Avatar

The first thing I notice is the extreme packaging - a slip-off sleeve, then a box cover containing a book with three really fancy pages with a pull-out disc holder - all with very nice depiction of AVATAR scenes over every visible inch of the packaging. All this hints that something special lies inside. And you won't be disappointed - at least I wasn't - and it was well worth the price. DISC 1 - AVATAR Disc Menu: PLAY / SETUP / SOUND / SEARCH / EXTRAS This disc contains three versions of AVATER: 1) original movie release 2) Special Edition DVD Re-release (with 8 additional minutes), and 3) Collector's Extended Cut (with 16 additional minutes) If you saw the movie, then you've seen version 1. If you bought the DVD, then you've seen version 2. What you want to see now is version 3, the Collector's Extended Cut, with 16 additional minutes. If you just click on the PLAY menu choice, you'll get version 1. To play version 2 or 3, click first on SETUP - FILM SELECTION, then choose the Special Addition Re-release, or the Collector's Extended Cut. The Collector's Extended Cut contains all the scenes in versions 1 and 2, plus the additional scenes, so no need to view versions 1 or 2, even if you haven't seen the movie yet. Under the SOUND menu is an option to have all the swear words deleted from the sound track, but it doesn't work for version 3, Collector's Extended Cut, which is the version you want to watch, and the swearing is very light, no "f" words. Under EXTRAS menu are all the added scenes, which is handy of you fall asleep watching the Extended Cut movie (as I did) and want to see if you missed anything new. DISC 2 - FILMAKER'S JOURNEY Disc Menu: DELETED SCENES / CAPTURING AVATAR / A MESSAGE FROM PANDORA / PRODUCTION MATERIAL The best thing about Disc 2 are the more than 45 minutes of "Deleted Scenes." There are many of them, all in various stages of completion, and all but two add considerably to understanding the story line, especially "Dream Hunt" and "Challenge." The two deleted scenes that should stay deleted are : "Norm is a God," and "Norm's attitude Improves." The Deleted Scenes are the next place to go after viewing the "Extended Collector's Cut" on Disc 1. "Capturing Avatar" is about how the film married real human facial expression and human movement to the animated AVATAR scenes. It is very interesting to see. "A Message form Pandora" is about James Cameron going down to the Amazon Basin in Brazil and joining the jungle tribes fighting against the construction of a dam. If there was any doubt that Cameron was anything other than a dedicated tree-hugging environmentalist, this will dispel all doubts. DISC 3 - PANDORA'S BOX This disc primarily has items a filmmaker might be interested in, The BD-Live portal is also on disc 3, which allows you to download additional material. I tried this but found nothing new that wasn't already on one of the three discs, and also the download was very slow. MY TAKE ON THIS EDITION OF AVATAR I am a civil engineer who thinks bulldozers and mining equipment are righteous and good. I suppose in an environmentalist's eyes I have done my share of raping the environment, although the way I see it, natural resources are there to be utilized. I do believe, however, that the resources need to be used wisely and efficiently and that renewable resources should be harvested by sustainable methods, and the earth returned to a green state after opening it and harvesting whatever is there. I present the above, because it is very clear that AVATAR is permeated with tree-hugging, environmentalist propaganda. And Cameron so much as admits it in "A Message from Pandora" on Disc 2. Nevertheless, Cameron made a really terrific movie promoting environmentalist concerns, though probably his message is totally lost on sinners like myself. Still, I very much like this movie and especially the Collector's Cut, because 1) it is so realistically done, 2) because it is an exciting adventure story with lots of very dangerous creatures, 3)because it is also a love story, and 4) because it is a hero story - the little guy fighting the faceless bureaucracy of a large corporation or government. As someone who has thrice married into different cultures in different countries, and experienced the somewhat difficult task of adjusting to and accommodating a foreign culture, I think Cameron has done a good job presenting the difficulty and opposition that naturally occurs against inter-cultural romance, and much more so for inter-specie romance, even if it is through a remotely controlled avatar body. Much of this opposition was deleted in the original movie, but is evident in the added scenes, and especially the Deleted Scenes. SUMMARY The extra scenes in the Collector's Extended Cut (Disc 1), and the Deleted Scenes (Disc 2) by themselves make this set well worth the price, and a story worth watching over and over, all the while hoping for a sequel. If you are also into how movies are made, there are plenty of ground-breaking techniques presented on Disc's 2 and 3. THE SEQUEL My idea of what would be an interesting sequel - Jake and Neytiri have a baby or two. Jake leads the Navi to develop some technology to prepare for the return of the Earthers but find the Navi uninterested. Jake remembers how European settlers arrived in America in such overwhelming numbers that the natives were completed subjugated and near annihilated. He fears that unless the Navi modernize to some degree, at least the military, the same will happen to the Navi when the Earthers eventually return for revenge. Jake goes to the Tree of Souls and discovers Grace has merged with Eywa and can communicate with Jake. Jake and Grace discover they can reach each other telepathically. Grace-Eywa has some ability to sense events beyond the planet-moon's surface. Grace and Jake begin to develop their telepathic powers, and discover thay also have some telekinetic powers By the time the Earthers return, Jake and Grace can affect the control mechanisms on the Earthers ships. [Take it from there, Cameron ...]

This is about the original movie and DVD only, not the 3-disc version being released tomorrow. I'm biased because I loved Avatar and saw it five times in the theaters. The 3D was excellent and enjoyable. By far the #1 complaint was that the special effects were incredible but the plot was boring and unoriginal. The FX are of course amazing but I liked the story as well - "Romeo and Juliet" set in outer space. Also, Mr. Cameron deserves a little more credit here than what he's been getting. This is an incomplete list and it'd take someone better informed than me to complete it, but here are some of the influences that I spotted: Sir James Frazier, Joseph Campbell, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Frank Frazetta, the Bible (love those Christ-figures), the aforementioned Shakespeare, Joseph Conrad, the Ramayana, Plains Indians, Amazon rain forest Indians, Gaia, T.H. Lawrence, the Masai, Vietnam, the Middle East and that's all I can think of right now. My point is that more thought went into the script than people seem to realize. It is of course very derivative, but there aren't too many totally unique plots out there (show me a few, please). At least Mr. Cameron used high-quality sources for his concept. Another complaint was Mr. Cameron's politics. I'm not a liberal or a leftist and I wasn't inconvenienced by any attempts to brainwash me into anti-American, anti-military, anti-consumerism, anti-business, anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism or anti-anything viewpoints. I just appreciated the movie and enjoyed the ride. I figured that Mr. Cameron needed despicable villains and henchmen as well as noble heroes and heroines, which is what any epic requires. Because the main evil-doer and his mercenaries and the corporate execs were American, some people got very offended. I just looked at them as handy, all-purpose scoundrels; not as representatives of something I was supposed to hate forevermore. Don't forget, the hero (and Christ-figure) was an ex-Marine. Didn't that balance things out for you? I don't know or care about James Cameron's personal philosophies, I just believe he intended to create an entertaining, enjoyable, enthralling movie and that he succeeded admirably. Anybody who only sees art produced by people who share the same outlook is missing out on a lot of what the world has to offer. You don't have to be converted in order to appreciate someone else's vision. There has to be a final note about the incredible FX. The visuals were undeniably spectacular and even people who hated the movie itself all agreed on that. A lot of diligence and work and thought and effort went into Avatar and it clearly shows. Mr. Cameron and his actors and crew and staff were obviously deeply committed to their vision and it showed in every scene. My only complaint was the soundtrack. A flick like this deserved a score on the same level as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" or "Once Upon a Time in the West" or "The Last of the Mohicans" or "The Magnificent Seven" (it was, after all, an exciting cowboy movie placed in outer space). It richly deserved a stirring and emotional soundtrack but instead there was mostly innocuous elevator music throughout. I love Leona Lewis but putting her song over the end credits wasted it, IMHO. It would've fit in better during the movie itself, also IMHO. Anyway, I highly recommend Avatar. Hard to imagine a more enjoyable film.

I liked the movie, so I'm giving it 5 stars. It has some of the best animation I've ever seen. It's even superior to FF7: Advent Children, which I own on BD. That movie is phenomenal, but seeing Avatar in 3d showed me that computer animation has vastly improved in the past few years. I think this is a movie worth owning if only for the technological aspect of it. Some people find the plot boring, a rip off, too predictable, etc. I agree. However, I don't watch movies for complicated plot devices and intricate character development. You cannot get that in 90 or even 120 minutes. (The only movies I've seen that even come close is the Sci-Fi channel's miniseries adaptation of Dune and Children of Dune. Both of which I own in the director's cut version; they're over 5 hours long each.) If you want detailed plots and characters, read 19th century novels. If you want some entertainment and decent plot and character development done in a limited amount of time, movies are much better for that. Avatar is entertaining, beautiful to look at, and has a positive message about not destroying the place where we live. Is it shallow? No more than anything else coming out of Hollywood. I'd say it's better than most of the movies I've seen in theaters lately. This version doesn't have special features. I don't like them because I never look at them anyway. I wish more BD were done without trailers, previews, forced ads and other junk. I hate having to watch ads on a product I buy. I can watch trailers on youtube. All of these things take up space on discs, often to the detriment of the AV quality of the movie. This version will make use of the large disc size to have the best picture and audio quality available. Is this a possible marketing ploy? Maybe. If they make use of the entire 50gb available on a BD-50 disc, then it will be literally the highest quality picture and sound ever offered on BD. I've never seen another BD devote the entire 50gb to just the movie. We will see in a few days whether or not it's a marketing ploy. If they make full use of the disc like they claim they're doing, I will be completely satisfied with my purchase. This movie comes bundled with a coupon to buy the Ultimate version coming out later, so I could sell this one in several months and buy that one at a discounted price. If you only want the BD and not the DVD, you can sell that too. You're getting a BD AND DVD copy for $20 along with a coupon to get the extended version. How this isn't a good deal is beyond me. I don't see why people are complaining about the lack of extras. Amazon should remove the one star reviews that only talk about how this is "fake" or inferior because it doesn't have special features. I don't want special features, and my 5 stars are for the movie itself. If you want special features, wait until they're done. They haven't finished making them yet, so they'll be out in November, a mere 7 months away. You can buy the movie now or the movie and special features later. This is not double or triple dipping. I'm glad the studios have announced their intentions. In my mind this makes them honest for telling the truth about what they're doing. We are all now informed consumers, so buy whatever version you want. For those that complain people won't know this doesn't have special features, I imagine people like to read the movie's info online or on the back cover at the store before they purchase it. If people don't read and, consequently, buy the wrong version, they are at fault for not taking the time to inspect a product before purchasing it. If you want only the movie, like me, then buy this version. Edit: After watching the movie numerous times on my HDTV, I'm still blown away by how good the picture looks. It really is stunning.

Nice to have picture fill the screen which is why we get the big tv's, 4k glitches at scene 26 to 31

When I saw the ads for Avatar last year, I have to say I was very excited. According to Fox and James Cameron this film will change the face of cinema and the way we saw movies will never be the same after Avatar. Boy, that was a lot to take and like a lot (and a lot) of people around the globe I couldn't wait to see it in the big screen. Finally the day came and I went to see it anticipating a wholle new era for films. This are my thoughts after I saw it in theaters: The film brakes new ground in every possible technological aspect. Pandora is a masterful creation and is the greatest scenary I've seen. I can't believe all that world was done in computers. It looks so real and breathtaking. Performance capture was also promoted to a whole new level and the Na'vi and Avatars look so real that was indeed a whole new experience in this aspect. While visually the movie has no match, in the story department it lags a little. A cliche story, enviromental message, some wooden performance and a not so original screenplay detracts the movie from being the true ¨New Cinema face¨ that Fox was claiming. Nonteheless with this problems, the movie is really solid entertainment. While you might pick some of this problems, your experience will still be pleasant and you are for a real treat in the world of Pandora. After I watch the movie in theaters, I knew that this movie was great if somewhat overrated. While I did like the film I am not a die-hard fan of it. I never bought the barebones Bluray that came last April knowing that a better edition will come. And what an edition it is!! Avatar looks fanatastic in bluray, in fact I think is the best bluray transfer I've seen. Is even more breathtaking than in theaters. Sound is equally impressive, very dynamic and clear. In this edition you can choose for three versions of the film: the theatrical edition, the special edition re-release (with eight more minutes) and an all-new extended edition (with 16 more minutes). I haven't seen the extended edition yet but soon I will and will update this with my apreciation of it. This is a three disc blu-ray set so you have 2 bd discs full of Avatar goodies. You have 45-minutes of deleted scenes some of which I would've liked to see in the final version. "Capturing Avatar" is an hour and a half documentary that covers everything on the production of the film and is fantastic. YOu also have galleries, deconstructions of scenes, an enviromental documentary called "a message from Pandora", screen tests, trailers and more. Without a doubt this set is one of the best of this year and one of the best ever. While checking other reviews, I saw a lot of negative reviews which only argument for a one-star review is that this set is lacking a 3d blu-ray. While I understand that some people is into 3d (I'm not) and Avatar is the best 3d film out there, awarding one star to an excellent set like this one just because of that seems rubbish. Come on, if you double-dip from the barebone BD to this set, you also will buy the 3d BD when it arrives. You must understand that Fox will milk this film as much as it can and I'm not saying that is correct but that is the way it is. For the majority of us who hasn't "upgraded" or care about 3d this set is the definitive edition of Avatar. Overall my score is like this: Movie 4/5 Picture 5/5 Sound 5/5 Bonus features 5/5 If you like Avatar this is a no-brainer purchase. Totally recommended!!

First the problems: Stripped DVD - the movie that was ALL there was. Not one single extra. There was no reason for a menu. The movie and whether you wanted it subtitled or not. That was IT. I had pre-ordered this DVD and therefore had no idea it wasn't going to have anything on it at all other than the movie, and that is why I am displease extras was still pending - and for that reason, the fifth star is lacking. I will return this and re-purchase it when the release with the extra 40 minutes comes out; an entire sub-plot was cut to make the movie shorter and in my experience, anything cut from a James Cameron movie should not be cut - look at The Abyss; the part cut explained so much, without it, the alien's motivation didn't make sense, there was no reason without that missing few minutes. The fifth star will appear when I obtain the release with more than just the movie - and I had no advance warning that this was just the movie - the movie is 5+ stars, the packaging of it, without the omitted material, particularly the missing 20-40 minutes of the movie, will be 5 stars. And now the positives, which are self-evident, but I'll talk about them a bit: As far as content is concerned; It is a brilliant movie. James Cameron's gift is to take the important messages and put them in a package that the masses who don't CARE about issues will go and see - and nonetheless without being aware that it is happening, will they, nil they (i.e. "willynilly") pick up the message. Abyss has the same issues; Our inability to take care of the planet, our violence, how we are destroying the planet, our lack of evolution; how backward we are and insist on remaining, mired in violence, racism, ethnocentricity and stupidity - unable to value the important things, unable to value our planet. Hiyao Miyazaki does the same thing and his work is all wonderful as well, message movies - dressed in stunning anime, drawing in audiences who otherwise wouldn't watch a "message movie." The same gift, and many of the same issues. Unfortunately very few want to hear a genuine analysis. I've tried to talk about the real content of things; on Amazon? It's an invitation to get trolled. With respect to this movie, all anyone wants to talk about is tech and the special effects; and yes they were stunning and Cameron had to wait 11 years until the technology was sufficiently advanced such that he could make his vision possible. And so, yes - a lushly stunning visual experience. But... for me, the face that he melds the important issues with the admittedly stunning "eye candy" that everyone wants to see is his genius. Most go for the visual experience and the effects, but can't help absorbing at least some of the message; and in that he does a great service to and for all of us. Of course it was done this way in order to release a later edition with extras; but I find this practice reprehensible, as it's all about getting more money out of the consumer. I wanted those extras, and I am sending this copy back - and I'll wait until I can get one with the extras I wanted to see; with a movie as brilliant as this one (and yes, I do mean the plot also, Cameron's gift is in taking important messages and packaging them in effects such that the masses - everyone who wouldn't go to a "message" movie, do come to his movies. In that sense it was like Abyss, and many of the same (almost all of the same) messages. I love Avatar, but I truly wanted more, not just the movie, but with an event such as this one, there are so many "extras" - I wanted all of that, and got nothing.

Excellent movie.. worth renting or paying for..the whole series is great.

Loved this movie

Dvd perfetto arrivato in tempo super veloce grazie

AVATAR is what results when when cutting edge cinematographic science, unbounded and adventurous imagination and the enduring power and eternal relevance of myth intertwine. The synopsis above and the other posted reviews cover the storyline in detail, so I will not be touching on that so much. Instead, I want to focus on the underlying themes of what only appears to be a Saturday matinee fantasy and how AVATAR is a modern myth, a reflection of the zeitgeist ( spirit of the time ) ... Like everything that lives on Pandora, we too have a 'tuft of filaments', so to speak - the open and willing mind, aligned with the subconsious, through which we can access the deeper, vaster, supra-rational realm of knowledge that is the root of all storytelling. Beyond the barriers of language, age, geography, time and distance ... is the realm of Myth. And THIS is where AVATAR really earns its wings in the public mind, I think. Through populist entertainment AVATAR reaches a deeper common ground that is pan-cultural. Like Peter Jackson's cinema version of Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS, James Cameron has fashioned a world utterly complete and meticulously and cohesively realized. Pandora is so completely realized in every mintue detail that the wonder of it opens the mind up to a rarely seen receptivity. And it is also resonantly in tune with the deepest aspects of what is most important to us now as a species. With his committed vision he has given this modern myth a form and expression that is elegant, awe-inspiring, stirring and exciting. Nice combination. J.R.R. Tolkien created his masterpiece out of the ashes of a world war. His goal was to create a British myth, but one that addressed the very deep concerns of his day. It addressed honour between people and differing nations, looked into the very dark chasms of evil, obsession and power at all costs, condemned world domination and evoked the deep sadness at the loss of the natural world to the fires of industry and power. Now, nearly a century after the books were published, and a decade after the LOTRs as a film was first shown, we have a more modern myth. This one, never published as a book, is more planetary than national in scope and concern. It builds on what went before it, as all good stories do, but it also crystallizes and projects what is oceanically stirring, with increasing restlessness, in the world consciousness today. So to the endless chorus of criticism that cynically seeks to put AVATAR down for its supposedly unoriginal story line, I would answer with the suggestion that perhaps what Cameron intended was NOT to present a story line that was fashionably novel but preferred to transmit his vision in something grander and more universal than a glib, stylish screenplay. Go big or go home ... He went beyond mere filmic convention, as did Jackson, and into a realm that speaks of something deeper. AVATAR does that speaking with a less strident voice, one filled with the resonant verity of truth. For that kind of storytelling, we need to enter the realm of Myth and the Perennial Philosophy. It is important to remember here that Myth does not mean fantasy necessarily. Myth is a way of communicating ideas that go beyond everyday thinking, while using common and familiar conventions that move into a realm where much more fundamental pictures of life and reality are formed and accessed. And neither is it, as is understood in every day speech, a lie. SHANE, the 1952 classic western, was a modern retelling of the Messiah myth. O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU, set in the Great Depression, was THE ODYSSEY. AVATAR gives us, like THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and other films like DISTRICT 9 and THE LAST SAMURAI a modern myth that expresses our deep need for the return to a paradigm that respects and works with all life, for a deeper awareness of nature, for integrity, for respect and cooperation among peoples, for honour, for compassion, for the end of exploitation as a way of life and the final capitulation of the corporate-military-political-industrial western mindset. In this, AVATAR has truly expressed, and mirrored brilliantlly, the modern zeitgeist. Visually, it is surely the most mind-blowing spectacle since THE LORD OF THE RINGS. For pure invention of an entirely different world, with every minutiae of detail meticulously crafted, it has gone beyond anything before it. Yet it is glaringly obvious that some of AVATAR's geography was quite clearly inspired by British artist Roger Dean, known world-wide for his work on the album covers for progressive rock band, YES. The Hallelujah Mountains on Pandora, gravity-less, cloud-wrapped and cascading with waterfalls are straight out of Deans work on FRAGILE, YESSHOWS and CLOSE TO THE EDGE. The gigantic, sweeping stone arches that surround the Tree of Souls, are right off the front covers of KEYS TO ASCENSION 1 & 2 and UNION. A footnote in the credits acknowledging Dean would have been a proper thing to do. While AVATAR could easily have done very well as awe-inspiring eye-candy, it DOES have a gripping and involving story line, characters you care about who are real and three-dimensional and it hits hard on issues that we DO need to face, that we do need to resolve, on the brink of peril. I think the fact that it lasted so long in theatres on first run is because it IS more than just eye candy, more than just grandiose cinematic fluff. Avatar is speaking to us VERY deeply. Giovanni Ribisi's smarmy, corporate worm is excellent, reminding me of Camerons early bad guy creation, Carter Burke, in ALIENS. Stephen Lang's uber-macho, testosterone-saturated Colonel embodies the technological and rigidly linear aggression of western power. Sigourney Weaver is her usual wonderful self, tough, committed and now a bit crusty ... with a big, warm heart. Zoe Saldana as Neytiri is the heart and strength of the film, the centre of gravity and prime mover. Sam Worthington as crippled marine grunt turned powerful mythical hero has done a beautiful job of taking a potential cardboard cutout and 'real-izing' him into something very satisfying. His transformation from military stooge, Jake Sully, into planet saving Omaticaya warrior is subtly and convincingly accomplished. There are NO weak spots in the cast and it is obvious that Cameron, for all the expected mud-slinging bad press, had the total committment of his cast and crew. That speaks volumes about him, as does his creation. Nothing breeds such vehement badmouthing in the arts like widespread and popular success, and even more so ... repeated success. Look how long it took Hollywood and the media to recognize Steven Spielberg. Like thousands, now millions, of people AVATAR redefined for me what it was to go see a movie. $15 CAD for me, is a lot to pay to see a film, but when I think of what this masterpiece did for me - the COMPLETE abandonment to the imagination, the totally willing surrender of disbelief, repeated wave after wave of childlike awe, my fingers gripped to my seat and my total emotional involvement ... hell, I would be willing to surrender that many times over to repeat it. BECAUSE this film works magnificently on all levels, not just visually and creatively, and because it was such an inspiring and gripping story, on the level of pan-global myth, I am MORE than happy to watch AVATAR on my TV screen. THE LORD OF THE RINGS still inspires on 21 inches of cathode, and now, so does AVATAR. While the 3D of the theatre version was something special to experience, the bottom line is this film still works its magic in my living room in 2D. I will say that the colour seems a little less saturated than the film and the picture quality is somewhat lacking - perhaps they rushed this edition out to meet demand. The later "Collectors' Edition is far superior in every way. In simple terms, AVATAR is a great film. It is a watershed in the history of cinema, all the 3D wow-factor aside, because it reaches down very deep into our psyches and gives voice to issues and priorities we as a species are now very, very much concerned with. It reaches into our hearts and expresses what our collective consciousness is calling out to see. Through the archetypal template of myth AVATAR retells to us, for today, a story as ancient as humanity itself. We are inextricably part of a world, a living organism itself. To ignore that or actively seek to dominate the forces and balances of this world, without responsibility, is to invite our own downfall. Hardly a 'novel' idea, but one that is as timeless as humanity. For for telling this story with such power, heart, imagination and virtuosic, artistic realization James Cameron has been a very profound success.

** DER FILM ** Wir schreiben das Jahr 2154: Ex-Marine Jake Sully ist gelähmt und weiß nichts mit seinem Leben anzufangen, als er eines Tages vom Tod seines Bruders erfährt. An dessen Stelle nimmt er am AVATAR-Experiment auf dem fernen Mond Pandora teil, bei dem sein Bewusstsein in das eines genetisch manipulierten Körpers übertragen wird, der aus der DNS der Ureinwohner Pandoras erschaffen wurde. Im Körper des 4 Meter großen Aliens kommt Jack bald in Kontakt zu den Ureinwohnern, den Na'vi, die er im Auftrag eines großen Konzerns ausspionieren soll. Denn die Na`vi leben über großen Vorkommen des wertvollen Minerals Unobtainium, weshalb sie umgesiedelt werden sollen. Doch die Ureinwohner fühlen sich mit ihrem Land verbunden und wehren sich gegen die Umsiedlung. In seinem Umgang mit den Na'vi begreift Jack bald, dass deren Leben eng mit der Vegetation auf Pandora verbunden ist. Eine Umsiedlung würde das Ende ihrer Kultur und ihres Volkes bedeuten. Der Rest der Handlung sollte allgemein bekannt sein. Camerons romantisch-verklärte Ethno-Fabel hat es schon in unzähligen anderen Varianten gegeben, angefangen bei POCAHONTAS über DER MIT DEM WOLF TANZT bis hin zu DER LETZTE SAMURAI. Und dabei weicht Cameron auch nicht vom Lehrpfad des Drehbuch-Schreibens ab. Die Charaktere sind flach, die Handlung hält keine Überraschungen bereit, die Botschaft wird den Zuschauern mit einem riesigen Zaunpfahl ins Gehirn gehämmert. Soweit so gut. Wodurch dieser Film wirklich besticht ist seine Optik!! AVATAR ist pure visuelle Magie, spätestens wenn Jack durch den nächtlichen Wald auf Pandora streift, der in das Licht der fluoreszierenden Pflanzen getaucht wird, bekommt man diesen angenehmen Zuckerschock. Kaum zu erfassen ist, wie viel Kreativität in die Designs von Pflanzen, Tieren, Maschinen, Na'Vi-Kultur und anderes gesteckt wurde. ** Versionen ** Auf der AVATAR EXTENDED COLLECTOR`S EDITION gibt es drei Fassungen des Films, die Kino-Fassung (162 Min.), die Extended-Kino-Fassung (171 Min.) und den Extended-Collectors-Cut (178 Min.), wobei letztere vermutlich von Fans bevorzugt wird. ** Specials ** Neben den Filmen und jede Menge Kleinkram (das Original-Drehbuch zum Nachlesen, Designs, Trailern, etc...) warten auf den Zuschauer über 8 Std Making-Ofs, mit beeindruckend tiefgehenden Einblicken hinter die Kulissen, in denen wirklich ernsthaft versucht wird, den Zuschauern die technischen und logistische Herausforderung bei diesem Projekt zu vermitteln. Und diese Specials sind für alle Film-Nerds fast so spannend wie der Film selbst. Erst nach dem Anschauen wird klar, warum die Filmemacher ihre Oscars wirklich verdient haben! So müssen Making-Ofs sei! Einziges Manko: Die Making-Ofs überschneiden sich inhaltlich manchmal, wodurch es zu doppelten Inhalten kommt. Dafür warten aber außerdem auch einige witzige Clips auf die Zuschauer, wie ein lustiger Film der MoCap-Crew und diverse Testaufnahmen. ** Bild-Qualität ** WOW! Mit AVATAR wurde ein neuer Standard für Blu-Ray-Bildqualität geschaffen. ENDLICH kann man das Wort Referenzqualität mal würdig gebrauchen. Und erstmals trifft der Slogan 'Schärfer als die Realität' wirklich zu! Die Kamerafahrten vor allem durch die Wälder Pandoras sind so atemberaubend klar, dass kein Blatt, keine Spinnwebe, kein Staubkorn übersehen wird. Und egal an welcher Stelle im Film man Standbild wählt, jeder Screenshot ist wie ein Gemälde! Die gesamte Speicherkapazität der Blu-Ray wurde voll ausgenutzt, ebenso der neuste Stand der Technik! Daher ist es wichtig bei allen Blu-Ray-Player die aktuellste Firmware Version runter zu laden, sonst könnte es Probleme bei der Darstellung geben. Zusammengefasst lässt sich sagen, dass es sich um eine grandiose Referenz-Qualität handelt, die höchstes High-def Feeling bietet! Kontrast und Schwarzwert sind perfekt. Und es gibt durchgehend gestochen scharfe Bilder mit hervorragender Detailwiedergabe. ** Soundqualität ** Auch wenn in der deutschen Ton-Spur keine DTS-HD Qualität geboten wird, auch der DTS 5.1 Sound ist herausragend! Egal ob bei den lebhaften, brachialen Sounds (Tier-Stampede, Turbinen), die dem Subwoofers einiges abverlangen oder den ruhigen Passagen (Waldstimmung), der Sound ist immer perfekt gemischt! Wer einmal die nächtliche Waldstimmung Pandoras mit all dem Zwitschern, Plätschern, Tropfen, Tiergeräuschen im DTS 5.1 gehört hat, will nie mehr etwas anderes! Der Surround-Effekt ist perfekt gelungen! Und für Soundfanatiker gibt's natürlich das englisch DTS HD Master. ** Fazit ** Eine Blu-Ray der Superlative, die selbst gestandene Film-Fans wie kleine Kinder staunen lässt. Eine perfektere Demo-Disc um die Qualität des eigenen Heimkinos zu demonstrieren gibt es nicht!!

Picture and sound really impressive enjoy the whole movie from start to end for collector must have it.

Excelente producto, el diseño del arte es muy bonito, la forma del libro y dónde vienen los discos ayuda a no maltratarlos, la imagen es excelente mucho mejor que en dvd, ya no se tiene que cambiar de disco para ver la segunda parte, no la dejo de ver, no me canso de verla y no me arrepiento de pedirla, vale totalmente la pena.