Avatar – Blu-ray 4K UHD Review
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Disney/Buena Vista | 2023
PG13 | 2hrs 42 min | Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Fantasy
HD | 1080P | 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Up-sampled 4K | 2160P | HDR10 | Dolby Atmos | Dolby TrueHD 7.1 | DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 | Dolby Digital 5.1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Staring: Sam Worthington | Zoe Saldana |Sigourney Weaver | Stephen Lang | Michelle Rodriguez
Directed by: James Cameron
Ratings & Reviews
Please see here for my comments on reviewing movies.
My ratings are simple being marked out of a maximum of 5+. My reviews are biased towards the technical production aspects of the film with brief comments about the story line. Extras, sorry, that’s just not my ‘bag’.
So what did the 4K HDR10 video look like? Reference and the 7.1 soundtrack? Almost reference.
Entertainment: 5-
Video: 5
Audio: 5-
Technical Review – Up-sampled 4K UHD HDR10
Avatar has now been re-released as an AI up-sampled 4K theatrical cut to create a new 4K Digital Intermediate, complete with grading for high dynamic range and the results are excellent. As was the case with the original Blu-ray release, the film is framed here at the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. This triple-layer BD100 disc has been well authored and shows no use of noise reduction or edge sharpening, no compression artifacts and little noise. The package also contains a BD 50 Blu ray HD disc with both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes plus a redeemable digital code.
The image soars onto your screen as a beautiful, reference, HDR10 presentation. It posses excellent overall image clarity, with a wonderful display of crisp, razor sharp detail with refined texturing throughout. There is a tendency to look a little “digital” on occasions, but it is still head and shoulders above the original blu-ray release. The addition of HDR certainly provides a richer palette, more nuanced colors and an expanded contrast range. Objects, clothing and stitching, facial close-ups, fog, smoke and haze provide excellent detail and definition. From the opening shots of the Interstellar Vehicle Venture Star (ISV), the details of Pandoras floating mountains, the various craft and gunships to the facial pores, wrinkles, eyelashes, hair strands and features, both real and CGI, are all finely rendered with few exaggerations. CGI and special effects integration and creation are very good (despite the occasional artificial looking moment), being organic and naturally fluid, having realistic textures, blending well with the real action shots and never looking soft. Effects like explosions, flying objects, debris, smoke and weapon fire are well integrated into the live action with few distractions.
The addition of HDR has improved contrast with darker shadows that have retained even greater detail than before, while the spectral highlights are more naturally bright. From glistening animal skin to metallic surfaces, all sparkle and gleam with a true-to-live realism. Creating a very good dynamic contrast range and enhancing visibility of objects in both exterior and interior shots, generating an excellent depth of image having a impressive three-dimensional quality at times, almost as if “looking through a window” at the action.
The color palette presents with a solid array of vibrant colors covering the entire rainbow. Color fidelity is excellent throughout with vivid and well saturated primaries and secondaries, all having excellent color depth and density, with hues being bold and vibrant. From the many blues that now look more steely-toned, Na’vi skin tones more nuanced, the colors of Pandoras lush green vegetation, fluorescent flowers and plants to the purples, oranges and explosive reds and yellows of fire, guns and weapons. With human and even CGI skin tones and facial complexions looking wonderful throughout.
This 4K video looks wonderful on all fronts providing another 2023 reference video selection following closely behind Top Gun: Maverick.
Audio – Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Avatar features a beautifully immersive/surround sound, almost reference, Dolby Atmos track which defaults to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 in my system. Again, in true Disney fashion, it needed a few additional dB’s (actually +3, to give the right impact and support). The soundtrack was very engaging at all times during both the many emotional dramatic moments and the various action scenes, having solid bass, clarity and dynamics and delivering most of what you’d expect for a film this epic in scope.
The soundstage is wide and surrounds are constantly active with ambience, directional cues and movement, delivering an environment that drops the listener into both calm and action-packed sonic spectacles alike. Effects placement are accurate and natural, with plenty of movement in both the rear and side surrounds, together with ambient environmental effects consistently pulling you into the many locals and environments, from those various lab scenes, the chatter of jungle creatures and the flying mountain Banshees or Ikran to the falling rain and rustling of leaves. From those quieter, dialogue-heavy Pandora jungle sequences steeped in surrounding activity, to the roaring Resource Development Administration (RDA) ship engines, impactful gunfire, exploding missiles and flying bullets and debris, all fill the surrounds pulling you into the scene and keeping you “in the mix”.
Sub action is very good, but lacked just a little in having that muscular, low-end extension, that this movie deserved. However, it still managed to fully support the roar of the jet engines, missiles, explosions and impactful gunfire all digging nice and low. Imaging continuously feels broad and expansive following the action as it moves on and off-screen and into and between the surrounds. Dialogue is always crystal clear and well detailed with an excellent mid-range and solid front-center imaging and prioritization, providing good clarity and detail no matter how loud and aggressive the action.
Flushing out the soundscape and supporting the movie throughout its entire length, the films score, composed by James Horner, offers a good supportive mix, being seamlessly immersive and perfectly clear. Hitting a good balance between the dialogue and effects the score provides a light spill into the surrounds and very good integration within the soundstage.
An excellent audio track that compliments the reference video.
Story Overview
The year is 2154 and after the brother of paraplegic marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is killed, Jake is asked to take his place in a mission on the planet of Pandora, a moon in the Alpha Centauri system. This moon is now being mined by the Resource Development Administration (RDA) whose figure head, Parker Selfridge (Giovani Ribisi), wants to relocate the indigenous Na’vi inhabitants as they live over a large deposit of the extremely valuable rare earth compound, unobtainium. After arriving on Pandora and in exchange for spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake is asked to spy on and betray the native Na’vi inhabitants in order to help relocate them. Infiltrating the Na’vi inhabitants using an “avatar” body (a human mind in an alien body) as disguise, Jake gathers the requested information but then begins to realize that he is actually becoming one of them as he falls in love with both the planet and female Na’vi Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). When Jake discovers that the RDA colonel, Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), is about to exterminate the Na’vi, as they will not move, he gathers all the tribes of Pandora for one final epic battle….or is it?
My 2 cents
Avatar is without doubt still an entertaining movie and this newly AI remastered presentation, with HDR10 grading, notably improves upon previous home video releases having razor-sharp details, beautiful colors, image depth and now with an Atmos mix.
If you are searching for the best looking and sounding release, then I highly recommend this one.
Purchase from Amazon here.
