# Avatar - Blu-ray Review



## Dave Upton

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=3989&w=o[/img]
*
Title: Avatar
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang, Joel Moore
Directed by: James Cameron
Written by: James Cameron
Studio:Fox
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 162 min
Release Date: December 18, 2009
*

*Movie* :4.5stars:

Avatar is arguably the most hyped, and now most successful movie ever created. The brainchild of James Cameron, Avatar was nearly 5 years in the making though the script was written as early as 1994. The film begins soaring above a rainforest – Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is dreaming while in cryostatic suspension on his way to Pandora, a moon of another planet approximately 4 light years from earth. Pandora is covered almost entirely by rainforest and is populated by a ten foot tall humanoid species called the Na’vi. Through a series of flashbacks we learn that Jake is a paraplegic, injured during his military service. Jake’s identical twin brother, a scientist, was selected for an expedition to Pandora to “drive” an avatar, a genetically engineered hybrid of Na’vi and human DNA. When Jake’s brother is murdered, representatives of the corporation sponsoring the expedition contact Jake – his genetic similarity to his brother will allow him to take his place as an avatar driver.


After a shuttle takes him to the surface of Pandora, Jake dons his oxygen mask. Humans are unable to breath Pandora's atmosphere but are unaffected by the weather otherwise. The officer in charge of military affairs on Pandora, Colonel Quaritch, is warning new arrivals that life on Pandora is harsh, that those who do not “cultivate a strong mental attitude” will not survive.


Jake is then introduced to Norm Spellman, also a scientist and avatar driver, Norm takes Jake to the science lab where he sees his avatar for the first time. Approximately 10 feet tall, the avatar is blue skinned with flecks of silver on his skin and has a long tail. Jake is surprised to find out the avatar looks like he and his brother, Norm explains this is a result of the human DNA he and his avatar share.

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=3417&w=l[/img]



We are then introduced to Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) who greets Norm cordially and then proceeds to lash out at Jake – making it plain she does not want him on Pandora. The following morning Jake is taken to enter his avatar body for the first time. He awakens on a medical bed as human technicians check his avatar bodies’ stimulus response and motor skills. Jake wiggles his toes – ecstatic that he can feel his legs once more. He climbs from the bed, tears the monitoring leads from his new body and staggers outside into the compound before breaking into a sprint, exhilarated at his ability to run once more. Later Jake must meet with Colonel Quaritch who asks Jake to be his operative – to gather intel on the Na’vi during his missions in the event military action is one day required. In return Quaritch will see to it that Jake undergoes the costly medical procedure to repair his spine upon his return to Earth.


[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=3418&w=l[/img]During Jake’s first mission in his avatar body he is attacked by a large predator called a Thanator, as he attempts to escape Jake is separated from Grace and Norm. Jake finds himself alone as the light fades with a large pack of predatory dog-like animals stalking him. The creatures attack Jake relentlessly, just before Jake is injured a female Na’vi emerges from the jungle, dispatching the creatures and sending them scampering into the forest. After he follows her, Jake is able to learn her name is Neytiri, and that she is angry with him for forcing her to kill the animals. As Neytiri runs through the bioluminescent forest, Jake attempts to follow – Neytiri is about to force Jake to let her leave when a cloud of glowing jellyfish like creatures surround Jake’s body. These creatures are the seeds of Eywa, the great tree and deity of the Na’vi.


Neytiri interprets this as an omen and decides to take Jake with her to Home Tree. On their way to Home Tree Jake is captured by a war party of Neytiri’s people and is dragged back to the village. Neytiri’s mother (the seer of the village) will decide if Jake is allowed to live. Jake requests to learn about the ways of the Na’vi and after consideration of his request she allows Jake to live – and decides that he must learn the ways of the Na’vi under Neytiri’s tutelage. 

Much of the middle of the film centers around Jake’s training – his journey towards understanding the Na’vi people and how they live. During this Jake begins to respect the Na’vi and to fall in love with Neytiri. Inevitably, the human forces on Pandora are unable to mine their precious unobtanium without the Na'vi relocating. Jake is faced with the prospect of alienating both the Na’vi for his unwitting betrayal, and his human superiors through his desire to redeem himself with Neytiri.



*Rating*

Avatar has a PG-13 rating for violence and some profanity. Overall the profanity is not terrible in this film, while there is some scanty clothing it is not portrayed as sexual.

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=3419&w=l[/img]
*Video* :5stars:

This Blu-Ray, much like the film has been widely anticipated. James Cameron himself has come forward and explained that he has a deal with Fox guaranteeing no extras, previews or "crud" on the disc when the film grosses more than a billion dollars - he wanted the disc to have all the space available for maximum video quality. So - of course you are all wondering, just how good does it look?


The back cover of Avatar states an average of 29 megabits per second for the AVC encode - which for a movie of this length is incredible. The result - in a word - spectacular. Avatar has some of the most varied and vibrant colors ever to be in a film - along with night shots to die for. Blacks are inky and shadow detail is impeccable - with ultra fine gradations in contrast and gray scale. Colors pop with the same surreal quality they had in theaters. Despite this being a 2D release - all the 3D eye candy such as holograms and camera overlays literally pop off the screen in a way no 2D film has ever managed before. 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=3421&w=l[/img]
Avatar's groundbreaking CGI is no less impressive on a TV or home theater projector than an IMAX screen with fine detail that is nothing short of amazing. With much of the film digitaly created - it's hard to compare this to other live action films - however the few non-CGI scenes do have a certain smoothness to them that may be construed as DNR. When watching this film in theaters in 2D I recall noticing the same effect - this is something that must have been a decision made by Cameron when editing the film in post and thus I will not critique it. That minor nitpick aside - the vast majority of this film is after all, CGI, and this is some of the finest CGI ever produced. Avatar actually looks so good on Blu-Ray that it has exceeded my expectations. No studio tricks or digital processes have been applied to this glorious transfer - it is absolutely pristine.


On the basis of video quality I would rank Avatar as the singular demo title for my collection as of today. No Blu-Ray I have seen to date compares to the quality of this video presentation and it truly sets a new standard for the format. Is Avatar reference quality? Absolutely! Once we are able to get screepcaps of this film I believe it can be established that this film is not only reference quality, it may be THE new reference.

Screencaps may be found Here
*Audio* :5stars:

In an uncharacteristic but appreciated move - Avatar's audio has been remixed for the home environment - for optimal nearfield listening. The result is a sublimely balanced and visceral audio experience that doesn't disappoint in the slightest. The surrounds are used to great effect and are exceptionally well blended with the LCR producing a wall of sound much like the IMAX experience. Bass is prodigious and accurate with no shortage of ultra low LFE extension in the scenes where the human gunships bombard home tree. The final battle of the film was enjoyable in theaters, but at home it is the finest 25 minutes of demo material you could ask for. Bullets and overlarge arrows thrum past your head with tangible speed and force, gunships nearly deafen you as they make a hard bank and screeching creatures reel around the room making the surrounds fully realize their potential. 

Dialogue throughout the film is exceptionally clear and lacks any harshness or mic noise. No matter how loud a scene gets dialogue sings clearly from the center channel and keeps the story going. Many audio mixes fail to take into account the environment depicted - but the echoes of the cave as Jake is about to get his first flight are surreal they sound so accurate. There can be no doubt that this entire film's audio mix is reference quality. However high your hopes may be for this release, prepare to have a smile on your face.

* Important Note: * For one of the finest audio demo's you have ever heard, watch the credits all the way through for an awe insipiring THX demo featuring 33mbps video and nearly 5mpbs audio - 30 seconds of pure awesome.


*Extras:* N/A

This film has no extras whatsoever - Cameron has chosen to release the film with the full disc dedicated to optimal quality. The upcoming 3D release is rumored to have a second Blu-Ray packed with extras.

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=3420&w=l[/img]
*Overall* :5stars:

Avatar is a monumental achievement in film making from a technical standpoint, it is the first film to use 3D to its maximum potential, and if I may go out on a limb, one of few films to showcase Blu-Ray's full potential as well. While the story in Avatar is “contrived and recycled” in the words of many critics, I chose to watch this movie without preconceptions. If you allow yourself to enjoy the experience that is avatar without dissecting the plot as you watch, I think you will be marvelously entertained. Avatar is an emotional and engaging film in many ways because you as the viewer feel so immersed in each scene. While the story may not quite measure up to the spectacle – the spectacle is something special to behold.


As a Blu-Ray release Avatar has yet again proven that it must be better than the competition. The release has raised the bar for audio and video quality on all future releases and is a truly special experience in the home theater.


To paraphrase my box office review:


Whether you see Avatar for the eye-candy or the audio, the story or the cinematography, one thing is guaranteed – love it or hate it, Avatar is a Blu-Ray you just have to see.


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## Sonnie

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Great review... I can not wait. We are having an Avatar night at our house tomorrow night. Grilled rib tips, smoked sausage, rice with broth and sausage... then it's Avatar time... :T


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## Dave Upton

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

*MAJOR COOL TIDBIT:* Watch the credits all the way through - afterwards you will be treated to a ~30 seconds THX screener - 33mbps video 5mbps audio - it is absurdly cool!


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## Dale Rasco

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Great review Dave! I think my plasma used half of it's life span reproducing all of those colors but it was worth it. Avatar looks and sounds absolutely insane!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mrloofer

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Great review. Agreed this movie looks fantastic and on my HD20 projected at 120" it certainly gave me a close experience to what I had when I saw it in 3D (3 times I may add). For the first time ever I used the Blu Ray bookmark feature to save the best moments for demo purposes. I'll have to now revisit the ending to catch the THX demo which I missed first time around.


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## recruit

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Great review Dave :T cannot wait to pick my copy up on Monday !


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## Dave Upton

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Screencaps:

EDIT: Images removed... delayed thread viewing by several minutes. Please reduce and repost. Thanks!


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## recruit

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Screen shots look stunning, cannot wait to see this through my Projector :T


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## Dale Rasco

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

I so have to get a bluray drive for my PC........


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## nathometheatre

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Excellent revue! Just bought our copy of the Blu Ray at walmart for $20.00! And, it includes the DVD version in THX none the less! So, after seeing Avatar at the IMAX 3D the first 3 days in a row after it came out, tonight is the first of many viewings for my Family in our Theatre! I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning! 5 hours and counting!!!


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## Dave Upton

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Thank you for the kind comments all.

I'm probably going to get hatemail from the first poor individual with dialup or slow DSL who attempts to load all those screencaps.


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## mechman

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Great review Dave! And great movie! We watched it last night on the big screen. :T


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## tonyvdb

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Saw this movie last night with the family on BluRay and although I thought the video quality was fantastic and the animation was top notch (I found myself forgetting that it was animated) the storyline got tiresome halfway through and at times kind of stupid. Personally I dont think that this movie deserved all the hype it got. Great review but Wow, that first page of this tread takes a long time to loadaddle:


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## recruit

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Watched this last night and the PQ is the best I have seen on BD yet, absolutely pin sharp on my PJ and the colours were amazing, also first class sound to so a big thumbs up from me :T

Oh and I really enjoyed the film too :bigsmile:


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## TwisterZ

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Watched Avatar on Sunday with a couple friends. Everyone was thrilled with the movie. I would have liked to have a 7.1 sound track and maybe a wide screen picture but what was there was very entertaining.


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## lsiberian

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

I'm suspicious of this 2d port. Avatar was the greatest 3d experience ever. I just don't know about 2ding it.


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## recruit

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*



lsiberian said:


> I'm suspicious of this 2d port. Avatar was the greatest 3d experience ever. I just don't know about 2ding it.


Yes, I could Imagine how good this film would be in 3D !


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## mechman

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Watched this movie last weekend. Excellent movie.


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## mdrake

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Thanks for the great review.... Those screen shots looks great. Looking forward to seeing it! 

Matt


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## Trick McKaha

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*



Dave Upton said:


> Thank you for the kind comments all.
> 
> I'm probably going to get hatemail from the first poor individual with dialup or slow DSL who attempts to load all those screencaps.


Well, I have DSL here, and I thought the screen shots were excessive. My browser did not behave well, constantly jumping back and forth as I tried to just find the next message in this thread. I appreciate that you meant well, but for me, screen shots don't tell me what I want to find out. And, if a picture is worth a thousand words, you gave us Wikipedia.


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## Jason_Nolan

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

He was right about the THX trailer, that was the best part of the whole movie.

Great sound, great picture, horrible acting, horrible dialogue, ripped off story line done too many times.

Should've known by how much they hyped it. So much self promotion by Cameron, such a dissapointment.

I guess I'll be the only one on this forum to have this opinion of it. I guess it would make a good reference disk for people that can stand to watch it again.


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## VintageGold

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

I've read there's a special edition coming out later this year. Is it worth waiting for or should I pick up a copy of this now?


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## tonyvdb

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

The special edition will most likely have the 3D version and maybe some sort of extended version but personally its long enough as it is.


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## VintageGold

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Am I aloud to link to Youtube videos on here? I know there were some questions he answered about the movie, one of which was about a 3D version. Let me know and I'll post a link to the channel.


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## tonyvdb

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Yes you can, Please feel free to do so.


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## VintageGold

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*

Sorry, I'm not sure how to post this so it doesn't insert it into my post and is a link instead.

Here's the vid discussing the special edition.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/user/HomeTheaterForum#p/u[/ame]

From there you can link to the other videos where he discussed 3D, 1.78:1 (16x9) AR, etc. They seem to have a lot of other good stuff about the movie as well. If I get some time later, I might compile an Avatar FAQ from some of these.


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## nova

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*



Dave Upton said:


> [img]
> *Extras:* N/A
> This film has no extras whatsoever - Cameron has chosen to release the film with the full disc dedicated to optimal quality. The upcoming 3D release is rumored to have a second Blu-Ray packed with extras.
> [/img]


[img]

Hmmm... then why give me two copies of the same movie? Instead of the second disc being a DVD, put the extras on it!

Jason, you're not the only one. 
Reminds me of a few women I've met. Pretty to look at, dumb as a box of rocks and, well.... I'll leave the rest up to your imagination since this is a family oriented board :R:yikes:[/img]


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## event horizon

*Re: Avatar - Blu-Ray Review*



Dave Upton said:


> This film has no extras whatsoever - Cameron has chosen to release the film with the full disc dedicated to optimal quality.


Thankfully :T I must say that this film has by far the best quality picture of any 1.78-1 picture that i have ever seen.

I want the best quality picture i can get, i'm not interested in extra stuff, i just want to see the movie in the best quality possible & this blu ray delivers in spades  I can see why they created "superbit" for dvds & i'm all for it.

Extras to me are like steelbook covers seem to be to other people. I'm not interested in a tin box, the plastic amaray boxes do a great job, tin boxes get damaged easily. I'm not going to watch the box over & over again so give me the best video!

Great though in a way predictable film, outstanding picture :T

Must have watched it at least 6 times already :rofl2:


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## smurphy522

Dave,
Very nice review. This will be a show off BR disc for many years. Overall a great movie, very entertaining. Saw it in S. Korea with the family while on assignment.


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## kudo11

i must tell u my friend, you did a great job with that page. avatar is the bomb. my dad owns a 3d system and he got avatar and we wear the glasses and watch it on the weekends. i cant wait to see when new releases come out of other cool movies.


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## ddgtr

Thumbs up on the review, nicely done! I really enjoyed this movie, from the storyline which I found fascinating to the graphics and sound. I waited and got the extended version, the alternate beginning should not have been cut!! Way cool!

Thanks Dave!


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## lv jk

I really enjoyed this movie in the theater, but I have a medical condition that makes it so I cant see 3D so I loved it at home on blu ray.


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## oakleyx

I love this movie. I can't wait to see it in 3d on the small screen


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## digit119

I've seen it in 3d using a Panasonic 58" TCP58VT25 in full 3d. The picture was stunning to say the least! I have also watched it on a LG 50PX950. I have to say the Panasonic was the better picture. Not saying the LG was any slouch, it just didn't have the same result as the panny.


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