7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the planet of Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their planet.
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate WinsletAdventure | 100% |
Action | 86% |
Sci-Fi | 74% |
Fantasy | 66% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Japanese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Some more seasoned readers may recall not just the venerable Siskel and Ebert At the Movies, but at least two interesting "historical" moments where computer generated imagery was overtly discussed on the program. The first of these which I still personally can recall was a very brief conversation about the now quaint looking stained glass window that comes to life in Young Sherlock Holmes, and the second was a more in depth appreciation of the technology when Disney's Beauty and the Beast debuted. Sadly, despite Ebert's well publicized health issues as he aged, it was Siskel who expired over a decade before even the first Avatar was released, but it's not hard to imagine these two often kind of snarky (at least with each other) reviewers getting in touch with their veritable inner childs and geeking out together at the pure wonderment that James Cameron has unleashed with his team of gifted animators and performers. In that regard, it may be salient to put into perspective the fact that the nascent polygonal CGI "character" in Young Sherlock Holmes was rendered way back in 1985, Beauty and the Beast premiered in 1991, and, as alluded to above, the first Avatar came out in 2009, which can give a bit of a timeframe overview in terms of the development and advancement of CGI technologies. Now, over ten years after the first Avatar (something that seems positively mindboggling), there are copious examples of just how far things have come in Avatar: The Way of Water, though some curmudgeons may wish that James Cameron and his team had been able to deliver all of the visual blandishments without some of the narrative baggage.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.
Avatar: The Way of Water is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista and 20th Century Studios with an HEVC / H.265 encoded
2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Captured with a couple of Sony models and finished at 4K, let's just cut to the chase and say this is one of the most
consistently awe inspiring visual delights I've personally had the pleasure to see in some time. The level of fine detail is often staggering in this
presentation, especially considering that every pore on every creature or every leaf in every forest had to be created, but what repeatedly struck me
was the beautiful organic, fluid (no watery pun intended) nature of the animation. The 4K level of detail materially improves on already excellent detail
levels in the 1080 version in my estimation, and that improvement includes both the CGI and practical elements in any given frame. For just one
simple example for those with larger screens or displays, freeze frame during any of the impossibly wide vistas that feature groups of Na'vi frolicking in
the air on their quasi-dragons, and rather amazingly in the 4K version you can actually make out surprising amounts of detail on some of these
impossibly small figures. While I was a little
surprised to see this disc didn't offer Dolby Vision, HDR also adds significant and I'd say more highly observable than usual highlights in the palette that
is drenched (sorry again) in absolutely gorgeous blue, green and (unsurprisingly, given those two choices) teal tones that are noticeably more nuanced
in this version, again from an already stellar 1080 presentation. One of the really interesting examples in the subtle but discernable differences in
highlights may be the more pronounced variations between the colors of the Na'vi and the Metakinya, but there are a host of other examples, not
necessarily in the cooler blue tones that inform so much of the palette. For example, the much warmer "prayer bead" bookending sequences featuring
Neytiri offer some interesting new hues in the red, purple and orange territory. Toward the two hour mark, there's a long quasi-whale hunting
sequence that features some of the most prevalent mixing of CGI and actual real life human elements, and there are probably some unavoidably
artificial looking moments, which is kind of ironic given how photorealistic so much of the actual animation is, despite the whimsical, phantasmagorical
nature of so many of the creatures.
Avatar: The Way of Water features a beautifully expressive Dolby Atmos track that delivers everything you'd expect from a film this epic in scope. Ambient environmental effects are virtually nonstop throughout the Pandora sequences, with the surround channels full of the chatter of various jungle creatures and the often towering, ethnically infused, score by Simon Franglen, picking up from the late James Horner. There is clear overhead activity throughout the film in expected moments like the "ikran" that the Na'vi fly on, or in some of the battle elements. Even the underwater scenes engage Atmos activity and provide considerable immersion (pun unavoidable). Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available, and on screen forced subtitles in a kind of quasi-script font appear during some "native language" moments.
Disney/Buena Vista and 20th Century Studios have packaged this release on three discs, with one 4K UHD and one 1080 disc offering the feature film, and a third 1080 disc with the following supplements:
- Building the World of Pandora (HD; 9:33) looks at the rendering processes.
- Capturing Pandora (HD; 10:47) addresses motion capture.
- The Undersea World of Pandora (HD; 11:30) focuses on production design elements.
- The Challenges of Pandora's Waters (HD; 11:42) centers on the challenges all the water sequences presented to the production.
- Pandora's Returning Characters (HD; 9:00) revisits the characters already introduced in the first film.
- Pandora's Next Generation (HD; 10:47) does similar introductory service for some of the newer folks.
- Spider's Web (HD; 10:23) focuses on the character of Spider.
- Becoming Na'vi (HD; 10:51) looks at some of the training and/or mentoring done to establish "tribal" identities.
- The Reef People of Pandora (HD; 11:47) profiles one of the tribal communities in the film.
- Bringing Pandora to Life (HD; 14:40) focuses on visual effects.
- The RDA Returns to Pandora (HD; 13:34) looks at the bad guys.
- The New Characters of Pandora (HD; 9:38) is another look at some of the new characters.
- The Sounds of Pandora (HD; 13:32) offers an overview of the score and starts with a sweet remembrance of the late, great James Horner.
- New Zealand - Pandora's Home (HD; 4:24) offers some scenery only slightly less lustrous than Pandora's, though the focus is on the New Zealand crew.
Note: There is a Play All option for all of the above content.
- Casting (HD; 10:01) features screen tests.
- Stunts (HD; 5:42) has some fun behind the scenes footage of how stunts were created.
- The Lab (HD; 6:43) is the nickname for the various virtual production departments.
- The Troupe (HD; 5:38) offers a look at the ensemble.
Note: There is a Play All option for all of the above content.
- Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength) Music Video (HD; 4:42)
- Theatrical Trailer 1 (HD; 1:39)
- Theatrical Trailer 2 (HD; 2:29)
Note: There is a Play All option for all of the above content.
I mentioned in my recent John Wick: Chapter 4 Blu-ray review how that film may have outstayed its running time welcome, though I personally found it a rather brisk viewing experience. Kind of strangely, Avatar: The Way of Water struck me as just a bit more of a slog, perhaps ironically because once the visual element is turned up to 11 (so to speak) and just stays there, a certain amount of sensory overload kicks in and all that's left is the running time. That one niggling and joking qualm aside, I haven't had that many viewing experiences in my now long reviewing life where I've literally been left breathless by some of the on screen visions, but that happened recurrently throughout the film. The story itself is, to quote a certain lyric from that aforementioned Disney extravaganza, "a tale as old as time", and it arguably could have been edited pretty significantly without any major issues. But, as for the video and audio side of things: wow. Technical merits are reference quality and the supplements very appealing. Highly recommended.
2022
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Collector's Edition
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Collector's Edition
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Ultimate Collector's Edition
2009
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Ultimate Collector's Edition
2019
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2016
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