4K Digital Review of Avatar: Collector's Edition

 

When Avatar came out in theaters in 2009, it was an evolutionary leap forward in motion-capture technology, 3D presentation and seamlessly blending live action and CGI. In this Collector's Edition, you get three versions of the film, the theatrical cut, the special edition cut and the collector's extended cut. For this review I will only be taking a look at the collector's extended version.

Set in the distant future, humans have set out to explore space to find resources for Earth. Strip-mining the planet Pandora, the native people called the Na'vi do not take kindly to what is happening to their planet. This is where Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) enters. He is a disabled Marine who had a twin brother who was suppose to go Pandora on a scientific mission in a Na'vi avatar designed just for him. Since Jake has the same DNA as his now deceased brother, he can link to the avatar and joins as security for Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver). Jake catches the eye of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) who wants Jake to spy on the Na'vi to learn their weaknesses. But Jack falls in love with the way of life of the Na'vi and with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), daughter of the leader of the Omaticaya clan.    

Video:

The 4K upscale and remastering is simply breathtaking. Each frame is a work of art. The details in such things as fabrics and facial textures will make you think they originally filmed this in 4K (it was originally shot in 2K). Colors are bright and bold.  

Audio:

The Dolby Atmos audio mix is wonderful. Dialogue is crisp and clear here. The surround channels are very active as the sounds move around the room, immersing you into the world of Pandora.

Bonus Features:

NEW:

• Behind-The-Scenes Presentation Hosted by Jon Landau – Join Jon Landau as he unlocks the cinematic secrets behind the making of AVATAR.
• Colonel Miles Quaritch RDA Promos – Get an inside look into the RDA with these in-universe promos hosted by Colonel Miles Quaritch.
• New Still Gallery – Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña Special Shoot

ADDITIONAL BONUS:

• English Family Audio Track Theatrical and Special Edition Release – 5.1 Dolby Digital

Direct Access to New/Additional Scenes – Special Edition

• Herd – As they fly over Pandora in Trudy’s gunship, Jake, Grace and Norm get a closer look at some of Pandora’s creatures 
• The Schoolhouse – Entering an abandoned schoolhouse in the jungle with Grace and Norm to retrieve supplies, Jake makes a grim discovery.
• Purple Moss – Jake follows Neytiri after his rescue, and delights in the bioluminescent moss that glows beneath his feet with every step.
• I Don’t Even Know Your Name – Newly tasked with teaching Jake the Na'vi ways, Neytiri brings him to dinner with the entire clan.
• What Does Hold Them Up? – The avatar team lands at their new base camp in the Hallelujah Mountains, and Jake and Norm marvel at the floating mountains.
• Extended Montage – Jake learns the ways of the Pandoran forest under Neytiri’s tutelage, and the gulf between his two worlds grows ever wider.
• Neytiri’s Flyby – As Tsu'tey, Jake and two other young hunters travel across suspended vines to dizzying heights, Neytiri sails past on her banshee.
• Sturmbeest Hunt – Omaticayan hunters on direhorses attack a massive herd of sturmbeests, while Jake takes aim from atop his banshee.
• Extended Love Scene – Jake and Neytiri confess their feelings for one another and bond together for life under the Tree of Voices in this extended scene.
• Drums of War – The morning after the military’s attack on the Tree of Voices, Parker and Quaritch get some bad news from the reconnaissance team.
• Tsu’tey’s Fall – In the RDA assault, Tsu'tey fights fiercely after boarding the Valkyrie shuttle. But the soldiers counter with a hail of bullets.
• Sturmbeest Attack – Sturmbeests charge to the rescue when Neytiri is cornered by RDA soldiers in AMP suits.
• Extended Thanator Fight – Neytiri and her fearsome thanator battle Colonel Quaritch in his AMP suit in this extended sequence.
• The Last Shadow – When Neytiri and Jake find Tsu'tey mortally wounded, he passes leadership of the Omaticaya to Jake, with one last request of him.

Direct Access to New/Additional Scenes – Collector’s Extended Cut

• Earth – Jake navigates a bleak, dystopian Earth before tragic news offers an escape.
• Herd – As they fly over Pandora in Trudy’s gunship, Jake, Grace and Norm get a closer look at some of Pandora’s creatures 
• The Schoolhouse – Entering an abandoned schoolhouse in the jungle with Grace and Norm to retrieve supplies, Jake makes a grim discovery.
• Purple Moss – Jake follows Neytiri after his rescue, and delights in the bioluminescent moss that glows beneath his feet with every step.
• I Don’t Even Know Your Name – Newly tasked with teaching Jake the Na'vi ways, Neytiri brings him to dinner with the entire clan.
• Sylwanin – Norm spars with Jake, who proceeds to one-up him. But Jake’s mention of Neytiri dredges up painful memories for Grace.
• What Does Hold Them Up? – The avatar team lands at their new base camp in the Hallelujah Mountains, and Jake and Norm marvel at the floating mountains.
• Alternate Montage with Grace’s Story – As Jake learns the Na'vi ways, the gulf between his two worlds grows wider, and Grace shares the tragic tale of Neytiri’s sister.
• Neytiri’s Flyby – As Tsu'tey, Jake and two other young hunters travel across suspended vines to dizzying heights, Neytiri sails past on her banshee.
• Sturmbeest Hunt – Omaticayan hunters on direhorses attack a massive herd of sturmbeests, while Jake takes aim from atop his banshee.
• Extended Love Scene – Jake and Neytiri confess their feelings for one another and bond together for life under the Tree of Voices in this extended scene.
• Drums of War – The morning after the military’s attack on the Tree of Voices, Parker and Quaritch get some bad news from the reconnaissance team.
• They Bulldozed a Sacred Site – Grace and Jake suspect that the RDA forces are plotting to provoke a Na'vi attack, as Trudy brings alarming news.
• Tsu’tey’s Fall – In the RDA assault, Tsu'tey fights fiercely after boarding the Valkyrie shuttle. But the soldiers counter with a hail of bullets.
• Strumbeest Attack – Sturmbeests charge to the rescue when Neytiri is cornered by RDA soldiers in AMP suits.
• Extended Thanator Fight – Neytiri and her fearsome thanator battle Colonel Quaritch in his AMP suit in this extended sequence.
• The Last Shadow – When Neytiri and Jake find Tsu'tey mortally wounded, he passes leadership of the Omaticaya to Jake, with one last request of him.

Memories from Avatar – Producer Jon Landau leads a spirited conversation with cast members, Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, recalling warm memories from production and reflecting on the extraordinary success of Avatar.

Avatar: A Look Back – In this retrospective, cast and filmmakers reflect on their extraordinary journey making Avatar, the groundbreaking technologies they used to create an unparalleled cinematic experience, and the profound effect the film had on audiences worldwide.

Capturing Avatar – Journey with James Cameron and crew in this feature-length documentary, as they embark on a film the likes of which the world had never seen.

• Part One – After years of testing, research and design, James Cameron’s tackled Avatar, "the most complex film" in his storied career.
• Part Two – Actors and technology are pushed to the limit as James Cameron pushes the boundaries of a groundbreaking, new filmmaking paradigm.
• Part Three – James Cameron used ground-breaking technology to merge the virtual and live-action elements of his film.
• Part Four – The edit room became ground zero as music, sound and visual effects were finalized in order to make the film’s release date.

Featurettes – Take a closer look at the creation of Pandora and the making of Avatar with featurettes on key aspects of production design, performance capture, and the post-production process.

• Sculpting Avatar – Explore how clay maquettes were sculpted to help bring Avatar’s characters and creatures to life.
• Creating the Banshee – Discover all that went into designing the Banshees, high-flying predators of the Pandoran sky.
• Creating the Thanator – James Cameron and team reveal how the most terrifying beast in the Pandoran rain forest was brought to the screen.
• The AMP Suit – Explore the design of the AMP (Amplified Mobility Platform) and discover why it was the perfect weapon for Colonel Quaritch.
• Flying Vehicles – Explore the design of the RDA’s gunships and how they helped ground the story in a realistic world audiences could connect to.
• Na’vi Costumes – Discover the costumes of Avatar and why it was essential to create real-world costumes for characters that were seen only in a virtual world.
• Speaking Na’vi – Delve into the complex Na'vi language created for Avatar, and the challenging task for the cast who had to speak it.
• Pandora Flora – Explore the science behind the Pandoran rainforest, including the exotic plants and bioluminescence.
• Stunts – James Cameron and Avatar’s stunt coordinators discuss how they learned to move like a Na’vi, ride a Leonopteryx, and more.
• Performance Capture – Discover how the actors' actions, emotions and spirit were captured in performance and transferred to a virtual character.
• Virtual Camera – Discover the virtual camera system that allowed James Cameron to apply camera angles, lighting and movement to his scenes long after the performance capture phase was completed.
• The 3D Fusion Camera – Explore the newly designed 3D Fusion camera system which enabled the filmmakers to create an immersive stereographic experience.
• The Simul-Cam – See how the newly created Simul-Cam seamlessly integrated the virtual world with the live action camera, allowing Jake’s avatar to appear in a scene with real-world actors.
• Editing Avatar – James Cameron and the film’s editors reveal the unique challenges they faced editing Avatar, and the benefits of "learning as you go”.
• Scoring Avatar – Composer James Horner and James Cameron discuss how Avatar’s score was grounded in the familiar while evoking a breathtaking new world.
• Sound Design – Explore the sounds of Pandora, including the Banshee, Direhorse and Thanator, as well as the near-future engineering sounds of the Dragon, Scorpion and more.
• The Haka: The Spirit of New Zealand – On the final day of production, the New Zealand stuntmen honored James Cameron with a traditional Haka dance.

Production Materials

• The 2006 Art Reel – Explore a video montage of striking artwork that inspired the movie’s look and feel, accompanied by temp dialogue and score.
• Brother Termite Test – Watch footage created by James Cameron’s production company for a science-fiction movie that was ultimately never produced.
• THE ILM Prototype with Motion Capture Reference – View a VFX test of the scene in which Jake and Neytiri meet, with performance capture reference.
• The ILM Prototype without Motion Capture Reference – View a VFX test of the scene in which Jake and Neytiri meet, without performance capture reference.
• Screen Test - Sam Worthington (Raw Footage) – This raw screen-test footage shows Sam Worthington nailing the part of Jake Sully in AVATAR.
• Screen Test - Zoe Saldaña (Raw Footage) – Zoe Saldaña tackles three scenes: Neytiri meeting Jake, their first visit to the Tree of Voices, and her learning of his deceit.
• Zoe's Life Cast (Raw Footage) – Zoe Saldaña undergoes the all-encompassing process of creating the life cast that will transform her into Neytiri.
• James Cameron Speech: Beginning of Live Action Filming (Raw Footage) – Director James Cameron inspires and gives thanks to the crew on the first day of live-action filming in New Zealand.
• ILM VFX Progression – Break down the layers of effects in a series of shots that showcase AVATAR’s battles, vehicles and explosions.
• Framestore VFX Progression – This reel opens a window into the art of worldbuilding through visual effects, highlighting Jake’s arrival on Pandora and more.
• [HY·DRAU"LX] VFX Progression – Examine the layers of effects in shots such as the interior of Trudy’s gunner, the shuttle bringing Jake to Pandora, and more.
• Hybride VFX Progression – Experience how the layering of effects in various shots from AVATAR helps bring these scenes to life on screen.
• Prime Focus VFX Progression – See the effects layered into the base’s control room where Jake tells the Colonel and Selfridge about Hometree, and more.
• Look Effects, Inc. VFX Progression – Unpeel the effects in various shots from the base and mountain camps.
• Crew Film: The Volume – AVATAR cast and crew members appear in a spoof about a mo- cap actor.

A Message from Pandora – See how James Cameron’s lifelong quest to protect the environment led him to fight for the Amazon and its indigenous peoples

Deleted Scenes – Check out scenes that didn't make the final cut.

• User's Guide for Viewing AVATAR Scenes with Unfinished Shots – A tutorial on the different types of unfinished shots seen throughout the deleted material.
• Stingbat Attack 
• Pandora Rules
• Jake Meets Norm (First Cut)
• Jake Sees Decanted Avatars
• Norm Is a Living God
• Breakfast with the Scientists 
• You're in My World Now 
• Grandma's Teylu
• Pied Piper
• Going to the Mountains
• Interspecies Booty Call
• Norm's Attitude Improves 
• Learning Montage Section Early Cut
• We're Buying Time 
• Hunt Festival 
• Driving Range 
• The Dreamhunt 
• The Challenge
• The Drums of War (Full Version)
• Escape
• The Eye of Eywa
• You're a Long Way from Earth
• Battle Camp 
• Kick Some Blue Ass
• Wainfleet Kills Norm 
• Neytiri Kills Wainfleet (Alt Wainfleet Death)
• The Avatars Attack
• New Life

Scene Deconstruction – View these scenes in various production stages: final with picture-in- picture reference, template and performance capture.

• Welcome to Your New Body
• First Run
• First Sortie
• Night on Pandora
• Shahaylu
• Seyzey
• You're Mine
• First Flight 
• Toruk Macto 
• You Are Omaticaya Now
• I Am One of You
• I Trusted You
• The Aftermath 
• I See You 
• Fly with Me
• You Chose Me for Something
• Eywa Has Heard You

Archives: Script, Artwork, Marketing

• Theatrical Trailer 
• Teaser Trailer 
• AVATAR: The Original Scriptment 
• AVATAR: Screenplay Written by James Cameron 
• The Art of AVATAR
• The World of Pandora 
• The Creatures 
• Pandora Flora 
• Pandora Bioluminescence 
• The Na'vi 
• The Avatars 
• Maquettes 
• Na'vi Weapons 
• Na'vi Props 
• Na'vi Musical Instruments 
• RDA Designs 
• Flying Vehicles 
• AMP Suit 
• Human Weapons 
• Land Vehicles 
• AVATAR: The Songs 
• Pandorapedia

Still Galleries

• Pandora - The World of AVATAR – Go behind the scenes with James Cameron and Disney's Imagineers to discover what it took to bring the breathtaking world of AVATAR to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Raw Footage Production Elements

• Screen Test - Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña/Raw Footage – In their dual test, the chemistry between Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña lights up the screen.
• Screen Test - Stephen Lang/Raw Footage – Stephen Lang fully inhabits the role of Colonel Miles Quaritch in this series of scenes.
• Screen Test - Giovanni Ribisi/Raw Footage – Watch Parker Selfridge, Administrator of the RDA, come to life in Giovanni Ribisi’s performance.
• Screen Test - Joel David Moore/Raw Footage – Joel David Moore pivots from one scene to another, fully invested in the character of Norm Spellman.
• Screen Test - CCH Pounder/Raw Footage – CCH Pounder controls the room with her regal, imposing presence as Mo'at.
• Screen Test - Laz Alonso/Raw Footage – As the fierce warrior Tsu'tey, Laz Alonso commands attention in this riveting performance.
• Speaking Na'vi (Rehearsal/Raw Footage) – The AVATAR actors make the Na'vi language their own in a series of clips that shows them learning how to speak it
• Wētā Workshop: Walk & Talk Presentation/Raw Footage – Go behind the scenes on a guided tour with Richard Taylor, who breaks down the workings of a series of props.
• Crew Short: The Night Before AVATAR – In this animated short, producer Jon Landau has an unexpected adventure in the lead-up to AVATAR’s opening.

Pandora Discovered – Sigourney Weaver narrates this first look at the world of Pandora.

Conclusion:

Having three versions of this film in 4K is fantastic along with near perfect video and audio. A wealth of bonus material that will take you through the film process and more. A welcome addition to your library.

Avatar: Collector's Edition is available on digital and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

*The film was provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment for the purpose of review and the review is strictly my opinion*