One man, an uncharted world, romance, war, destiny. You could apply these five things to any big-budget adventure films that have been released over time. For this review, we’re discussing James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi adventure epic Avatar. The rundown: set in the year 2154, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic marine vet, is called to replace his deceased identical twin’s place on a mission to colonize the lush, beautiful planet of Pandora. Using technology to inhabit a genetically engineered avatar of the local Na’vi tribe, Jake learns of the tribe’s people and falls in love with one of their leader’s daughters, the fierce Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). With threats being made to the Na’vi homeland, Jake must make a choice of whom he is loyal to — the military or the tribe. Therein lies the simple conflict of James Cameron’s record-breaking, highest grossing film of all time. But, as we all know, the value within Avatar isn’t within its simple plotting, its within its groundbreaking technological advancement and beautiful cinematography. While we’ve heard (and made) all the jokes (“it’s Dances with Wolves with blue people!”; “It’s FernGully actualized!”), one cannot deny the impact James Cameron’s epic has had on cinema (3D, IMAX, 4DX) and box office potential. When it comes to blockbusters bringing audiences back to the theater, there is simply before Avatar and after Avatar. Whether you are returning back to the lush world of Pandora or you’re a first-time visitor, there’s no better place to embark your destination than the Avatar: Collector’s Edition 4K release.
Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine in Twentieth Century Fox’s AVATAR. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.
The collector’s edition comes in tandem with Avatar: The Way of Water Collector’s Edition release (with both editions in Papyrus font, too!). It’s to be noted that for this release I observed both the Movies Anywhere version and the iTunes Extras version. The collector’s edition comes with three versions of the film: the theatrical version (162 minutes), the special edition re-release (170 minutes) and the collector’s extended cut (178 minutes). It is to be noted that on Movies Anywhere, the theatrical version plays automatically and the extended version has to be selected in the features; on iTunes, the extended version plays automatically and any other version has to be chosen in the extras. There’s also the infamous “Family Audio Track” version for the theatrical release and the special edition re-release. I had always heard about this audio version so I decided to give it a go myself and lo-and-behold, there’s family-centric audio. Words like “bitch” are replaced by “babe”, “piss him off” is replaced by “tick him off” however, there IS a moment where Jake says the word “hellhole” in his initial conversation with Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) that supposedly flied under the radar. Hey, this might be a special feature most cinephiles would roll their eyes at, but when you hold the mantle of the highest grossing film of all time (once lost to Avengers: Endgame but gained back in a re-release), you can craft whatever kind of alternative audio track you want.
Neytiri (voiced by Zoe Saldana) in Twentieth Century Fox’s AVATAR. Photo courtesy of WETA. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.
As for the picture itself, the vibrant colors of Pandora have not skipped a beat. When I first saw Avatar in theatres, I attended a 3D screening. As revolutionary as the film is in regards to 3D technology, I wouldn’t personally say this is the best way to watch the film. With that being said, the colors don’t look washed or overused on this 4K edition. Everything, from the ships to the forest to the Na’vi tribe itself, pops as it should without feeling drained, flashy or distracting. The blue of the Na’vi tribe’s skin blends in well with the lush green of the forest around them. Also, the humans don’t appear as a glaring contrast to the ship (interior or exterior) or in comparison to the Na’vi people. Everything feels as it should and the film plays as if it were just released last year rather than in 2009.
AVATAR: COLLECTOR’S EDITION release. Photo courtesy of Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Studios.
The features on this 4K edition slightly differ on the Movies Anywhere and iTunes platforms. On iTunes, you can see most of the new features and featurettes except for the “Memories from Avatar” featurette and the “Avatar: A Look Back” featurette. With the iTunes Extras, you can read the original Avatar screenplay as well as the original “scriptment” written by Cameron in 1995. No matter where you choose to go, the featurettes here are jam-packed. In the “Memories from Avatar” featurette, producer Jon Landau (Titanic) moderates a conversation with core leads Sam Worthington (Hacksaw Ridge), Zoe Saldaña (Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy), Sigourney Weaver (The Cabin in the Woods), and Stephen Lang (Tombstone). The retrospective conversation ranges from the audition process (in which Stephen Lang shares a touching story of how he learned he got the part of Quaritch) to the research put into the roles. “A Look Back” goes hand-in-hand with this featurette as a retrospective view of the entire process of filming the massive box-office hit. Jon Landau also hosts an overall “behind the scenes presentation” talking about the cinematic secrets behind the making of the film.
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully in Twentieth Century Fox’s AVATAR. Photo by Mark Fellman. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.
In addition to these features, there’s an option to watch the new/additional scenes of the special edition and the collector’s extended cut separately from the films. In “Capturing Avatar”, we follow James Cameron (Aliens; True Lies; The Abyss) and his crew as they embark on shooting the “most complex film” in his career. There are featurettes that take a closer look at the creation of Pandora itself and the key aspects of production including stunt work, production design, and performance capture. In the miscellaneous “Production Materials,” there are some hidden gems including a watch footage test from “Brother Termite,” a science-fiction adaptation from a 1992 novel that James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment was set to produce but eventually got scrapped.
Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch in Twentieth Century Fox’s AVATAR. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.
Among many other features, there’s also a noteworthy featurette called “A Message from Pandora” in which James Cameron chooses to walk-the-walk on his environmentalist message and assist the Kayapo people, south of the Amazon River, in their fight against the construction of Belo Monte Dam. This dam, if built, would be an aid in destroying their community long-term. It’s a touching supplemental extra that gives a glimpse into a man that believes in the rather heavy-handed message his big-budget film preaches. You don’t see that too often. The 4K release can be a bit overwhelming with its jam-packed features and overindulgent with its family audio tracks, but for any Avatar fan out there, it’s a must-have. The cinematography is not lost on any second or third viewing and the world of Pandora has never looked more beautiful.
Avatar: Collector’s Edition & Legacy Special Features*:
- Behind-The-Scenes Presentation Hosted by Jon Landau – Join Jon Landau as he unlocks the cinematic secrets behind the making of Avatar.
- Colonel Miles Quaritch RDA Promos – Get an inside look into the RDA with these in-universe promos hosted by Colonel Miles Quaritch.
- New Still Gallery – Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña Special Shoot
- English Family Audio Track Theatrical and Special Edition Release – 5.1 Dolby Digital
- 14 Direct Access to New/Additional Scenes – Special Edition
- 17 Direct Access to New/Additional Scenes – Collector’s Edition
- Memories from Avatar
- Avatar: A Look Back
- Capturing Avatar
- 17 Featurettes
- 15 Production Materials
- A Message from Pandora
- 28 Deleted Scenes
- 17 Scene Deconstruction
- Archival Materials
- Still Galleries
- Pandora – The World of Avatar
- Nine (9) Raw Footage Production Elements
- Pandora Discovered
*Bonus features vary by product and retailer
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and digital June 20th, 2023.
Available on 4K UHD digital Collector’s Edition December 12th, 2023.
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray Collector’s Edition December 19th, 2023.
For more information, head to the official 20th Century Studios Avatar franchise website.
Share this:
Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
Leave a Reply