After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora.
A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors.
Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery.
Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes Avatar's pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain.
That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot.
(The overextended "take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --Robert Horton
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 Blu-Ray Review (not a review of the movie!) |
| Review Date: April 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: the-movie-guy, Lawrence, KS |
Five months after "Avatar" received its initial big-screen release, we are presented with its first release to the home-video market. Much has been written about the double and triple-dipping. We know this is a bare-bones release, devoid of ANY extras, special features, deleted scenes, commentary, etc. We know the studio is releasing a more complete edition of the film on Blu-ray in November 2010, and a 3D version at some point in the future. We've all heard the complaints from those who think this stripped-down version is merely a cash grab. So now Earth Day has arrived, and "Avatar" has been released in this bare-bones edition. For those who, like me, love the movie, and want to have something on-hand to enjoy until the more thorough release arrives in the months to come, is this worth it?
In a word, yes.
This Blu-ray is the movie only, with some basic search/bookmarking features and subtitles. There is no commentary, no trailers, no previews, no annoying advertisements that play before the movie starts. It's the movie only, much like the way DVDs presented films back in the early days of that format. You insert the disc (the disc loads and starts playing automatically in my Sony BDP-S570). There will be a moment or two of a blank screen as the disc loads. You'll see a brief message informing you to update your player's firmware if you experience any problems playing the disc. Then you'll see a piracy warning (thankfully it's brief), and then a basic Fox Home Video title screen. Now you come to a nicely animated menu screen, which gives you options to play the film, set up your options or search for a scene or bookmark.
The disc has an advanced feature which allows you to resume playback if you power your player off during the film playback. This option comes on automatically when you turn on the player again, even if you've removed the disc and reinserted it.
The video quality is astonishing, easily besting last month's Toy Story and Toy Story 2 releases from Disney. You have a full 16x9 (1.78:1) picture, which is how I remember the film being presented in RealD and Dolby 3D Digital in theatres. Colors are crisp and bright. No visible artifacts.
Audio is superb, a quite robust mix that will engage fully your 7.1 system.
This is the finest-looking Blu-ray of the year, thus far, and the best way to enjoy the film until the next more complete edition is released in November. Is this stripped-down edition a cash grab? I don't think so. I appreciate having a bare-bones release. It's refreshing to have a disc that is the movie only. Who needs all the junk that we get on most Blu-ray discs? Yes a making-of documentary would be fun, but is there anyone who loves the movie who doesn't already have some idea of the craft that went into making it?
This release is for people who love the movie, end of story. If you love the movie, you'll appreciate having such a wonderful, flawless transfer to enjoy in high definition at home. If you don't love the movie, you will find things to quibble about such as the lack of extras. I, for one, am happy with what we've got now. |
Simply put: The best Picture and Audio available on any format. (Blu Ray review)
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| Review Date: April 23, 2010 |
| Reviewer: M. Stifler, Gettysburg, PA USA |
Let me start off by saying that I am one of the people that saw Avatar multiple times in theaters and loved it. The CGI , as well as the 3D technology infused, were by far the best I have ever seen. James Cameron and all of the people who participated in the making of this movie did a tremendous job. Weta workshop is taking its place at the top of the mountain, as far as visual effects companies go. Watching this movie was like being transported to a different universe. I was completely immersed throughout the almost three hours I was in the theater.
As for the story and acting for the film, I am probably in the minority on most of these reviews. The story for me, while predictable and reminiscent of other movies I'd seen previously (What movie isn't nowadays?), was extremely enjoyable. Watching this made me feel young again. It made me forget about all the worries that an adult life brings, and just enjoy myself in the moment. Many people argue that the acting in this movie was subpar. These people say that the portrayals of the characters were downright cartoonish. I would argue strongly against that. For the type of movie that this is, the good versus evil portrayals given by the actors works in the movie's favor. Sam Worthington especially does well. If you haven't seen him in Terminator: Salvation, do so. He made the movie worth watching.
Now, to get to the actual product at hand. I ordered the Blu Ray / DVD combo pack from Amazon. From the moment the menu came onto my screen, I knew this was going to be something special. When I pressed play, there was no turning back. Over the next three hours, my senses were completely assaulted and my mind was dumbstruck. Simply put, James Cameron's Avatar on the Blu Ray format is the best picture and audio we have seen or heard to date. I have a feeling it will be years before anything better is brought to the table. Watching the visuals was more stimulating than looking at a real life forest. Every detail could be seen from far and away. The walls of my house shook, and I just hope the neighbors did hear. I would tell them to buy the movie themselves and experience it.
With this release comes certain issues. While I don't have any of them myself, I will still talk about them as it would be uninformative of me to not. This release of Avatar is not in 3D. Many people complain about this, and a large percentage of those people do not even have the right equipment to properly experience 3D yet. The technology for home theater 3D is very new and very pricey. Next year, after all the quirks have been worked out, is when we will likely see Avatar in a home release 3D format. Another gripe is the complete lack of special features. This again has a good reason. In the Special Edition coming later this year, there will be scenes incorporated into the movie not even visually completed yet. Documentaries in high definition have to be put together. A commentary track needs to be recorded. No one is being forced to buy this "stripped" edition, however. I am one of the people who will knowingly double or triple dip on this. The reason for that is because I love it so much.
Now to the biggest complaint. During the initial release, many people were complaining that Avatar would not play in their Blu Ray players. The reason for that seems to be some new copy protection put on the disc. While I was not one of the people with this problem, I can certainly sympathize with those who did. A new firmware update is all it will take to fix the issue. My PS3, which serves as my Blu Ray player, had a firmware update ready for me before I watched the movie.
So if you are one of the millions who loved Avatar when you saw it in theaters, or one of the people who didn't get around to seeing it, now is your time. Pick this movie up right away without hesitation. Keep an open mind, and let yourself become immersed. You do not want to miss what many people believe is one of the top movies of all time. |
Biggest bargain in years
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| Review Date: May 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Rob, NY USA |
Avatar is a watershed moment in cinematographic history. It is a step forward as important as the first Star Wars movie was. Avatar is an experience not to be missed by any fan of movies, it is a truly impressive achievement. I've been a movie fan since the late 1940's, in all that time I had never gone to any movie more than once while it was in it's first run... until Avatar. My wife and I have been to see Avatar three times in theaters (once in each of the three formats: Big screen 3D; IMAX 3D, and big screen 2D. We were favorably impressed by the movie, and the technology, in all three formats. We both felt that Avatar will be remembered as a powerful, ground breaking film, and that it will become a major classic.
We recently bought the DVD and Blu-Ray two disc combination package (from Amazon.com) and consider the package to be one of the best bargains in entertainment. Getting two and a half hours of entertainment, in two high quality formats, each for the average price of one movie theater ticket is extraordinary... especially when the film is just concluding it's first run in theaters.
If you can see Avatar on a big screen (in 3D or 2D) by all means do so. I also recommend buying a copy to view at home... the quality and the experience on a good digital TV screen are extraordinary. This film is one that will influence the making of, and course of, film entertainment for a long time to come. |
Here is a REVIEW of the PRODUCT
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| Review Date: April 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Gregory Holmes, |
This is BY FAR the best looking and sounding blu ray disc I have ever seen.
PICTURE QUALITY
The picture quality is beyond description and is so clear that it is like looking through a window. The colors are vibrant beyond belief. Every detail of every image is sharp and exquisite. I've never seen anything like it for a home theatre system before. The image had more detail than I noticed during the 3D presentation I saw in the theatre and the colors were even more vivid. Many scenes on this disc look as though they are in 3D, there is that much depth to the images. I'm beyond words to describe how incredible this disc looks.
AUDIO QUALITY
For english language this disc offers DTS 5.1 HD audio and DOLBY 5.1. I listened to the DTS. The sound is equal to the image. Every speaker in your system will be busy with this one. Rear speakers are in constant use with all sorts of immersive sound effects and the subwoofer will shake your house. This is spectacular entertainment and unprecedented in home video history.
PACKAGE AND FUNCTIONALITY
The 2 disc set comes in a striking reflective slip case. The discs are housed in a standard sized two disc keep case with the left side containing the DVD and the right side holding the blu ray disc. The disc menus are gorgeous and very easy to navigate. Pop up menu is quick and easy to read. There are NO FORCED TRAILERS or advertisements before the menu pops up but there are the usual warning screens. Although my player is usually fast loading, this disc took a bit more time to load than most (about one minute).
EXTRAS
There are none unless you count the DVD as an extra. There are however two inserts. One is a $25 off certificate toward the purchase of a Panasonic Blu ray player. The other insert contains an access code to the website which allows you to watch bonus material/sneek preview stuff.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It isn't expensive. It is well worth the money (at least to me) as I found it to be the most impressive home video release (in terms of picture and sound quality) that I have ever seen. Buy it! |
Yes the Blu Ray is a worthwhile buy. Excellent quality
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| Review Date: April 27, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Robin McDonald, USA |
You can be angry this version doesn't have 3D or additional features or extras and shout at the studios for exploiting the market. But I wouldn't tell people not to buy it because Avatar is the single best looking Blu Ray currently available. And this is what Cameron said you would be getting from this Blu Ray. Nothing but the movie looking the best it can possibly look because there are no extras. What you are paying for and hopefully gladly is a chance to buy this film for home viewing while it is still in the theaters. And it is spectacular. You aren't getting the cheap dumbed down product some well intentioned people are warning against. This is a premium quality disc. This is your chance to purchase the theatrical version. Later on you will have the chance to buy the extended edition and a 3D version. Both of these will no doubt cost more than this version. Not many people will be able to take advantage of 3D so it not being in 3D right now is fairly irrelevant. I love extras. But the truth be told most of the time I only need the movie. The extras all too often go unwatched.
If you want a showpiece Blu Ray to replace or add to your roster of Baraka or Fifth Element or Dark Knight. Avatar will make your HD system sparkle with life you haven't seen to date. |
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