this as a screen-specific commentary. Eventually it becomes clear that they see the film as they talk, but this feels like a standard interview that simply accompanies the movie.
In terms of content, the track works fine, as Munns delivers a nice array of notes about his work and the challenges he confronted. A few semi-extended gaps occur but this nonetheless turns into a useful chat.
From there we find five featurettes. Tales from the Swamp runs 16 minutes, nine seconds and brings notes from actor Adrienne Barbeau.
She tells us about what drew her to the project as well as her experiences during the shoot and her reaction to the final film. Barbeau brings a nice collection of memories.
Hey Jude lasts 14 minutes, 43 seconds. It delivers a conversation with actor Reggie Batts.
Like Barbeau, Batts lets us know how he came to the film and his memories of the production. We get another informative collection of thoughts.
Next comes That Swamp Thing, a 13-minute, 19-second program. This one features an interview with Swamp Thing creator Len Wein.
The featurette looks at the creation of the comic book and Wein’s impressions of the movie. Wein provides an engaging discussion.
Swamp Screen fills 20 minutes, 32 seconds. It involves production designer Robb Wilson King.
We hear about sets/locations as well as King’s general thoughts about the movie and its sequel. King brings some worthwhile material but the chat becomes a bit unfocused as it goes.
Finally, From Krug to Comics occupies 17 minutes, 34 seconds. This piece provides info from writer/critic Kim Newman.
He discusses the film’s place in Craven’s career along with the comic book genre, it connections to movies, and his thoughts on Swamp Thing. Newman gives us some good notes, though he slips on some facts a few times.
In addition to the movie’s trailer, we get four Photo Galleries. These cover “Posters and Lobby Cards” (16 images), “Photos from the Film” (99), “William Munns’ Behind the Scenes Photos” (15) and “Behind the Scenes Photos by Geoffrey Rayle” (39). They deliver some quality elements.
More than 40 years on, Swamp Thing stands as a dated but decent comic book film. Held back by budgetary issues, the movie shows some promise but sputters too much to really work. The Blu-ray offers very good picture as well as acceptable audio and a nice array of bonus materials. This turns into an appealing release for a mediocre movie.