 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** Tagline: Return to Pandora. Storyline: When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora. Written by The Massie Twins  Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on October 12, 2012 -- 20th Century Fox's late 2012 Blu-ray 3D release of "Avatar" is identical to the version previously bundled with Panasonic 3D gear and, until now, exclusive to costly hardware purchases. And "identical" really means "identical." The discs share exactly the same menu screens, exactly the same menu options, exactly the same chapter stops, and exactly the same content, which means the same audio options, the same quality 3D transfer, and the same quality 2D transfer. The good news is twofold: those who have already purchased the older release don't need to buy again and those who do not have it can now own the movie in 3D at an affordable price and enjoy the same mesmerizing picture and sound qualities. The bad news is that this is most definitely not the "definitive" Blu-ray 3D release of "Avatar." Viewers wanting an all-inclusive package with 2D and 3D transfers as well as all of the supplements (and maybe more) from the excellent Extended Collector's Edition housed in one box will need to wait for that inevitable mega-set. This release does include disc and packaging artwork unique to the release as well as lenticular slipcover. A DVD copy of the film is also included. Below is a reproduction -- along with a few edits to reflect the current state of the film on Blu-ray -- of the previous "Avatar" 3D review along with a few new screenshots. Avatar is the new "King of the World," the latest from Director James Cameron and, over the past decade-plus, the only film audiences deemed worthy of supplanting Cameron's own 1997 Best Picture recipient Titanic as the top Box Office earner of all time. Avatar is an undeniably beautiful picture and an achievement of digital technology that surpasses every other film ever made in terms of its visual effects work and sheer scope of production. For that, the film is most certainly praiseworthy and a must-see experience, but has Cameron -- seemingly so completely absorbed in the world of Pandora and his personally-developed 3D camera system that's granted the film the finest 3D presentation ever -- forgotten to add more emotional heft and thematic substance to what is the most visually spectacular movie of all time? The answer, unfortunately, is "yes." Even Avatar's spellbinding visuals and the seamless and completely believable world of Pandora can't mask that underneath it all is a core that yearns for more substance, craves greater import, and demands a story not so riddled with transparencies. Make no mistake, Avatar is an incredible movie and the plot holds together just enough to see viewers through what is a fast-paced and oftentimes enchanting experience, but the film ultimately misses out on its chance to be hailed as an all-time great thanks to a lackluster and seemingly hastily-developed story and an emotional center that's only good enough to prop up the visuals but not carry the movie as much more than a ridiculously large-in-scope testing ground for the next generation of CGI delights. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, Terminator Salvation) is a wheelchair-bound Marine mourning the loss of his recently-deceased twin brother. In his grief, he's been recruited to step into a highly sensitive, time-critical, and biologically-precise role for which his brother had invested no less than three years of his life in training. Sully's mission is to control his brother's avatar, a human-alien hybrid that's biologically linked to its human counterpart and telepathically controlled by the human subject while in a state of suspension. His mission: enter the body of the Na'vi-human hybrid and study the mineral-rich moon of Pandora. Group leader Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, Galaxy Quest) doubts Jake's abilities, but the paralyzed Marine proves a quick learner while he secretly conspires with Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang, Gods and Generals) to provide clandestine first-person surveillance and analysis of the Na'vi home world in exchange for a promise that the military will pick up the tab for the medical treatments Jake requires to once again regain the use of his legs. While on mission on Pandora and in the body of his avatar, Jake becomes separated from his group and is discovered by the native Na'vi who distrust him, but he finds favor with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana, Star Trek), a female of the species who believes Jake to be blessed by Eywa, the Na'vi's benevolent god. Jake finds himself torn between his duties as both a scientist and a Marine as he becomes immersed in the alien world around him and the culture of the peaceful Na'vi who face a danger from a power-hungry human military bent on securing every scrap of a precious resource known as Unobtanium that's concentrated at the center of Na'vi life, the Hometree. James Cameron has come a long way since the days of The Terminator and Aliens; 1980s Cameron seemed all about dark, distressed worlds; adrenaline; and Michael Biehn. His 1990s films still offered challenging and thought-provoking plots with The Abyss headlining and serving as, perhaps, his most complete film. With Titanic, the director changed course completely, favoring spectacle above all else, though that epic Disaster movie nevertheless generated a Best Picture Oscar win not only for its special effects but for the heart of its emotionally-driven story. Avatar is the culmination of Cameron's journey as a filmmaker; his 2009 picture completes his progression from edgy auteur to bonafide superstar director who sees before him a cinematic future where the digital rather than the physical reigns supreme. With two films -- Titanic and Avatar -- the Cameron of old has been all but erased, replaced with a director bent on honing his movies into the grandest, most cutting-edge extravaganzas technology allows with everything else, it seems, mere afterthoughts in the exceedingly large shadow cast by the movies' good looks and the gargantuan efforts that are the pictures' effects wizardry. Avatar all but shuns a deep plot in favor its sheer visual prowess, eschewing the tenderness of even Titanic for an emotionless thrill ride that certainly excites the eyes but does little-to-nothing for the heart and mind. With Avatar, has Cameron proven that story no longer matters so long as there's a barrage of seamless special effects splashed across the screen? If Box Office returns are any indicator, the answer is unfortunately "yes." Make no mistake about it, Avatar is worth seeing, and it's also worth much of the hype and many of the accolades, but Best Picture material? That's another question entirely. Avatar is certainly not as good as several of the other nominees, whether compared to other special effects-laden movies like District 9 or more traditionally dramatic and structurally basic pictures, such as An Education. Avatar seems more content to simply overwhelm moviegoers with a shock-and-awe barrage of breathtaking digital worlds, flimsily held together by "1s" and "0s" rather than cemented in a top-flight story. Cameron certainly builds a world worthy of dropping jaws; Pandora is a fully-featured and seamlessly-realized locale of a size and scope never before seen, featuring a living, breathing fictionalized environment that even the newer Star Wars films and the Lord of the Rings trilogy can't come close to matching. Cameron's world is certainly nothing new; rideable creatures, lush landscapes, dazzling natives, and even floating mountains don't represent any kind of radical new vision, but it is instead the way the world seems so expertly and seamlessly realized that's the true star of the show; it's just too bad that the overwhelming beauty of the movie is but skin deep. Avatar's plot is decidedly average and riddled with cliché and phony dramatic convenience and coincidence. There are a few semi-clever ideas here -- the Na'vi are obviously so named to evoke a sense that they're navigating the hero of the story, Jake Sully, towards both their plight and way of life as well as pushing him to uncover the truths in his heart and soul and lead him to his destiny -- but most of the picture plays with an almost shocking amount of unoriginality, so much so that anyone who has seen the trailer and understands the crux of the story knows how it's going to play out. That's what's most disappointing with Avatar. The technology is new and with every frame comes a spectacle of moviemaking the likes of which have never been seen before, but each of those frames is saddled with a predictable and shallow plot, generic characters (could Colonel Quaritch be any more stereotypical?), and an outcome that's never in question. Like any good Science Fiction story, the plot behind Avatar is grounded in the issues of today but projected into a futuristic setting. That works well in both ridiculously over-the-top yet also highly intelligent satires like Starship Troopers as well as more grounded and subtle but no less effective and evocative pictures such as Forbidden Planet. With Avatar, however, the grander ideas that aim to bring to light the issues of environmentalism and war are far too blunt, their impact effectively negated through characters that are painted as extremes and a story arc that offers no middle ground. Still, Avatar is a fun ride, all the pros and cons considered. The action scenes are extraordinarily well done and quite exciting from a visual perspective, even if they're tempered by the foreknowledge of how they'll ultimately play out. The characters are, for the most part, well acted; the movie even finds some genuinely emotional undercurrents in several scenes, such as when Jake Sully initially awakens in his new avatar body and experiences the joys of walking and running once again. In a vacuum, Jake Sully is an incredibly interesting character; he's pulled in three directions at once --by the military, the scientific community, and the Na'vi -- while struggling to find some balance inside himself and come to terms with the position he's in and the pressures he's suddenly forced to balance. Sam Worthington is strong in the lead role, showing plenty of emotion and allowing the audience to gradually but surely come to understand his course of actions, even if they're being nudged by the overwhelmingly clichéd figure of Colonel Quaritch. The entirety of the film is supported by an exceptionally strong score courtesy of James Horner (Glory), who once again proves why he's the best in the business. His Oscar-nominated Avatar score is at once playful, adventurous, and tribal; it seamlessly meshes with the picture and, aside from the film's outstanding visuals, is easily its strongest asset. When dissecting Avatar and granting it that overly-important numerical "score" that's ultimately going to carry more weight than a commentators' words, one must determine just how much of an impact on that number the special effects and the overall scope and grandeur of the film will have up against the decent but recycled and clichéd storyline that leaves audiences emotionally frigid and wanting something better to fill the void and make this into an all-time great movie. Certainly, one can see that Avatar is an important and destined-to-be prominent film through the rest of the history of the medium not only as a clear-cut fan-favorite but also as a hallmark visual effects movie that will be remembered alongside the likes of Star Wars, The Last Starfighter, Jurassic Park, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Toy Story. Where those pictures succeed, however, is where Avatar lags behind. Each of those films are carried not by their effects but by their stories and all of the emotion and power they bring to the table. Their special effects are undeniably impressive and serve as milestones in cinema history, but for all the dazzle they're but supportive elements to a greater whole. Avatar overwhelms audiences with spectacle but underwhelms through its lack of novelty, absence of thematic import, and shortage of raw emotion, even considering that Cameron's film tries to incorporate the latter two but to lackluster results. The film runs cold despite a strongly-beating heart and plenty of blood and energy flowing through its blue veins, and the result is a dazzling achievement of special effects that should have been so much more. Cast Notes: Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Zoe Saldana (Neytiri), Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine), Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch), Michelle Rodriguez (Trudy Chacon), Giovanni Ribisi (Parker Selfridge), Joel Moore (Norm Spellman [as Joel David Moore]), CCH Pounder (Moat), Wes Studi (Eytukan), Laz Alonso (Tsu'tey), Dileep Rao (Dr. Max Patel), Matt Gerald (Corporal Lyle Wainfleet), Sean Anthony Moran (Private Fike), Jason Whyte (Cryo Vault Med Tech), Scott Lawrence (Venture Star Crew Chief). User Comment: Misagh from Earth, 13 December 2009 • I had the rather intense privilege to view James Cameron's much anticipated $400 million budget return to the directing scene, Avatar, at the Empire Leicester Square in London. Where to begin! The visuals in this pieces was groundbreaking. He did it with the Terminator series and then Titanic, so one would expect Cameron to deliver... and HE DID! The visual are by far some of the sharpest CGI I have seen. You could almost say that there is a disquiet that follows Cameron's soul, as there is no other possibility of this strong and intensified quality. Its production design and visual effects are both noteworthy and it will get its praise upon official release. What it was lacking that really should have shaped the movie is its character/story. I was expecting a complex and believable plot, but was left with a movie with mostly strong visuals. What most sci-fi lovers desire is mind-bending philosophies, fantasy and exploration and limitations of our or outer species. If it was not for this factor, I would give this a 9.5 vote. Avatar will be a success, not only because of Cameron's legacy, but by very intelligent and viral marketing. Avatar have had a powerful marketing technique that assembles other successful blockbusters, such as The Blair Witch project (you all remember it), The Dark Knight (Joker invades the world) and also, the current production The Artifice (the-artifice.com) that is intelligently targeting the market. Kudos to Cameron, Avatar is one of the (if not The) movie of the year. Summary: After a decade, Cameron sets the avatar of our new generation. [CSW] -5- *** I use this as a DBox and 3D demo for anyone *** [A5.0-V5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - DBox-10/10 - 3D 10/10. IMDb Rating (08/28/17): 7.8/10 from 949,168 users
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