“Avatar” is a movie that may need little introduction. James Cameron’s fantasy opus shattered all previous box office records (most set by Cameron’s last film, “Titanic”) and started a new trend of 3D movies that seems to have no end over two years later. Most agree that “Avatar” has yet to be topped as far as 3D visuals are concerned. The movie may lose a little of its impact without the 3D effect. The Avatar 3D Blu-ray release comes with two sets of 3D glasses that are designed to recreate the all important 3D look of the original.
Plot
For those who may have missed it, “Avatar” was about a group of large, blue skinned creatures called the Na’vi that lived over a large deposit of “unobtainium” the most valuable element in the universe. They are incredibly strong and very proud and won’t compromise with the Earth miners.
All in all, it is a pretty basic story that is isn’t going to win awards for originality. However, any gripes with the story can be ignored as that isn’t the point of the movie. It isn’t designed to be a great story: it’s designed to be a visual masterpiece. And it certainly is: watching this movie in a 2D environment is not acceptable. It simply has to be seen in a 3D environment (with as large of a screen as possible) in order for the movie to be fully appreciated. And this is where the Avatar 3D Blu-ray edition comes into play.
Visually Stunning
The Avatar 3D Blu-ray features nearly theater level quality visuals. Each comes with 1,080 pixels per image, which is as close to the theater as is currently possible. This high pixel count is necessary to create the visually imaginative world that Cameron and his crew have created. Cameron avoided the cliched “throw things at the camera” method of 3D film making to focus on engulfing viewers into his world.
He certainly succeeded in the theater. And the Avatar 3D Blu-ray certainly replicates that success as closely as possible. Each moment of the movie feels “real” as if you are really standing in the room with the characters. You can practically feel the magic of the tree as the characters stand in its presence and may even duck during certain fight scenes.
The nearly perfect replication of the theater visuals also helps highlight the vast range of colors used in the movie. Simply put, this is one of the most colorful films in recent memory. Colors are used not only to create beautiful images but to create moods, stun the viewer and to help advance the story. Every visual, every color is finely detailed, carefully chosen and beautifully rendered. The Avatar 3D Blu-ray replicates this beautifully. No other release of this movie has the truly exceptional look of this Blu-ray.
Sound
Another incredible feature of the Avatar 3D Blu-ray is the soundtrack. Sound quality is DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless, meaning that it is essentially the same quality as the soundtrack in the theater. Every aspect of the soundtrack was carefully designed by Cameron and his sound crew. Animal noises soak the viewer into a natural ambiance that is 3D in design. You can really only truly get the same effect with a Surround Sound system.
Much like the beautiful visuals, the sounds are designed to create an immersing environment that still hasn’t been topped. Be prepared to duck when you hear bullets fly or to look to the sky.
James Horner‘s typically great score adds emotional depth and subtle quality to each scene. Horner highlights the emotion in a scene without overpowering it completely. The perfect audio quality of this Blu-ray cannot be understated.
Conclusion
The runaway success of “Avatar” in spite of its rather middling story may be seen as a cause of concern for some film critics and fans. However, for those who value high visual art, it simply cannot currently be beat. And the Avatar 3D Blu-ray is simply the best possible method for reliving this movie. If you’re looking for something to play it on, check out our 3D Blu-ray player reviews.