Rating: PG-13
Starring:
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana as Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver as Grace
Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch
Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon
Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge
Joel Moore as Norm Spellman
CCH Pounder as Moat
Wes Studi as Eytukan
Laz Alonso as Tsu’tey
Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel
Matt Gerald as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
Sean Anthony Moran as Private Fike
Jason Whyte as Cryo Vault Med Tech
Scott Lawrence as Venture Star Crew Chief
Directed by James Cameron
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.78:1)
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Dolby Digital Stereo Sound
Portuguese, French and Spanish Languages
Portuguese, French and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 162 Minutes
The Details:
The following is the official description of the film:
“A reluctant hero. An epic journey. A choice between the life he left behind and the incredible new world he’s learned to call home. Return to James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ – the greatest adventure of all time.”
“Avatar” is rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.
Mini-Review:
The good news is that “Avatar” is now on Blu-ray and DVD. The bad news it is the movie alone, stripped of all bonus features. If you’re not interested in those extras, you might think, “Great! I don’t care about them anyway.” Well, I have more bad news. James Cameron is releasing a new extended version of the film and another version of the Blu-ray. This is very reminiscent of what Peter Jackson did with “The Lord of the Rings.” He released the theatrical version, then a super-long extended version. But the big difference is that even that early “LOTR” DVD release contained a few bonus features. We’re denied that with this “Avatar” release. You’d think they could put some of the online featurettes or something on here as a minor treat for fans, but they didn’t. It’s quite disappointing.
On the bright side, the movie looks great in the HD home theater. The effects still look incredibly realistic, the story is still engaging, and the sound is amazing. But I do have to admit that I miss seeing it in 3D. The flight scenes lack some of the ‘oomph’ that 3D provided and Pandora pops just a little less. If you didn’t see it in 3D in theaters, you really missed out.
One other advantage of the Blu-ray is that it comes with a DVD copy of the film, too. So if you have a household that still has multiple players in multiple rooms, you’re still covered.
Is “Avatar” worth buying now? I’d say that depends on how big of a fan you are. I loved the movie and don’t mind paying for it now. I’ll also see the extended edition in theaters and buy that new edition when it comes out, too. I’m not happy about being suckered into buying multiple version of the film, but I’ll do it anyway. But more budget-minded fans may want to wait and ask Santa for the extended version for Christmas.
