Product Description

An ex-Marine finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people.

Avatar's Blu-ray 3D transfer delivers a mesmerizing 1080p experience that's about as close to perfection as any high def 3D release is likely to come for quite some time. It would be fitting (not to mention easy) to simply label this one as "perfect," and indeed, there are so few problems here, and all of them so microscopic in size, that it would border on the sinful to give this transfer anything less than a "perfect" rating. Only ever-so-slight "ghosting" is visible when the disc is played back on Panasonic's first-generation Blu-ray 3D hardware; eagle-eyed viewers may note a few instances in the yellow Na'vi-to-English subtitles and a trace amount in one or two shots, but that's pretty much the extent of it. The 3D image is simply stunning in how seamless it truly is; every moment practically transports viewers to Pandora, whether the lush tropical outdoor areas or the more sterile and technologically-advanced interiors where humans work when they're not on the surface or inside various military vehicles. The image is wonderfully deep and detailed, with the 3D image adding a great deal to most every scene, whether extending the background far off into the distance or allowing viewers to better appreciate the size and shape of various circular computer displays and workstations that are seen in several places. Avatar's depth is nothing short of remarkable, and it tends to look so real that viewers might occasionally forget that this is 3D; with every other release, there have been instances where the effect is in some way lessened or, on the other end of the spectrum, greatly over-exaggerated, but not here. Look at the instances where Jake speaks into the video log camera; the way the graphics are offset from the rest of the image is fantastic, giving a new meaning to "virtual reality." The image is so crisp and visually astounding that it never allows viewers to slip back into the real world, and even the weight of the 3D glasses and whatever eye strain might accompany other titles at least seems drastically lessened here. While there aren't many "wow" moments -- nothing really jumps out at the audience -- Avatar impresses through its stability and constant depth of field. It's hard to describe just how wonderful this transfer is; it's the definitive 3D release of the year, and that's not even to mention how fine it is in several other areas of note.

As if the amazing 3D visuals weren't enough, Avatar yields an exceptional color palette and plenty of fine detailing that both elevate the disc to the top of the heap and make it the premiere Blu-ray 3D disc in production. The transfer handles CGI and physical material alike with a precision that's rarely achieved on Blu-ray; the two mesh perfectly, with the transfer picking up not only the most subtle of nuances on real objects such as human faces, but also on all of the digital environments and creatures that give Pandora and its inhabitants a tangible sense of reality that is the key factor in making the movie as successful as it is from a visual perspective. Additionally, Avatar's striking color palette is handled as well in 3D as it is in 2D; there's no perceptible drop-off in color, whether the steely blue and sterile hues that dominate the opening of the film or the lively and bright purples, oranges, blues, and greens that define many of the exterior Pandora shots. Blacks, too, are faultless with only one or two very minor instances where they appear a bit more murky than they probably should. Flesh tones, too, are solid, and there's no perceptible amounts of banding, blocking, or other eyesores to be found. Perhaps the highest praise that could be given to Avatar's 3D transfer? Release it wide -- give it away, even, to every single 3D buyer -- right now and place this disc in every 3D demo player across the world. Get the disc in people's hands and in front of their eyes, and 3D units will move, and move quickly. Why the highest-grossing film of all time and the one fans want to see more than any other in 3D is saddled with an exclusive and therefore pricy release is beyond the imaginations of anyone but the highest-ups at Fox and Panasonic. Perhaps they have insight, charts, and other odds and ends that tell them that exclusivity on this, or any, title is the way to go, but it's near impossible to fathom a reality in which getting this release out there wide -- even as-is with no extras -- could be bad for rapid 3D adoption. It's the Blu-ray 3D release of the year, and only a select few will see it for the foreseeable future.

Avatar features a reference-quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's perfect in every regard. Much like the 3D video presentation, it manages to deliver a seamless and mesmerizing experience that never feels overpowered, overdone, or in any way unnatural. The track thrives on delivering everything in harmonious balance, whether the slightest background nuances or the most powerful of explosions and action-oriented effects. While the latter are certainly loud and sonically exhilarating, such events never break the boundaries of what one might expect of such an occurrence; the track finds a wonderful stability in all that it does, and while it might not be quite as raw and powerful as some tracks, it holds its own -- and then some -- by basing its every element within a real context. Bass, then, is exceptionally potent without ever becoming monstrously agressive; vehicles rumble around the soundstage, various object explode, and the ear-piercing thuds of machine gun fire send plenty of power into the soundstage, but never enough to deafen the listener or overstay its welcome. Imaging is fantastic as many of these same elements seamlessly move about the soundstage; whether at slow, average, or fast speeds, directional effects open the soundstage wide and never allow it to close back in until the end credits have rolled. James Horner's magnificent score is wonderfully crisp and effortlessly delivered about the listening area. The track handles the various environmental effects of Pandora -- whether subtle atmospherics or the greatest cries of various beasts -- with unmatched precision, while other atmospherics that are heard in the metallic and artificial environments that house human characters also enjoy their own sets of ambience that altogether create a perfect 360-degree field of sound within every inch of the movie, no matter the place or the time. Rounded out by faultless dialogue reproduction, Avatar's DTS lossless soundtrack is one for the record books.

3D Blu-ray DVD Movies Disc - Avatar Features

Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio

Subtitles

Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
 

Package Content

3D Blu-ray DVD Movies Disc(50GB) - Avatar x 1