On the lush alien world of Pandora live the Na’vi, beings who appear primitive but are highly evolved. Because the planet’s environment is poisonous, human/Na’vi hybrids, called Avatars, must link to human minds to allow for free movement on Pandora. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed former Marine, becomes mobile again through one such Avatar and falls in love with a Na’vi woman (Zoe Saldana). As a bond with her grows, he is drawn into a battle for the survival of her world.
For thoughts on Avatar, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Avatar offers a pretty solid uptick in quality over the older accompanying Blu-Ray from over a decade which has always been a visual treat. While not as refined as Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron knows how to deliver something magical, and this film holds up every inch visually as it did when it was first released. One of the biggest differences compared to its sequel is that Avatar spends a bit more time in the human world, and this is where you will find the biggest improvements. Fine detail within the labs are more apparent than ever with this increased resolution. This extends to the textures of the lab coats and the military uniforms. There are subtle increases within the digital environments, but the leaps are not as big due to the already great previous HD presentation.
Even without the addition of Dolby Vision, the HDR10 brings out the mesmerizing aesthetic of Pandora to its greatest peak. Every environment is filled with lush colors that are further enriched by the nuances of HDR. Whenever you witness the glowing lights in the water at night or the shades within the forest, you are in for a treat. The skin tones of the human characters are likewise natural and detailed. The deep black levels help out the scenes taking place at night or within shadow. The highlights in the film are more firmly defined with white levels pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found even in the brightest instances. The Blu-Ray has always been a top tier disc, but 20th Century Studios and Disney have brought this film to the next level with the 4K UHD release.
Audio Quality
While the visual upgrade might be the draw for most, the audio upgrade is arguably the more impressive aspect of this disc. This disc comes equipped with a Dolby Atmos presentation that opens up this world much more than the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track on the Blu-Ray. This is readily apparent in the overhead channels which carry a substantial amount of information which allows the soundscape to flourish in three dimensions. Environmental details are executed well in the rear and overhead channels to capture the complex world.
Sounds are deftly rendered with precise directionality from the more action-packed scenes to interpersonal moments of dialogue. Dialogue is presented clearly without ever being overshadowed by any of the competing sonic elements. The beautiful James Horner score adds so much pathos to this film, and it permeates the room with a stunning fidelity. The only slight criticism to this track is that the low end could perhaps use a bit more power, but what we are given is still an unforgettable audio experience. There are optional English SDH, French, Spanish and Japanese subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Memories From Avatar: A nearly 22-minute new retrospective conversation with Jon Landau, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang in which they reflect on their audition process, skills they picked up working on the movie, the training that went into the experience, how the film changed their lives and more.
- Avatar: A Look Back: A new 10-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss their experiences with the film, the resonance it has had worldwide and more.
- Capturing Avatar: A 99-minute documentary which takes you from the initial seeds of an idea and early test footage of the technology to the release of the film. You get so much great information about how the creative team had to evolve with technology, the creation of this world from the creatures and environments to the sounds and beyond, and more that gives you great insight into this undertaking.
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- Part One (27:08)
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- Part Two (27:17)
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- Part Three (24:08)
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- Part Four (19:51)
- Featurettes: An epic 1 hour and 32 minute collection of featurettes which explores how the creative team brought this world to life, the characters and performances, the visual effects, the score and much more that is incredibly enlightening.
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- Sculpting Avatar (3:46)
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- Creating The Banshee (9:52)
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- Creating The Thanator (3:21)
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- The Amp Suit (4:31)
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- Flying Vehicles (5:14)
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- Na’vi Costumes (4:14)
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- Speaking Na’vi (6:37)
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- Pandora Flora (5:41)
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- Stunts (5:14)
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- Performance Capture (6:33)
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- Virtual Camera (3:21)
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- The 3D Fusion Camera (3:44)
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- The Simul-Cam (2:19)
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- Editing Avatar (7:00)
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- Scoring Avatar (6:07)
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- Sound Design (8:51)
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- The Haka – The Spirit of New Zealand (5:18)
Final Thoughts
Avatar has been simmering in the cultural consciousness over the years while more flashy properties have come and gone, but it is an experience that cannot be completely forgotten. The story is directly parallel to many that have come before, but director James Cameron finds a way to make it his own and build out the culture he has created. The special effects are still incredible and top most movies that come out these days. Some of the human performances can be a bit wooden, but overall it offers a fun cinematic experience. Disney Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a 5-star A/V presentation and a substantial assortment of special features (even though some are missing from previous releases). Fans will have an absolute blast with this one. Recommended
Avatar is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Disney Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.