Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
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.
Please note: This edition of the film is not in 3D.
After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable Titanic with Avatar, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na’vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he’s supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who’d like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na’vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron’s complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na’vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron’s crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it’s the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves–awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering–that makes Avatar‘s pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron’s dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you’re won over by the movie’s trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended “take that, Michael Bay” final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn’t measure up to the hype (what could?) yet Avatar frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. –Robert Horton
Stills from Avatar (Click for larger image)
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Rating: 
(out of 1576 reviews)
List Price: $ 39.99
Price: $ 19.10
- “Avatar” returns to theaters with extra footage (reuters.com)
- AVATAR is the #1 Movie in North America — This Time on Blu-ray and DVD (eon.businesswire.com)
- James Cameron re-releases “Avatar,” dishes on sequels (salon.com)
- “Avatar” just keeps getting longer, and longer, and longer … (hollywoodnews.com)
- James Cameron Admits Some ‘Avatar’ Footage Will Never Be Released (mtv.com)
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Review by M. Western for Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
***THINGS YOU MUST KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY***
1. A special edition likely including 20-40 minutes of additional footage is already being leaked to media for release later THIS YEAR!
2. No special features. If you are a fan, of all the discs in your collection this is the one you really want the extra stuff. It really should be amazing!
3. No 3D presentation. New technology in TVs is out this year and should enhance the home 3D experience. I don’t usually care about 3D at home but things are changing. Be ready!
4. There is also news that the movie itself will be re-released shortly with the 20-40 minutes of additional content I mentioned above. Why buy the Blu if you can see it with additional content and in the best possible 3D at theaters— then buy the special edition just a few months later?
I have to echo the comments of a previous reviewer. The studios are becoming so brazen. They released this edition and tried to explain the poor accoutrements by saying “they wanted to save all the space on the disc for the best possible presentation”. Are you kidding me? Bust out the extra discs already! Offering this bare bones BR right before re-releasing the movie with additional footage was also a classless act that spits in consumer’s faces. Just rent the movie or see the enhanced version in theaters. It will tide you over until the Special Edition comes out.
Lastly, there are plenty of people adding comments that you shouldn’t wait for 3D because the home experience with 3D is lack luster or most people don’t have the new 3D TVs. That’s partly true, however…
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT 3D! The lack of additional storyline, missing special features and blatent disregard for consumers (in an economic downturn) are what make this a bad deal. There is new home theater technology out this year that should enhance the home 3D experience. Your home theater will catch up. People who are excited about this movie should be standing together against a poor release offering, especially when there are terrific alternatives to hold us over.
Wait a few months and get a much superior release for similar money.
Review by M. Stephenson for Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
As it turns out, Fox has craftily decided to milk “Avatar” for every possibly penny, since the debut DVD/blu-ray will be a bare-bones release — and it will be one of the first major films to appear in home video without any of the regular special features, such as theatrical trailers, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage.
If you want all the extra features, you’ll have to wait until November, when you can buy a second “Avatar” DVD, currently titled the “Ultimate Edition,” which will include all of the fancy stuff. And then, if you have really deep pockets, you can come back to the video store next year and buy a third, 3-D, version of the DVD.
So in a nut shell… This Blu-ray/DVD release JUST has the movie on it! NOTHING ELSE. NO EXTRAS, NO TRAILERS, NO SPECIAL FEATURES.
Review by the-movie-guy for Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
Five months after “Avatar” received its initial big-screen release, we are presented with its first release to the home-video market. Much has been written about the double and triple-dipping. We know this is a bare-bones release, devoid of ANY extras, special features, deleted scenes, commentary, etc. We know the studio is releasing a more complete edition of the film on Blu-ray in November 2010, and a 3D version at some point in the future. We’ve all heard the complaints from those who think this stripped-down version is merely a cash grab. So now Earth Day has arrived, and “Avatar” has been released in this bare-bones edition. For those who, like me, love the movie, and want to have something on-hand to enjoy until the more thorough release arrives in the months to come, is this worth it?
In a word, yes.
This Blu-ray is the movie only, with some basic search/bookmarking features and subtitles. There is no commentary, no trailers, no previews, no annoying advertisements that play before the movie starts. It’s the movie only, much like the way DVDs presented films back in the early days of that format. You insert the disc (the disc loads and starts playing automatically in my Sony BDP-S570). There will be a moment or two of a blank screen as the disc loads. You’ll see a brief message informing you to update your player’s firmware if you experience any problems playing the disc. Then you’ll see a piracy warning (thankfully it’s brief), and then a basic Fox Home Video title screen. Now you come to a nicely animated menu screen, which gives you options to play the film, set up your options or search for a scene or bookmark.
The disc has an advanced feature which allows you to resume playback if you power your player off during the film playback. This option comes on automatically when you turn on the player again, even if you’ve removed the disc and reinserted it.
The video quality is astonishing, easily besting last month’s Toy Story and Toy Story 2 releases from Disney. You have a full 16×9 (1.78:1) picture, which is how I remember the film being presented in RealD and Dolby 3D Digital in theatres. Colors are crisp and bright. No visible artifacts.
Audio is superb, a quite robust mix that will engage fully your 7.1 system.
This is the finest-looking Blu-ray of the year, thus far, and the best way to enjoy the film until the next more complete edition is released in November. Is this stripped-down edition a cash grab? I don’t think so. I appreciate having a bare-bones release. It’s refreshing to have a disc that is the movie only. Who needs all the junk that we get on most Blu-ray discs? Yes a making-of documentary would be fun, but is there anyone who loves the movie who doesn’t already have some idea of the craft that went into making it?
This release is for people who love the movie, end of story. If you love the movie, you’ll appreciate having such a wonderful, flawless transfer to enjoy in high definition at home. If you don’t love the movie, you will find things to quibble about such as the lack of extras. I, for one, am happy with what we’ve got now.
Review by M. Stifler for Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
Let me start off by saying that I am one of the people that saw Avatar multiple times in theaters and loved it. The CGI , as well as the 3D technology infused, were by far the best I have ever seen. James Cameron and all of the people who participated in the making of this movie did a tremendous job. Weta workshop is taking its place at the top of the mountain, as far as visual effects companies go. Watching this movie was like being transported to a different universe. I was completely immersed throughout the almost three hours I was in the theater.
As for the story and acting for the film, I am probably in the minority on most of these reviews. The story for me, while predictable and reminiscent of other movies I’d seen previously (What movie isn’t nowadays?), was extremely enjoyable. Watching this made me feel young again. It made me forget about all the worries that an adult life brings, and just enjoy myself in the moment. Many people argue that the acting in this movie was subpar. These people say that the portrayals of the characters were downright cartoonish. I would argue strongly against that. For the type of movie that this is, the good versus evil portrayals given by the actors works in the movie’s favor. Sam Worthington especially does well. If you haven’t seen him in Terminator: Salvation, do so. He made the movie worth watching.
Now, to get to the actual product at hand. I ordered the Blu Ray / DVD combo pack from Amazon. From the moment the menu came onto my screen, I knew this was going to be something special. When I pressed play, there was no turning back. Over the next three hours, my senses were completely assaulted and my mind was dumbstruck. Simply put, James Cameron’s Avatar on the Blu Ray format is the best picture and audio we have seen or heard to date. I have a feeling it will be years before anything better is brought to the table. Watching the visuals was more stimulating than looking at a real life forest. Every detail could be seen from far and away. The walls of my house shook, and I just hope the neighbors did hear. I would tell them to buy the movie themselves and experience it.
With this release comes certain issues. While I don’t have any of them myself, I will still talk about them as it would be uninformative of me to not. This release of Avatar is not in 3D. Many people complain about this, and a large percentage of those people do not even have the right equipment to properly experience 3D yet. The technology for home theater 3D is very new and very pricey. Next year, after all the quirks have been worked out, is when we will likely see Avatar in a home release 3D format. Another gripe is the complete lack of special features. This again has a good reason. In the Special Edition coming later this year, there will be scenes incorporated into the movie not even visually completed yet. Documentaries in high definition have to be put together. A commentary track needs to be recorded. No one is being forced to buy this “stripped” edition, however. I am one of the people who will knowingly double or triple dip on this. The reason for that is because I love it so much.
Now to the biggest complaint. During the initial release, many people were complaining that Avatar would not play in their Blu Ray players. The reason for that seems to be some new copy protection put on the disc. While I was not one of the people with this problem, I can certainly sympathize with those who did. A new firmware update is all it will take to fix the issue. My PS3, which serves as my Blu Ray player, had a firmware update ready for me before I watched the movie.
So if you are one of the millions who loved Avatar when you saw it in theaters, or one of the people who didn’t get around to seeing it, now is your time. Pick this movie up right away without hesitation. Keep an open mind, and let yourself become immersed. You do not want to miss what many people believe is one of the top movies of all time.
Review by Michele Lyons for Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
I find it amazing that so many of the people who reviewed this disc whined about it having no “extras”. I buy a disc because I want to watch the movie and enjoy it, over and over. I have no interest whatsoever in all the extras, deleted scenes, commentaries, interviews, bells, whistles, fireworks, violins, etc. that clutter up most movie discs today. That is all nothing but an excuse that the studios can use to double the price of the disc and they do nothing to enhance the enjoyment of the film. This disc was fine for the purpose of anyone who wants to enjoy the film. What is even better is that even though it reads as “widescreen” it was put out in an aspect ratio that makes it fill virtually the entire screen of your tv set. I throughly detest the “widescreen” format that leaves you watching a movie that fills the center third of your screen, with huge black blocks at top and bottom. What, exactly, is the point of buying giant big screen tv’s when movie discs leave one third of your screen blank at the top and another third blank at the bottom, leaving you to watch a movie squeezed into the middle of your screen? I was not able to see Avatar in the theaters, so I wanted to see it at home. And when I did I was enchanted. The fantasy world of Pandora is utterly breath-taking, with colors so vivid you wonder if you ever saw real color before this. Cameron has done it again; someday the film world will stop doubting him. Bigger, better, more amazing, more entertaining, he does it all. Film reviewers keep grouching that his characters are steriotypes, his dialogue clunky—-but I think I am sensing sour grapes here. I think all the critics wish that they could have made a movie that was not only marvelous, but made so much money it is unbelieveable. As for steriotypes? Did you ever wonder why something is a steriotype? Mostly because it is a character that speaks deeply to people, and is very, very popular. The story of Avatar is that of a weary hero, very much abused and alone, finding himself willing to risk everything, even his chance at a new life, for a girl, a people and a world he has come to love. The hero that stands against great odds, to defend what is right, is an eternal figure. He has existed in every time, land and race since humanity began to dream. Humanity needs such heros, real or fictional. We all wish we could be such heros. The filming of Avatar is ground breaking, the story ideas interesting, the visual effect gorgeous. You fly with dragons, run through giant forests, fight enemies, find love, taste disaster and triumph. The basic story is simple—but all the very best stories are. Especially the ones that last. As I think this one will. So get this disc, enjoy the movie, the adventure and the beauty. It is a fantastic “feel good” film. And there’s not a damned thing wrong with that as far I can see.
Review by Robert Moore for Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
We are very nearly through the first half of 2007 and I’m happy to report that HOT FUZZ is easily the funniest movie that I have seen so far this year. I loved Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s previous film, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and am delighted to report that this is every bit as funny at that one, if not funnier.
The film concerns a highly decorated London police officer who is so good at his job that he is shunted off to an assignment in the country because he is so good he makes the rest of the force look bad. Sanford would seem to be an impossibly idyllic place, winner several times of the top village in England award. But it is a town that houses mysteries, which our hero Nick Angel gradually uncovers. Most of the film should be predictable, but it is a credit to Wright and Pegg that it isn’t. Even the big ending, the week point in most such movies, is a delight. Despite a lot of action and special effects and explosions it is never taken over by them. It remains fresh and surprising to the very end. Although the plot is surprisingly interesting for a comic romp, this would be a fun film without it. The gags are consistently brilliant throughout and every one is executed marvelously. This is a much slicker film than SHAUN OF THE DEAD was, though that wasn’t in any way unpolished.
The cast is a large one and they manage to bring the village of Sandford to life in convincing fashion. Pegg is paired with Nick Frost, his costar in SHAUN OF THE DEAD. The cast is littered with well-known actors such as Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Edward Woodward, Billie Whitelaw, Bill Nighy, Stephen Merchant, and Martin Freeman as well as a rich and varied cast of lesser-known performers. The great thing about this is that the actors really enhance the film. What I mean is that the success of SHAUN OF THE DEAD meant that they could hire a cast of better-known performers. Sometimes this can lead to a decline in the quality of projects (watch Robert Rodriguez’s EL MARIACHI and DESPERADO back to back and you’ll see how a no name cast can free up a director while a big name cast can inhibit one), but that absolutely didn’t happen here.
The film is littered with in jokes and cultural references. There are also a number of references to SHAUN OF THE DEAD, but it isn’t important to get any of these to enjoy the movie. There are also, according to Edgar Wright, a couple of nice cameos, though we have to take his word for it since neither is recognizable. The crazed Santa that stabs Angel near the beginning of the film is, says Wright, Peter Jackson, while his ex-girlfriend Jeanine is Cate Blanchett. Again, we have to take his word for it because her entire scene is played with a surgical mask over her face so that all we see are a pair of eyes that do indeed look like they could belong to Cate Blanchett.
As anyone can tell, I loved this movie. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone.
Review by foalicious for Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
This set gives us what was in the Brit package.
Disc One
Commentary with Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright
Commentary with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Rafe Spall, Kevin Eldon & Olivia Colman
Commentary with Kenneth Cranham, Timothy Dalton, Paul Freeman & Edward Woodward
Commentary with The Real Fuzz – Any Leafe & Nick Eckland
Commentary with Edgar Wright & Guest
Outtakes
Storyboards
Fuzz-O-Meter (Trivia Track)
Inadmissible: Deleted Scenes
Fuzz-O-Meter
Danny’s Notebook
Hot Funk
Theatrical Trailer
UK TV Spot 1
UK TV Spot 2
Director’s Cut Trailer
Disc Two
We Made Hot Fuzz
Art Department
Friends & Family
Cranks, Cranes & Controlled Chaos
Here Come the Fuzz
Return to Sandford
Edgar & Simon’s Flip Chart
Simon Muggs
Sergeant Fisher’s Perfect Sunday
Plot Holes
Special Effects: Before & After
Video Blogs
Poster Gallery
Photo Gallery
AM Blam: Making ‘Dead Right’
Dead Right (1993)
Edgar Wright Director’s Commentary on Dead Right
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost Commentary on Dead Right
Disc Three
The Extended Fuzzball Rally
Video Blogs
Review by A. Woodley for Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
This movie is hilarious – a real satire on the whole Bad Boys/ Point Break Comedy action movies. Lots of references to other movies which makes it a fun watch.
It is a tight script, but is enhanced by superb camera work and sound track which brings the whole thing to life. Enhanced sounds make every action dramatic – but the subject is so laughably small that is really stands out.
This is Constable Nicholas Angel, top cop at the Met (London) who is moved out because his arrest rate is 400% more than anyone elses and he is making them all look bad. So he ends up in a tiny village in Gloucester (Sandford) which ahs won best village of the year for many years running. But all is not well in the village, luckily the neighbourhood watch are there keeping an eye on things – meaning Nicholas angel has time to follow up on missing swans in the neighbourhood.
Unfortunately there are a series of murders which the police force there are calling ‘accidents’ – Angel sees different and tries to investigate only to come up against brick walls. His research reveals a stunningly complicated link between all of them which makes sense – but when he confronts them – the reason is much more banal and it sets up a shoot-it-out, chase-em-down final scene. References to Point Break, every western you have ever watched, and even Matrix movies.
It is hard to describe this movie except to say this is as unique as Guy Ritchies Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is – but in different ways. This is a laugh from start to finish. I will never be able to drinnk decaffinated coffee again without laughing.
Truly brilliant, hilarious, comic-action fun!
The extras are pretty good – I liked the subtitled choice which meant you could watch the movie and get an idea of the references – including the police references in this (including the fact that Sandford is a fictional village used by the British police for all their role-playing and tests) There are outakes, but I didn’t think much of them – they seemed banal by comparison. Story baords and much more
This is full of all the cream of British film – Great oily turn by ex-James Bond, Timothy Dalton as the Supermarket owner. Jim Broadbent is superb too.
A top watch.
Review by Mike Liddell for Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
Home theater enthusiasts this could be your reference disc for sound. I own about 40 hd dvds now and going by memory this is the best sounding one yet. The 5.1 Dolby digital plus ex sound gives all speakers a thorough workout and has your sub delivering tight bass for the majority of the movie. Your receiver need not be turned up during dialogue that is also spot on and delivers crisp sound from the center channel.
As for the movie itself, director Edgar Wright re teams with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost along with a host of other actors from his earlier film Shaun of The Dead. Hot Fuzz like Shaun pays homage to a genre of films, in this case the action film as opposed to horror. However there are kills in Hot Fuzz that could rival most horror movies. Homage is payed to the action genre, yet Hot Fuzz still creates a totally unique and creative spin all on it’s own. I like Shaun of the dead very much and I found Hot Fuzz to be more creative as there are plenty of plot twists and turns. It is not a spoof at all and Edgar Wright takes his material seriously. I would also mention Hot Fuzz is a great deal better than the action films it pays homage to. Toss in a ton of laughs and this is one entertaining movie.
The picture quality was also dead on, i mention the sound quality so much because it was so amazing.
Hot Fuzz is already ranked on the internet movie database’s top 250 films at number 140 currently. It is also one of the highest reviewed films of the year earning a tomatometer of 90% out of 173 critic reviews.
Thanks for reading, share any thoughts.
Hd-Dvd Bonus Features
-Outtakes
-Deleted scenes with filmmaker commentary
-The man who woudl be fuzz – Simon Pegg and Nick Frost act out a hilarious Hot Fuzz scene as Sean Connery and Michael Caine!
-Fuzz-O-Meter Select this feature and the trivia meter will run as you watch the film
-The fuzzball rally- U.S. tour piece-John Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright on their outrageous nationwide press tour
-And Many more hilarious features
Review by Grady Harp for Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]
Rating:
British comedies remain an ilk of their own – smart, sassy, full of quips rendered so quickly that many are lost in the ether that propels the plot, and characters who often are such finely-honed parodies that they make us laugh at ourselves. HOT FUZZ is a fine example and it is a film brimming with a cast of some of England’s finest talent who seem to be having as much fun as the viewing audience.
Sgt. Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is one of London’s finest new policemen, expecting a smart career in the big city, but instead is transferred by jealous superiors (including Bill Nighy) to a little village where his rigorous training seems wasted on the sleepy town. After a first night’s arrest of youthful pubsters and an inebriate driver, he reports to duty to discover the that his first ‘arrest’ is to be his partner PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) who just happens to be the slow son of the chief, Inspector Butterman (Jim Broadbent). The staff at the police station resembles a vaudeville team played by such fine actors as Paddy Considine, Rafe Spall, Timothy Dalton etc, not exactly what Angel had in mind as a career advancing opportunity. But soon enough the threads of evil that are beneath the silly facade of the village begin to unravel and what follows is a hilarious, almost Keystone Cop attack on the loonies in this take off of an Agatha Christie plot that curdled.
And that only touches the surface of this witty little farce: the innuendoes pop up out of every situation, giving the astute viewer quiet chuckles throughout the film. Hidden from obvious view are little vignettes by such luminaries as Cate Blanchett, Steve Coogan, and Peter Jackson! Director Edgar Wright, who wrote the script with Simon Pegg, knows his way around the genre and the result is an hysterically funny evening’s entertainment. Grady Harp, March 08
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