Possibly as the majority of DVD/Blu-Ray buyers have done, I originally saw ‘Avatar’ in the cinema after being led into the tiresome hype regarding Digital 3D. ‘Avatar’ was also, apparently, the most expensive piece of film-making ever, which miraculously to many also meant the film had to be the greatest thing since Hovis bread. It would be harsh to say I was unimpressed with the final result of the film… but then, I was, after all, so I shouldn’t lie. I found the 3D effects far too distracting from what actually mattered on screen, and had spent almost 3 hours absorbing a plot that made Billy Zane in Titanic look sophisticated.
Never the less, I was willing to give it another chance in 2D, and so pre-ordered this wonderful “Steel-book Edition” (It’s a Blu-Ray case made with tin; apparently making it worth a tenner more…) along with Amazon’s nice offer of the free Survival Guide. I haven’t entered Pandora myself yet, so I shall refrain from recommending it before I take a trip!
Perhaps what made this RRP a bit more cheeky was that neither the Blu-Ray nor DVD contained in the package have ANY ‘Extras’. This is no coincidence. It is 2010, and when one pays twenty-five pounds for a Film, they expect just a tad more than Scene Selection and Language Selection. The truth of the matter is that it’s a rather spiffing (yet highly inappropriate) marketing campaign that means Cameron and his 20th Century Fox buddies have a chance to re-release this Film in a, are you ready… 4-Disc Edition, with more Extras than you could live to see. Now that they’ve gained a delicious profit from the opening day(s) of release, they also have a viable excuse for a re-release that many will buy in to. He’s a generous guy, Jim though…
Even if you weren’t impressed with 3D like I was, the real bonus feature to come out of this production was the number of digital enhancements discovered through film-making, and the technologies that are, by any standard, simply ground-breaking and should be recognised regardless whether you like the film or not. The mix down to a 2D Blu-Ray as I saw however, surprisingly improved my experience by a vast margin.
But ‘Avatar’ itself is all about depth and visual quality. This is typical of Cameron – he is a highly stylised director, and ‘Avatar’ is his most lush production to date. We have a plot that concerns the welfare of two colonies; the Humans and the Navvi. Whereas the planet of Pandora, inhabited by these ‘Navvi’ is balanced by nature to continue to providing for itself and connected to the people, we see a human race (that would appear as though is entirely American, seeing as they’re the only humans capable of saving the planet) that has guzzled its resources and is willing to invade Pandora in order to get the minerals it needs. But rather than simply making a compromise, our flat-topped, slack-jawed Colonel thinks it’s better, and possibly more exciting for the viewers if they simply take what they need and blow things apart at the same time.
Normally, these instances call for Bruce Willis (I refer to Armageddon), but a source tells me he no longer exists after destroying ‘that’ meteor.
Although the fundamental storyline for ‘Avatar’ is, undeniably simple, there are various themes that I believe a second viewing began to put into perspective, possibly with the help of non-dizzying 2D. Our main character Jake, who is assigned the task of infiltrating Pandora in order to gain information of its landscape (to prepare for a future attack), is probably the most interesting product of the film. In his human form, he is paralysed from his waist down, but is all to surprised to find that when being transferred into the body of his own Navvi (in a contraption resembling a future sun-bed, only with a “blue’ tan), he has regained a large part of his life. An emotional scene following his first introduction into the body sees him running effortlessly outside, desperate to lead a new life.
The problem from the Colonels point of view is that Jake, inevitably, ‘will’ find a new life. And that exists in Pandora – a truly seductive world that has obviously been scooped straight out of Camerons wonderful head.
Even Jake didn’t expect Pandora to affect him in the way it does. The 3 month timeframe he has been given to ‘become’ one of the Navvi is a squeeze to say the least, but I’ve noted that Hollywood clocks generally have poor batteries. Regardless, his acceptance into Colony of Pandora means his mission objectives are no longer a priority. Instead, he comes to terms that the Navvi aren’t aliens – it was, instead, humans like him that have become the alienated race. The problem for Jake is that his unwillingness to rationalise what is real and what is a dream could compromise the mission…
‘Avatar’, as lush as it is though, is not as perfect as the visuals would otherwise suggests. Beneath the icing, the cake is just the same mixture that has been baked countless other times by Cameron, only given the aid of modern technology. The majority of the U.S Marines are portrayed as, quite simply, nincompoops, who all have grisly frowns when they’re ready to “go kick butt!”. The only thing missing from the Colonel was a large cigar hanging out the mouth (other than that, he has biceps that could crush you head, and a hair-cut to set your watch by), while the mere idea that these humans are destroying nature just to survive a bit longer is ironic enough, given that they abused it’s sources in the first place and just sat-back while Earth began dieing.
The visual aspect of this film however is simply breathtaking, given that for the most part, these actors were just larking around in front of Green Screens. Nothing has ever been produced to such the same extent or attention to detail. From the blades of grass and minute creases in a creatures skin on Pandora, to the excruciating research that didn’t just stop at animal behaviour, but developed a language for the Navvi people, this has gone beyond traditional film-making. Avatar ‘is’ a world of its own, and what we have here feels only like a touch into what Camerons imagination has offered.
If there was one positive experience to come out of the Theatre, it was that I bought the Soundtrack the day after. How often do we leave a film these days actually wanting to hear a soundtrack again? Horner’s efforts are unprecedented – the music is a lush mix tribalistic rhythm sections and the usual orchestral influences, but accompanied by one of the most memorable four-step melodies I’ve heard in a long, long time. This Blu-ray recaptures such a high degree of accuracy in the sound quality that the DVD sounds particularly muddy in comparison; another overlooked strength of Blu-Ray technology that is, of course, lossless audio. Suffice to say, I haven’t stopped listening to soundtrack since.
I’d only be repeating myself and others if I tried to sum this film up accurately, but even then I think i’d struggle. Avatar is a long film – almost 3 hours of a complete visual feast that (excuse the pun) in my eyes, looks a whole world better in good old 2D. Despite the little rumblings of Cameron’s love for stereotypes with his more prominent roles, the fact that Avatar is memorable, and memorable for the right reasons, only serves to purpose that for the first time in a long time, we finally have a born classic. It manages to blend adventure, romance, action and drama into a highly original, yet still daring concept. Though I don’t approve at all of 3D, and will not be buying into this complete fad when the TV’s are released (God help anyone that’s not sitting directly in the centre during viewing), I admire Cameron’s quest for something different.
And the difference this time is quality. Anyone can bang out effects, but without a world-class director and vivid imagination, it’s nothing more than a temporary pleasure.
DVD reviewed – Steelbook Blu-Ray Edition
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