Avatar: Blu-ray (2009)

Ever heard of some little movie called Avatar? I think it did OK at the box office. It's apparently so amazing that there were people who suffered from post-Avatar depression because their lives weren't nearly as awesome as the world in the film. That alone must make it among the best movies of all time!

Anyway, I'm not gonna pretend that anyone really cares what I think about the movie itself but here we go. The story is incredibly unoriginal, the acting ranges from adequate to laughably bad, the films message is shoved down your throat at every possible moment and finally it's too long and fairly slow paced for an action flick. Does any of that matter? The answer is a resounding NO! The level of visual innovation alone makes up for almost everything that's wrong with the rest of the movie. Add in a bunch of exciting action scenes, special effects that are a new standard in filmmaking, and flawless CGI images and the movie is still a total winner. While I don't think it was one of the best movies of last year it was definitely the best theatrical experience.

Now to the important part, how does the blu-ray look? Do you get the same sense of awe that you experienced in the theaters? Yes and yes. Even being in only 2D (the 3D version will probably be available around the holidays and drive sales of 3D television's insanely high) the video is glorious. I originally thought that without 3D the flaws in the movie would be much more apparent and hinder the viewing experience. I was wrong. There is no way to describe how amazing the picture quality is. Colors pop like crazy, blacks are deep and effective. Detail is outstanding, etc. etc. etc. This is going to be playing on displays at Best Buy for a long, long time. The audio is just as fantastic as the video. The DTS-HD track is expectedly loud and powerful. Low end is some of the deepest I have ever heard, surrounds are constantly active in both action scenes and during the quieter moments. Directionality is perfect, nothing seems out of place or unwarranted. Dialogue is never lost in the mix and always easily understood. The only downside (and a clear sign of numerous versions of Avatar being released eventually) is that there are no extra features included.

Despite a number of flaws, Avatar is a rousing success. Anyone in fear that it wouldn't hold up well without the 3D experience does not have to worry. The blu-ray has perhaps the most technically impressive transfer seen on the format yet. The double-dipping factor is the one thing that keeps this from being a must buy, (unless of course you don't want to suffer from post Avatar blu-ray depression) but if you can't wait for a more fleshed out release you will surely not be disappointed in this one.

Ratings:

Movie: 4/5
Blu-ray: 5/5