Compression artifacts are minimized by the use of dual layer technology and first rate authoring. Layer switching occurs with only a mild pause and good placement prevent it from becoming too distracting. The Dolby Digital 5. 1 soundtrack is very impressive for a film not originally produced for the discrete format. The front soundstage is very wide and open sounding, while the surround channels are utilized to create the atmosphere inside the naval vessels.
Dialogue reproduces with a clean and naturally timbre, plus the soundtrack boasts rock solid bass.
Additionally, the stirring Russian flavored musical score by Basil Poledouris is very well mixed into the track. At times, the music takes prominence, but it never overpowers the other sound elements. English and French Dolby Surround soundtracks are also encoded into the DVD, as are English and Spanish subtitles. The interactive menus are of the plain vanilla variety, offering access to a theatrical trailer as well as the standard scene and language selection features.