The much anticipated, though not long-awaited, DVD and Blu-Ray release date of director James Cameron's Avatar has arrived. Released in U.S. and Canadian stores on April 22, 2010, Avatar looks to break DVD sales records as it broke box office records. As reported by The Huffington Post, the Earth Day release date is no coincidence. James Cameron had this to say:
"I'm not coming out of the closet as an environmentalist . . . I think I was pretty up front about it. I think the themes of the film have been pretty overt."
Environmental issues aside, Avatar is a visually stunning film well worth the cost and time to rent or perhaps purchase. However, before droves of anxious fans hurry out to buy Avatar, it is important to note that the version released today is in 2-D format only. Fans seeking their own copies of Avatar in 3-D will have to wait until 2011.
Avatar is James Cameron's Imaginative, Directorial Masterpiece, Science Fiction Visually at Its Best
An Academy Award-winning film, Avatar is a thoroughly entertaining adventure through an imaginative world set against an infinitely artistic canvas. And through James Cameron's direction, that canvas comes to life.
Avatar is set in 2154. Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation, Clash of the Titans) stars as Jake Sully, a former marine who has lost the use of his legs. Through unforeseeable circumstances, Sully gains the opportunity to travel to Pandora, a planet rich in a highly valuable element.
Unfortunately for those seeking the element, Pandora is inhabited by fierce creatures. Perhaps none are fiercer than the Na’vi, Pandora’s indigenous people. The Na’vi seek to protect their home from human invasion and destruction. They are willing to kill to achieve this goal.
Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi – Boiler Room, Gone in Sixty Seconds), a corporate bigwig, and his militant security head, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang - Tombstone, Public Enemies), enlist Sully to infiltrate a Na’vi tribe and learn its ways. To do so, Sully is given an avatar, a biologically engineered and remote-controlled Na’vi look-alike.
After receiving avatar training from Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver – Alien, Gorillas in the Mist), Sully quickly takes to his work. As his avatar, Sully has full use of his legs, in addition to superhuman strength, agility, speed, and other powers he must discover.
On a routine expedition, Sully (in avatar form) is separated from his team. Lost in Pandora’s lush forests, he is attacked by dog-like creatures. A Na’vi female named Nevtiri (Zoë Saldaña - Star Trek) saves Sully from certain death. She brings him to her village.
Sully enters the village as a spy, but he learns Na’vi customs and beliefs and incorporates them into his own. He also falls in love with Nevtiri. But can such a cross-species romance survive? Can Sully come to grips with the adverse interests of his human employer and the race with which he has come to identify?
Overall, Avatar’s story derives much of its theories from nature-based religions and philosophies, coming across like something out of a Final Fantasy video game. But the plot is merely a vehicle for Avatar’s true selling points - visually stimulating cinema matched with breathtaking innovation.
Does Avatar's April 22, 2010 DVD and Blu-Ray Releases Have Bonus Features?
As seems to be customary with blockbuster movies, the Avatar DVD and Blu-Ray versions released on April 22 will be the first of several. Their boxes list no special features. The reason for this is simple — they have none!
According to Reuters journalist Alex Dobuzinskis, fans will have to wait until November when a DVD containing all the staple extras, including deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage, will be released. A 3-D version will not be released until some time in 2011.
And who knows how many special edition packages there will be? What about a director's cut? With a trilogy on its way, maybe fans might want to wait and purchase the inevitable boxed set.
Well, for those who just want to purchase the film in its original, theatrical cut, the Avatar DVD currently available is their cheapest bet. For those who want more, good things come to those who wait.
Jason Parent - Jason Parent earned his Bachelor's Degree in English in 2000 and his Juris Doctorate in 2006. He currently works as an attorney with a ...
