Avatar
(2009/Fox Blu-ray)
Picture:
A- Sound: B+ Extras: D Film: B
Let’s get
the big question out of the way first.
No, I did not see Avatar in
theaters in IMAX, 3-D or otherwise; and boy do I regret it. Now the second largest grossing film of all
time (Mr. Cameron holding 2 out of the top 3 spots) Avatar has managed to stun and surprise audiences all over the
world. Perhaps it was the hype over the
years it took to create or maybe it was the Oscar buzz or maybe it really was
just that good; but whatever it was Avatar
has managed to take a seemingly simple concept and expand it into a
universe that (maybe) like Star Wars or
Lord of the Rings will be build a
following that will span generations.
Part of
me thinks Avatar is merely FernGully (odd reference I know) on
steroids, but the other part of me sees Cameron’s vision as he intended with
deeper messages and unbridled creativity.
I don’t think it is Cameron’s best work (story wise), but it is visually
stunning and worth viewing.
I would
be inclined to say don’t forget a little film called Titanic, which people had no faith in before it became the
breakthrough success. Though people seem
to dismiss Titanic, in the end
becoming a victim of its own popularity, it was one of the biggest films of all
time; and in this reviewer’s opinion a better film than Avatar.
Avatar takes place in the year 2154 on
the planet Pandora and a company called RDA wishes to mine a precious mineral
called unobtanium, which is found on this planet. Pandora is inhabited by a 10-foot-tall blue
species called the Navi; who live in harmony with the planet and worship it as
a mother. Humans are unable to breathe
on Pandora’s surface and in order to facilitate their needs scientists create
human-Navi hybrids called Avatars.
Avatars are controlled via mental link to a human counterpart and are
used to research the biosphere of Pandora as well as to interact with the
native Navi. Essentially the film goes
down the path of an evil corporation attempting to strip unsuspecting natives
of their home and natural resources. Of
course drama ensues and certain members who originally worked with RDA and that
are linked to the Avatars, switch teams with an all out battle of ‘good’ versus
‘evil’ occurring.
I loved,
loved, loved the films visuals; but found the story a bit weak and most of the
characters very superficial. The
characters lacked depth and whereas there were moments of sincerity, overall I
found no emotionality in the film and was mainly enjoying it for its action and
special effects. I wish I could say this
was an Oscar worthy ‘Best Picture’ film, but I find that the hype must have
given the film its steam and not its actual content. In the end I think it was worth watching and
it is certainly demo material on Blu-ray, but other than that I don’t think it
will be as classic as some have alluded to.
Whereas
the technical features on this barebones Blu-ray are not perfect, they are
pretty darn nice. This is not stunning
presentation that IMAX 3-D had to offer, but does bring the Avatar experience right to your living
room. The picture is presented in a
1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded image that is visually stunning with its crisp image,
bright colors and astonishing detail; but was left perplexed by the aspect
ratio. We could nonsensically explore
Cameron’s constant fiddling with aspect ratios for Avatar, but it all may be better left unsaid and instead explore
Cameron’s chosen path for Avatar on
Blu-ray in its 16 X 9 format. The
crispness and clarity are of demo quality with superb visuals that will make
any film lover jump for joy. The audio
was not as impressive in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track that I thought
was a tad weak at times. For such an
action packed film I expected more.
Don’t get me wrong, the directionality coupled with a crisp, clean and
clear sound is there but I wanted more BOOM for my buck. The ambient noises are stunningly lively as
is the consistently balanced dialogue which can come from any of the
speakers. The films musical scores gave
me chills at times and certainly added another level of atmosphere.
This is a
bare bones set with no extras, so if you can you may want to hold out for one
of the many other bonus feature packed sets that are to come.
Whereas I
may sound a bit apprehensive with the films content, I am. I just don’t see what all the hype was about
in terms of story, but maybe I will eat my words soon enough. The visuals are why you see this film. Purely stunning is all I can say and you will
not regret owning this film.
- Michael P. Dougherty II