Avatar Extended Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]

love the film, still can't get over how amazing the aminations are and how realistic they are! 100% recommend to watch

Avatar is set in a future where Earth's resources have been ravished, the first world's increasing population of poor and disenfranchised cannot afford medical care, and the rich have expanded their quest for wealth to distant exoplanets. In this case it's the planet of Pandora, which harbours the (unfortunately somewhat naffly named) precious ore "unobtanium", worth millions of dollars a kilo. The ubiquitous "corporation" of dystopian science fiction old and new, is now on a mission to plunder Pandora's virgin jungle of its natural wealth at the expense of the natives and their sacred sites.Jake Sully is a former marine who lost his legs defending his country. After hisscientist twin brother dies, Jake's shared DNA means that he is recruited to replace him on Pandora, remotely operating a biological "avatar" that can live and breathe among the natives, gain their trust, and encourage them to clear out of their sacred forest so that the miners can move in.Now free from his crippling situation and able to run about the rain forest as an alien, Jake predictably turns native, and finally falls in love with a native princess. Now unwilling to destroy their civilisation for the sake of unobtanium, he faces the wrath of the army and the corporation that controls them, as they move in with their guns, bombs and mega-bulldozers.Avatar has been criticised somewhat in some quarters of the press for its plot being too basic, the storyline too simple and it's lack of any complexity and subtlety. That's as may be, but much as I enjoy complex and subtle science-fiction myself, I'm not sure there's any need for it within this story. Science Fiction writers famously use metaphor as a language of dissent parody and prediction, and much of the best of that came from an age when most first world citizens believed that their governments were the good guys, and largely trusted that what they did was generally for the best. Now in an age of global protest, and the first world's deep and increasing distrust of the powers that be, Avatar's metaphor is blunt, and in places contains clear and unashamed references to the manufacture of enemies and branding of them as hostile to get at their resources, and its unsubtle portrayal of the culture and plight of the natives as almost synonymous with Native Americans, Amazonian tribes and their like.From the plot to the production, and here Avatar comes into its own. While the flora and fauna of Pandora are a tad unimaginative (e.g suped-up dogs, luminous lemurs, armoured horses and dinosaurs, plus flying creatures straight out of one of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books, they are wonderfully realised, and the epic scale of the giant living, breathing forest sunlit by day and luminous by night, is lovely.Avatar may be just a very pretty, oversimplified film having a pop at vast corporations' desire for greed above humanity and following a plot that often does happen in our world but featuring an ending that could never happen in reality. In reality poorly resourced minorities sitting on massive resources usually get a pretty good kicking, and cultures are decimated regardless of prayers to their deity. Hollywood however, can give it the finale we want, however unlikely achieved.Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching this spectacular film very much. The three versions (basic cinema/theatrical release, extended cut (extra 8 minutes) and extended collector's edition (extra 16 minutes) all begin on the first DVD and conclude on the second.

I don't know anyone who doesn't at least enjoy Avatar, it's a great film.This, however, is not just the film there are so many extras you'll be kept entertained most of the day!

I have to start by saying that despite the slightly formulaic storyline `Avatar' is quite simply an exceptional film. I have rarely seen such landscapes, beautiful rendering or detail in any film, let alone one with such a high level of CGI involved. Other reviewers have stated here, and I have to agree, that this film makes a wonderful demonstration film for a Blu-Ray player; I was kept spellbound and in awe by the rich detail for the entire duration.Following a paraplegic marine called Jake (played by Worthington) who functions via an Avatar, we learn about the planet Pandora and it's inhabitants, the Na'vi. They are a race who are minutely in tune with their environment and who resist the human invaders who wish to plunder their land for the (ridiculously named) mineral Unobtanium. We see how Jake develops his relationship with the Na'vi and starts to understand their viewpoint on their world and the humans intentions. There is more to the film than that, but that is a basic synopsis.This is easily a film that could be watched again and again, if just for the amazing scenery, and it offers enough detail and beauty on-screen to keep you coming back for more. Like I started by saying, the film is a little formulaic, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing as you can sit back and easily immerse yourself in the world created for you and enjoy the plot and story as it unfolds for what it is; great entertainment. There are minor flaws in the film, things like occasionally ludicrous and unrealistic dialogue and accents, or cliché characterisation, but these never detract from the overall experience. There won't be anything like this again for quite some time, so fully enjoy that first viewing and breathtaking cinematography. No doubt you will want to be returning to the stupendous world created for you again and again and I'm sure it will be just as delightful the 20th as the 1st time.Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.