Avatar isn’t quite the same when it’s not playing on a gigantic screen and in 3D. James Cameron certainly has made another impressive epic full of pure moments of awe, but it’s not as spellbinding at home. This is an incredible looking piece of eye candy with not a whole lot of new or original flavors. A fantastic theatrical experience is now simply a solid adventure film.
This 16-minute longer extended cut is a step down. This version is bloated and nearly every addition feels unnecessary. A few moments, especially involving Grace (Sigourney Weaver) add a bit more character, but all the character touches to begin with were clunky and nothing but dry spots. Cameron has never been the best with making subtle character traits or crafting meaty arcs, so far too much of that flaw can become tedious. The only additional scenes that are interesting, while also completely unneeded, is seeing Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) on earth. It’s a quick and standard set-up, but Cameron’s vision of earth is a part of the world you’d like to see more of. The future world here is very Blade Runner-esque, and it seems to wear that inspiration on its sleeve.
The sense of discovery is one of Avatar’s stronger points. Traveling through this new universe with Jake Sully is full of wonder. Pandora is a unique, beautiful place. When you’re out exploring the landscapes, it’s a visual feast. Spectacle is where Cameron is a true pro, and here, that’s where he flies. Cameron may not succeed at making you actually care whether or not Jake and the Na’vi gang make it out of this war in one piece, and when he’s not trying to, that’s where Avatar works best.
The pacing is tight, but there’s a sense of middling in the second act. It’s where Cameron is building up Jake’s love for the homeland, so it comes to no surprise that it’s a weak spot. There’s nothing terribly engaging about Jake Sully. Sully is a standard caricature, similar to everyone else present here. Worthington fills the shoes well enough, but as with the rest of the cast, he takes a back seat to the true star: the world and battles of Pandora. The only one present here who manages to standout is Stephen Lang, playing the scenery chomping Colonel Miles Quaritch. Lang knows Quaritch is a bit outlandish, and he embraces that. Lang gives into the goofiness of the dialog, and delivers it perfectly. And as a standard villain, he does what he should: be menacing and feel like a genuine, antagonizing force.
Avatar is a nearly pitch-perfect visual experience. The world building and action is topnotch. On the big screen, it played like gangbusters. On the small screen, it’s not quite the same. Avatar still does play as a fun piece of spectacle, but be wise and stick with the original cut, which is the superior version.
Video: The initial Blu-ray release of Avatar featured stunning picture quality. It had moments of jaw-dropping beauty. And this release is no different and is just as engrossing. The colors and details of Cameron’s world of Pandora are vivid and unique. Speaking in a hyperbolic manner is the only true fashion to discuss the picture quality. The additional scenes all come off as finished and completely rendered. The only issue is the CG human moments, which are now a bit more apparent, but not a total distraction. It was difficult to notice that in theaters with so much going on in such a giant canvas. Here, it’s noticeable.
Audio: The audio is sharp and nearly perfect, similar to the video transfer. Avatar is bombastic, which makes for some excellent wall shaking moments. The quite moments are clear and the battles couldn’t be more louder. From the littlest sounds (creature noises, twigs breaking) to the broader sounds (gun shots, explosions, etc.) it’s all pristinely handled and finely detailed.
Special Features: This is by no stretch of the imagination a bare bones release, unlike the first blu-ray outing. It’s almost annoying and overbearing how many features are here, it’s that compact. The making-of docs are the the standouts, featuring one full-length doc titled “Capturing Avatar” that runs at almost 100-minutes. It covers all the ground imaginable. The same goes for the 90-minute running “Production Materials”, which is a comprehensive look at the FX and designs behind Avatar. The “Art of Avatar” goes further into the art, showcasing 633 HD images total. There’s over an hour of deleted scenes which, for the most part, you understand why they were cut. Not all the scenes contain finished FX and you also don’t get Cameron explaining why they were cut, but a few of them make for nice, standalone scenes. “Scene Deconstruction” also makes for an impressive feature. It gives you the capability of seeing how scenes evolved throughout the effects process. It’s an hour long feature that covers 17 scenes. If you wish anything was here, it would be a Cameron commentary track. With all these features here you’d expect it’s a shame we couldn’t get one.
Avatar: Extended Collector’s Edition is now available (here).