Blu-ray Review: Avatar Extended Collector’s Edition

Avatar Extended Collectors Edition artwork2 Blu ray Review: Avatar Extended Collectors Edition 

With Avatar’s theatrical cut, you got a movie with great CG and a predictable story.  It reminded me too much of Last Samurai, including the love story and side characters.   While it was entertaining, I was disappointed with it because director James Cameron can do so much better.  This is the man that made you root for a robot in Terminator 2 for crying out loud. A ROBOT!   Cameron admitted that some scenes were cut from the theatrical release for pacing reasons and it would be available on Blu-Ray.  Well that time has come and 20th Century Fox released the extended collector’s edition. 

For those three of you that don’t know the story of Avatar, here’s IMDB synopsis:

A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

I have to say that the extended version of Avatar is one of the best movies I’ve seen in years.  There’s a total of 16 additional minutes.  Most notable is the intro the movie, we’re introduced to a heavily populated, polluted Earth.  It creates a contrast to the naturally beatiful, Pandora.   The battle scene at the end is also longer but it’s the character development that adds depth to the movie.  The little interactions between Sulley and Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) humanizes the characters and you understand their motives.  Even the villain, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lange) , isn’t so one dimensional anymore.  He has his reasons to take out the Navi’s and makes him pathetic instead of a warmonger.  By adding all the new scenes, it make Avatar a complete movie.  The progression of Sulley’s bond with Neytiri (Zoë Saldana) and the Navi’s feels natural and you can see why he turned his back on Quaritch.  I thought the script was the weakest part of the theatrical cut but in this version, it flows better and it doesn’t come off as cheesy anymore.

Avatar’s extended edition is a must watch for any movie fan.  You owe it to yourself to enjoy an epic masterpiece!

The extended collector’s edition comes with 3 versions: theatrical, re-release (8 additional minutes) and extended collector’s edition (16 additional minutes)

Avatar Extended Collectors Edition artwork4 Blu ray Review: Avatar Extended Collectors Edition

Movie Grade: A

avatar Blu ray Review: Avatar Extended Collectors Edition

Video:
The movie is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen.  Compared to the first release, this version has more of a softer, natural look.  The first one to me looked too sharp and I could tell where the “3-D effects” were suppose to be.  It took me out of the viewing experience.  With the extended version, the 3-D effects doesn’t pop out anymore.  They’re integrated seamlessly with the rest of the effects and the actors.  Some people might complain that it’s too soft but I like the more natural look.  Colors are still rich and vibrant.
Grade: A

Audio:
The soundtrack is presented in lossless DTS-HD 5.1.  Just like the video, the soundtrack is great.  It’s a very clean and balanced soundtrack.  The dialogue can be easily understoond, even during the battle scenes.  Speaking of battle scenes, the mech suit’s machine gun sounds great.  It has a violent, hard thumping sound to it.  The surrounds are also used effectively.  Check out the flying scenes with the banshees and you can hear the wind all over you.
Grade: A

avatar blu ready for war small Blu ray Review: Avatar Extended Collectors Edition

Extras:
There’s tons of extras on this 3 disc set.

1st disc has the family commentary track (theatrical version) so kids can watch the movies without the bad words.  Rest of the extras include jumping to the additional scenes that can only be seen on the re-release or extended versions.  I like this feature because I always wonder if a certain scene has been added.  It clarified my doubts.

2nd disc has the 28 anamorphic deleted scenes which is about 65 minutes long.  These scenes were deleted for a reason so they’re not great.  There was one cool scene of the human military preparing for the final assault.  I was impressed how the scenes wouldn’t delete right away after it ended, it would go to the next scene that was in the theatrical version for a couple of seconds, so you know where it’s suppose to be added.  It’s little things like this makes you realize Cameron and crew really cared about this release.

Another extra is the 98 minute long documentary behind the scenes look of the movie.  It documents  the movie from start to finish including researching new technology for the effects, casting choices, editing, sound design and 20th Century Fox jumping on board.  The documentary is divided into 4 parts so I suggest watching it in segments.  It can get overwhelming and I got numb watching  the whole documentary at once.

The rest of the extras for the 2nd disc includes a 20 minute documentary of Cameron’s inolvement with Brazil’s environment.  There’s also production clips which includes actors’ screen test as well as the new cameras used for the movie.

avatar extended collectors edition bonus 11 Blu ray Review: Avatar Extended Collectors Edition

3rd disc starts off with 17 featurettes, ranging from 3 to 10 minutes.  Topics includes creating maquettes, the New Zealand connection and the concept behind the creatures and environment.  Some of the clips can be seen in the documentary from the second disk, this one goes more extensively about each topic.  I just wished there was a “play all” feature instead of choosing it one by one. 

There’s also a scene deconstruction which lets you see how a scene was shot, including the actors, special effects, camera work and the final shot.  You can choose picture in picture and see all of them or just focus on just one shot.  This was good for ten minutes, after that, it gets boring. 

Archives is included and includes anamorphic trailers (teaser was definitely better than the theatrical), screenplays and concept art. 

It took me several days to go through all the extras.  With other movies, I get bored with the extras but this one kept me coming back.  The documenataries are all presented in HD and the production value is great.  There’s no commentary but the extensive coverage on the second and third disc makes up for it.
Grade: A

Conclusion:
I’m glad I got this Blu-ray because it shows what James Cameron is all about.  Most will see him as a special effects director but to me, he’s a great filmmaker.  He can achieve an emotional story along with awesome special effects, this is what the extended edition delivers.  This version is more captivating because of the character development.  With excellent video and audio and enough extras to last you for days, this is a must own Blu-Ray.
Overall Grade: A+ (not an average)

pixel Blu ray Review: Avatar Extended Collectors Edition

More fun articles: