James Cameron's Avatar: Combi Pack (Blu-ray & DVD) (2009) (Blu-ray)

As epic a piece of cinema as it's possible to get. The combination of Cameron & the geniuses at Weta is clearly a good one. There are some nods to his earlier movies which made me grin and another fantastic score from James Horner brimming with an eclectic mix of sounds.

The stand out is obviously the production design - Pandora is a beautiful location filled with all sorts of weird & wonderful creatures. To think it only exists inside a computer is mind-blowing. The motion-capture/CG work is simply breathtaking. The emotion on the faces is so good at times I could have sworn it was an actor wearing prosthetics.

As a fan of James Cameron, it's great to see him back on the big screen. As a fan of film, it's comforting to know that at least *someone* in Hollywood knows how to craft a blockbuster filled with effects without sacrificing the story.

___Blu-ray release___

It's worth noting that this release contains no extras. There is a plan to release a more… more »

As epic a piece of cinema as it's possible to get. The combination of Cameron & the geniuses at Weta is clearly a good one. There are some nods to his earlier movies which made me grin and another fantastic score from James Horner brimming with an eclectic mix of sounds.

The stand out is obviously the production design - Pandora is a beautiful location filled with all sorts of weird & wonderful creatures. To think it only exists inside a computer is mind-blowing. The motion-capture/CG work is simply breathtaking. The emotion on the faces is so good at times I could have sworn it was an actor wearing prosthetics.

As a fan of James Cameron, it's great to see him back on the big screen. As a fan of film, it's comforting to know that at least *someone* in Hollywood knows how to craft a blockbuster filled with effects without sacrificing the story.

___Blu-ray release___

It's worth noting that this release contains no extras. There is a plan to release a more comprehensive set later in the year - currently scheduled for November.

I'm sure this Blu-ray will look stunning, but if you're after the behind the scenes insight, perhaps best to hold onto your hard-earned cash for a while longer.

I just don't understand people who have given this film a one star review! i think many people like to join the 'I don't like it coz it's popular' bandwagon.
I don't think there's an aspect of this film that isn't fantastic. Yes the story is similar to Dances with wolves, but almost every film ever made has elements of other films.
The acting is excellent, from all the cast. You really feel for the natives, and you grow a real frustration and loathing for the people in control.
The effects are simply breathtaking!! from the simple to the outstanding! And I think this is where a lot of CGI movies go overboard, they tend to be too fantastical and therefore completely unbelievable. But with Avatar The special effects are simply wonderful without being overplayed. From the simple wonders like the colours of the foliage in the forests and the strange creatures within it. To the dramatic landscapes and battle scenes.

If you take this film for what it is... A damn good… more »

I just don't understand people who have given this film a one star review! i think many people like to join the 'I don't like it coz it's popular' bandwagon.
I don't think there's an aspect of this film that isn't fantastic. Yes the story is similar to Dances with wolves, but almost every film ever made has elements of other films.
The acting is excellent, from all the cast. You really feel for the natives, and you grow a real frustration and loathing for the people in control.
The effects are simply breathtaking!! from the simple to the outstanding! And I think this is where a lot of CGI movies go overboard, they tend to be too fantastical and therefore completely unbelievable. But with Avatar The special effects are simply wonderful without being overplayed. From the simple wonders like the colours of the foliage in the forests and the strange creatures within it. To the dramatic landscapes and battle scenes.

If you take this film for what it is... A damn good piece of entertainment (especially on Blu-ray) and forget the people who have no imagination and like to slag a film off just because it's trendy to hate something that's massed produced, then I honestly feel that you will be blown out of your seat, and will want to paint yourself blue and swing from the living room light!!

......and it's name is Pandora.

Twelve years since Titanic, James Cameron returned and blew all his competition out of the water. Stephen Sommers, Michael Bay.....heck even J.J Abrams have absolutely nothing on Cameron and his own 'Dances with Wolves' in space simply shows how far ahead of them he really is in creating true cinema spectacle on a scale that awes and even inspires a little!

In 2154 the Earth is wasted. 'The Company' has found a rare but valuable resource on the lush distant moon called Pandora. Earth wants it but the local 'savages', the Nav'i are getting in the way, due to their intimate and steadfast connection to their home. The answer? Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a disabled soldier whose mind will be placed in a genetically developed Avatar - a Nav'i body from which he can insinuate himself into the local population and feedback information to allow The Company to take what they want.

But as he goes native and falls for a tribal princess (Zoe… more »

......and it's name is Pandora.

Twelve years since Titanic, James Cameron returned and blew all his competition out of the water. Stephen Sommers, Michael Bay.....heck even J.J Abrams have absolutely nothing on Cameron and his own 'Dances with Wolves' in space simply shows how far ahead of them he really is in creating true cinema spectacle on a scale that awes and even inspires a little!

In 2154 the Earth is wasted. 'The Company' has found a rare but valuable resource on the lush distant moon called Pandora. Earth wants it but the local 'savages', the Nav'i are getting in the way, due to their intimate and steadfast connection to their home. The answer? Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a disabled soldier whose mind will be placed in a genetically developed Avatar - a Nav'i body from which he can insinuate himself into the local population and feedback information to allow The Company to take what they want.

But as he goes native and falls for a tribal princess (Zoe Saldana) - the lines inevitably blur and his true destiny unviels itself, leading to a final battle that will decide the future of a race.

The story is tried and tested to be sure, but here what inspires is the sheer commitment to every detail of the world of Pandora and it's inhabitants that Cameron has developed. It is the most complete and ravishing alien world ever put to film and only the bare surface has been scratched by film's end.

The 3D effect is fantastic, the emotion true and the astoundingly well shot epic battle and Sully's finale leaves us with the clear promise of many more stories yet to be told on the planet Pandora that by the end of the film, I defy any viewer not to want to call 'home'.

Cinematic brilliance!