Will you get the Extended Collector's Edition of Avatar?

[crocodile 8,064]

What about the extras? Are they any good?

Karol

[Josh500 1,615]

I saw the extended collector's cut last night.

The theatrical version is the best of the three.

In the theatrical cut, we never really see the Na'vi in action until the final battle. With the big Sturmbeest hunt added in the special edition, that's diminished.

The most notable addition to the collector's edition is the Earth material. The movie is better without it. I don't need to see Earth. With it remaining something elusive, I can make up my mind about what Earth must be like from the few hints we get in the theatrical cut (the short clips from the cremation scene, Jake's comments). Instead, we now get a view of an Earth city in 2154. And guess what? Once again, it looks just like Blade Runner. Oh, snap!

No, the most notable addition is definitely NOT the earth material. That's the longest addition, maybe, but certainly NOT the most notable.

The notable scenes are all the additional scenes in the jungle, involving the creatures, and the battle(s).

The longer version is, for me at least, definitely better than the theatrical cut.

What about the extras? Are they any good?

Karol

They are OK. Nothing spectacular (and no audio commentary!), but okay.

I bet there will be another, more complete edition in a year or three.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

James Cameron said this would be the definitive release for a long time. You probably won't see another one until Avatar 2.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

What about the extras? Are they any good?

The 90+ minute documentary is decent, but apart from the three cuts and the deleted scenes it's pretty much the only extra. And to be fair, there is so much to tell about this movie, a documentary running a mere 90 minutes doesn't really cut it. And for a release that's supposed to be the definitive edition of the film on home entertainment, that's disappointing.

I have not watched the (unfinished) deleted scenes yet.

You do get the option to watch just the added scenes from the two new cuts seperately on disc 3, which is nice.

No, the most notable addition is definitely NOT the earth material. That's the longest addition, maybe, but certainly NOT the most notable.

The notable scenes are all the additional scenes in the jungle, involving the creatures, and the battle(s).

That's notable? It's mostly just more of the same. The new opening sequence shows us an entirely new environment (even though it feels like any other noir sci-fi cityscape).

[Corellian2019 388]

Wasn't it Laurent Bouzereau who produced the extras for this set?

[Taikomochi 1,145]

I am curious, is "Bioluminescence of the Night" in any cut of the film?

[Richard Penna 3,770]

What about the extras? Are they any good?

The 90+ minute documentary is decent, but apart from the three cuts and the deleted scenes it's pretty much the only extra. And to be fair, there is so much to tell about this movie, a documentary running a mere 90 minutes doesn't really cut it. And for a release that's supposed to be the definitive edition of the film on home entertainment, that's disappointing.

It's not definitive in my book until it's in 3D. That, coupled with the photorealistic visual was what made me see it.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,493]

Extended collector's edition of Titanic, please.

[Luke Skywalker 1,810]

yeah is any of the unused music used in the deleted-added scenes?

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Wasn't it Laurent Bouzereau who produced the extras for this set?

Yes.

Extended collector's edition of Titanic, please.

Doesn't the special edition offer you the option of viewing the movie with the deleted scenes reinserted (most of which are superfluous)?

[Taikomochi 1,145]

yeah is any of the unused music used in the deleted-added scenes?

I'm pretty sure The Hunt is. I don't know about the others, which is why I asked.

[Demondm810 399]

The Hunt music is tracked.

[Brónach 1,302]

Boring ride. Not buying this.

Sometimes I wonder what if James Cameron had gone hard sci-fi on this one. (Not that I dislike space-opera, though.)

[Demondm810 399]

His original script was more Aliens-like, and much less family friendly. I think making it more tailored for mass appeal was a condition for giving him so much money for the technology. I'm hoping the sequels have a harder edge.

[Brónach 1,302]

Yeah, I had read most of the "treatment" for the 90s and I found out at the theather that the stuff that I was thrilled to see was the stuff the guy hinted the least in the film

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,493]

Doesn't the special edition offer you the option of viewing the movie with the deleted scenes reinserted (most of which are superfluous)?

Nope. And there are deleted scenes missing. And it's in standard def and spread across two discs. Avatar now has two releases on BD within months while the better Cameron movies keep getting screwed. T2 is a DNR disaster, Aliens is trapped with the original in an expensive set with the bad sequels, nobody knows where anything else is. This is such an inconsequential BD. It doesn't even work without the 3D experience. I thought that was the whole point when I first saw it.

[Brónach 1,302]

What were some of the original ideas ?

From the top of my head: No jungles on Earth. The na'vi would look different, weirder. Pandora's atmosphere would be even more dangerous (with higher levels of ammonia. In the film it's just a higher level of CO2). Jake would spent the journey to Alfa Centauri connected to the avatar so the brain tissue grows following the pattern of his (thus the mind transfer making sense). Unobtanium is fully explained (it's actually a brilliant mcguffin, we would totally kill for it). Jake meets a controller who has gone crazy because he died in avatar form (he commited suicide after they shot his na'vi lover or something). The Thanator is actually something large that could eat a "T rex and have the Alien for breakfast". Jake gets attacked by the floating medusa in the unobtanium mountains and he falls to the jungle. The jungle is BLUE (no clorophyla pigments). There's also differences in the human tecnology (some of it is better in the final film). The Leonopteryx is not that big of a deal. Grace survives the trasnfer to her avatar body. The planet reacts instantly to the humans thinking of them as a virus or something. A lot of plot differences.

It was also really, really cheesy as hell. Also the things I didn't like (or just always missed when reading) happened to be kept in the final film. (I would have loved to see Neytiri looking for Jake's human body throgh the film, for example.)

An interesting read.

[Joe Brausam 216]

Really I think the most notable inclusion was the backstory on Grace's school - that fleshed out her character much more. And I really liked that Tsu'Tey's death has closure now.

[Taikomochi 1,145]

And I really liked that Tsu'Tey's death has closure now.

Explain.

[Joe Brausam 216]

The theatrical version just has him being shot down, never to be seen again. While this works, it's nice to have some closure to his story dramatically. So the extended version has Neytiri and Jake finding him and sharing his last moments, though I won't get into the scene's specifics.

[Taikomochi 1,145]

Oh, that's actually really cool... I am kind of interested to see this cut now.

[indy4 155]

Well, it's just like you said, not me in particular. I mean, I'm not saying that everyone who didn't like Avatar didn't like it because it was successful, you for example. However, I think success often greatly influences people's opinions. If Avatar had somehow tanked at the box office, then many people would probably not complain.

Oh yeah, my biggest beef with Avatar was the amount of praise it was getting compared to the high levels of mediocrity in the film. It was a pretty average film, with the exception of a few bells and whistles (SFX, acting, and music). But when a movie that is barely better than the usual mindless summer romps that studios churn out becomes the highest grossing film ever, wins the Golden Globe for best picture, is nominated for a bunch of important Oscars... I felt that was more than a little overboard.

Yeah, that's the thing. If people see a film they don't like and this film is not successful... well, they don't feel the need to give their opinion, since they think the film got what it deserved. But when a film they don't like is widely successful, they don't get it (particularly when a lot of people call it "THE BEST FILM OF THE WORLD SINCE THE DAWN OF MAN"). They think it didn't deserve all the praise it got, so they feel the need to shout their opinion to the world, (which has clearly gone mad from their point of view). And frankly, who can blame them ??? WHO ???

Yup - that's almost exactly right. And I catch the sarcasm in your post, but honestly I don't get your point. You're very quick to assume that such an action is, for unsaid (and unknown) reasons, wrong. But tell me, why do you have a problem with somebody recognizing a mass difference in opinion and trying to voice one's own? Would you rather I only chime in when I agree with a majority of the world? That'd make for some pretty boring discussions. I don't have the ego to think the entire world has gone mad for liking Avatar, but I do have an interest in understanding why it's so popular and sharing my thoughts on the film. Is that wrong?

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

The theatrical version just has him being shot down, never to be seen again. While this works, it's nice to have some closure to his story dramatically. So the extended version has Neytiri and Jake finding him and sharing his last moments, though I won't get into the scene's specifics.

It was nice to see that scene, but I felt the film's ending was better paced without it. The music for Tsutey's fall told me all I needed to know.

[King Mark 3,631]

Since page 1 ,now I want to see the extended cut .But I'd rent it I think

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Joe Brausam 216]

It's worth seeing. On the whole it really fleshes out the story, especially for Grace.

[Wojo 2,453]

Seeing Avatar was on my bucket list. I crossed it off.

[Ollie 1,069]

I might sit down and watch it once the holidays get here and i have some spare time.

Meanwhile I'm still waiting for True Lies to receive a proper release.

[Maglorfin 196]

Meanwhile I'm still waiting for True Lies to receive a proper release.

Hear, hear! We really need a decent Blu-ray, possibly an exhaustive special edition of this great action movie!

[Jay 37,515]

I haven't seen True Lies since I first saw it on VHS, since they never released an anamorphic DVD. I'd love to watch the film again, but am not going to bother with a non-anamorphic DVD. Bring on the blu ray of that AND The Abyss!

[Trent B 337]

I too hope that True Lies and The Abyss get a Blu-Ray release and in proper anamorphic format for both movies. I've got both on regular DVD but I would gladly replace them with a Blu-Ray version.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

"You're fired."

[Quintus 5,399]

True Lies is great, but it lacks the enjoyable rubbish factor of movies like Commando and The Running Man. That and it's too darn long for an action flick.

[Jay 37,515]

Well that's cause its more than just an action flick!

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I always thought it would be a much more interesting film if it were all about Bill Paxton's character.

[Quintus 5,399]

Well that's cause its more than just an action flick!

Oh yeah, it's a comedy as well. Still a bit too long.

[Ollie 1,069]

Well that's cause its more than just an action flick!

It's Arnie in a Bond film.

[Wojo 2,453]

WHY would you DO this to yourself???

[Ollie 1,069]

Those damn Charger fans.

[Thor 7,654]

No, I won't be getting it. It was the second best film last year (the best being INGLORIOUS BASTERDS) and a milestone in many ways, but I want to wait untill I have the proper playback equipment....when I've replaced my ol' DVD player with a bluray and when I've retired my ol' 28'' FAT-screen tv with a huge flatscreen.

[John Crichton 4]

That's major facepalm material right there, Woj.

[Wojo 2,453]

I'm no Jets fan, but KSK's blog always has good stuff.

[Ollie 1,069]

Yeah I've visited the site a few times.

I prefer Deadspin.

Suzie doesn't look as pretty in Hi-Def as she did in regular TV-Land.