Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Destined to spend his life in a wheel chair, paraplegic war veteran Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is brought to Pandora to gather intelligence on the Na'vi, assuming his deceased brothers "avatar" identity. While spending time with the natives, Jake begins to bond with the tribe and falls in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and soon the ex-soldier must choose which side he's on.

Writer/producer/director James Cameron has quite a resume with plenty of box office successes, including the megahit Titanic. The idea for Avatar came to Cameron sometime in the mid-1990s, but the technology at the time couldn't realize his vision. Over a decade later, it became technologically feasible to make the film, although it almost broke the bank with a production coast of $237 million.

Despite its paper-thin story, the 3D film shattered Titanic's box-office record, raking in $745 million domestically and an impressive $2.7 billion worldwide. As studios are wont to do, this is the second go-around on Blu-ray after a bare-bones release in April that is thus far the #1 selling title of the year.

This release of Avatar doesn't include a 3D version of the film—that's an exclusive release for buyers of select Panasonic 3D products. What you get here is three versions of the film—the original theatrical release, a collector's extended cut with 16 additional minutes, and a special edition re-release with 8 additional minutes. Families with young kids will love the optional "Family Audio Track," which removes all foul language.

Surprisingly, the extended cut improves the story quite a bit giving additional background information on Sully, Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), and how Sully becomes the de facto leader of the Na'Vi in an emotional scene toward the end of the movie. Frankly, Cameron should have cut some of the eye candy from the production and left these scenes in the theatrical version.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode with seamless branching
• Phenomenal depth and detail
• Rich color saturation, especially blue and green
• Inky blacks

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Outstanding dynamics
• 360 degree sound envelopment
• Aggressive sound design
• Crisp dynamics and reference-quality frequency response

This release is as close to 3D as you'll see without actually buying a 3D set. The depth is mesmerizing and draws you into the picture, and the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is nearly as impressive with its plethora of demo-worthy scenes.

Bonus Materials

• Deleted scenes
• Capturing Avatar documentary
• A Message from Pandora
• Production materials
• Scene Deconstruction (3 different viewing modes)
• Production shorts (17 featurettes)
• Avatar Archives
• BD-Live Portal

The additional footage has improved the film, and the supplement package is outstanding as it gets into the nuts and bolts of the production, providing an inside look at how Avatar literally reinvented how films will be made in the future. Highly recommended for Avatar fans.

Release Date: November 16, 2010
Studio: Fox

Theatrical Cut: 7/10
Extended Cut: 8/10
Picture: 10/10
Sound: 10/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics