Welcome back to Pandora.
Overview
James Cameron doesn’t know how to do anything small and his previous successes as well as the new wrecking ball of cash that is Avatar have proven that. Avatar was the highest grossing film of all time and as of this date, Avatar on Blu-ray is the highest selling Blu-ray of all time. While not 3D, 20th Century Fox brings us a sweet looking movie in this collection. The story of Jake Sully isn’t an original one, but I guarantee you’ll not find a better looking one.
Since the majority of you have already seen this film in the theatres, I’ll spare my thoughts on the movie itself in this review and focus primarily on what the Blu-ray offers. If you’re interested in what I thought of the theatrical version of the film, read my full review here.
Audio/Video
Despite the all-too familiar story that Avatar offers, the video quality on this Blu-ray disc is unmatched. Offering the best special effects seen to date, the transfer here will NOT disappoint you. Featuring a 1.78: 1 ratio, this film looks stunning in high def and will easily call you back for multiple viewings. The mix of the extreme color palettes from the jungles of Pandora and the dull palettes of the human world really look amazing. All of this makes Avatar the best looking film I’ve seen on Blu-ray this year.
The heavy use of computer generated special effects here plagues this disc in a similar fashion to other recent special effects laden films like G.I Joe. When scenes involve static backdrops or human actors along with the special effects, it creates a layered effect that makes the computer generated object look less realistic. I didn’t notice it in the theatrical version, but it shows up on the Blu-ray and the standard DVD versions. This small issue doesn’t prevent this film from being the best looking thing out there.
The audio is presented in 5.1 DTS HD and makes James Horner’s original score sound just as amazing as it did in the theatre. The thumps of the incredible fight scene at the end all the way to the near quiet sounds of the forest make this one of the best sounding tracks on Blu. It easily matches the stuff found in Disney’s masterpieces as well as Warner. There’s enough pounding of the bass to put your speakers to the test and piss off the neighbors. Awesome.
Special Features
Avataron Blu-ray comes as a dual Blu-ray and DVD disc collection with absolutely NO special features whatsoever. Choosing to release this on Earth Day less than three months after it left the theatres feels like a rushed affair, and considering that this is the highest grossing film of all time, not having any special features feels like a kick in the crotch. Consumers will definitely be upset after purchasing this knowing that it’s getting a double dip later this year with proper extras. Regardless of this, the picture and sound are so amazing, I’ll forgive it just this once.
Overall
Avatar is a testament to how far we’ve come with movie technology. It had the best looking special effects I’d ever seen when I saw it months ago in the theater and it has the best looking high def presentation I’ve ever seen on Blu-ray. Despite the lack of extra features, Avatar on Blu-ray is a great film that all audiences will love.
ComicsOnline gives Avatar on Blu-ray 4.5 out of 5 Navi.
Buy Avatar on Blu-ray at Amazon.com now.
Keep it here at ComicsOnline.com for more Blu-ray reviews and everything geek pop culture.
