4K Digital Review of Avatar: The Way of Water

 

Avatar: The Way of Water is set 15 years after the events of the first film. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) along with their kids find themselves leaving their home in the forest after the humans have returned to strip the planet of its natural resources. The family finds itself seeking shelter with the water Metkayina clan. 

All of this against the breathtaking backdrop of Pandora, where audiences are introduced to new Na’vi cultures and a range of exotic sea creatures that populate the majestic oceans. 

Nominated for numerous Academy Awards® including Best Picture, the James Cameron-directed film became the third highest-grossing box office film of all-time and set a new benchmark for visual effects. Produced by Cameron and his longtime partner Jon Landau, the Lightstorm Entertainment production stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis and Kate Winslet. Joining the illustrious adult cast are talented newcomers Britain Dalton, Jamie Flatters, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass and Jack Champion.

Video:

The digital 4K UHD transfer is stunning and your TV screen or projection screen will leap to life in the world of Pandora. The colors just simple pop off the screen. The film looks its very best in 3D but the digital download is in 2D only. Hopefully there will be a Blu-Ray 3D version since 4K UHD has no 3D option and so far there are no streaming services that support 4K 3D. 

Audio:

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack takes full advantage of your speakers. The dialogue is crisp and clear. Environmental effects such as wind and rain sound like they are coming overhead, gun shots ricochet from every direction and explosions create debris that flies all around us. The soundtrack is glorious and deserves to be heard in surround sound.  

Bonus Features: 

Inside Pandora's Box (A series of featurettes on the challenges facing cast and crew as filmmakers devise new technologies to push the limits of cinema)

• Building the World of Pandora – James Cameron and a team of talented artists combine years of research with their design skills to build the world of Pandora with new characters, creatures, indigenous clans, underwater environments and the take-no-prisoners hard-tech world of the RDA.
• Capturing Pandora – James Cameron’s approach to performance capture has the cast performing in a volume rigged with infrared cameras to capture their movement, and head rig cameras to capture emotion on their faces with only the boundaries of imagination to limit them.
• The Undersea World of Pandora – Co-production designer Dylan Cole and his team conceive of the marine creatures required for Avatar: The Way of Water while James Cameron and his stunt team devise extraordinary means to bring those creatures to life in a performance capture tank.
• The Challenges of Pandora's Waters – James Cameron tackles the “non-trivial challenge” of performance capture above and below the water’s surface, utilizing a wave machine and current generator to reproduce ocean conditions, and underwater vehicles to replicate creature movement.
• Pandora’s Returning Characters – James Cameron reunites with his returning cast – Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. Together they discuss the amazing evolution of their characters in Avatar: The Way of Water. 
• Pandora’s Next Generation – Meet the talented young newcomers who have been cast as the next generation of Na’vi and follow them through the adventure of making Avatar: The Way of Water. 
• Spider's Web – James Cameron introduced the human character of Spider into the fabric of Pandora – thus creating a host of technological challenges on set…and an incredible journey for the young actor, Jack Champion.
• Becoming Na’vi – The Avatar cast is immersed in the culture of the indigenous Na’vi, living off the land in the Hawaiian rainforest and training in a multitude of disciplines in preparation for their roles.
• The Reef People of Pandora – In true James Cameron-style, the Metkayina reef clan has been developed with great attention to detail, bearing unique evolutionary traits and a culture – with new dwellings, new clothes and different way of life – all a result of living off the ocean. 
• Bringing Pandora to Life – Once James Cameron completes his virtual production process, every sequence is turned over to Wētā FX to bring Pandora to life – with unprecedented advancements in facial performance, environments and making CG water look real.
• The RDA Returns to Pandora – Co-production designer Ben Procter and his team present an armada of new vehicles and human technologies that the RDA brings to Pandora – in concept design and with practical builds.
• The New Characters of Pandora – Meet the important new characters of the Avatar saga played by Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell and Jemaine Clement.
• The Sounds of Pandora – Hear how James Cameron worked with composer Simon Franglen to create the distinctive music of The Way of Water while building on James Horner’s brilliant score for Avatar, and learn how Chris Boyes created the immersive sounds of Pandora.
• New Zealand – Pandora’s Home – The production of the Avatar sequels is so thoroughly ensconced in New Zealand that James Cameron considers The Way of Water a “New Zealand film.” Hear reflections from the cast and crew, including the remarkable New Zealand crew, on making the film.

 

More from Pandora's Box (Additional featurettes that highlight special teams within the production)

• Casting – Discover the screen tests that won the talented young cast their roles in Avatar: The Way of Water.
• Stunts – The Avatar stunt team isn’t just creating breathtaking action, they’re driving the story. From racing underwater on ilus, flying the skies on ikrans, to maneuvering RDA speed boats, the stunt team leaves you breathless and wanting more.
• The Lab – Explore the Lightstorm Lab, the backbone of virtual production for the Avatar films. Comprised of specialized teams, the Lab builds & supports every aspect of the production – environments, motion edit, Kabuki, sequence, post-viz and software development.
• The Troupe – Avatar’s Troupe is the Swiss Army Knife of acting, while playing dozens of roles on set, in the performance capture volume and on live-action sets, they bring life to Na’vi clans and RDA Recoms. They also play Na’vi-scale puppets on the live-action sets.

Marketing Materials & Music Video (Marketing materials used to build audience awareness of the film)

• Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength) Music Video – Multi-Grammy-winning, music superstar, The Weeknd, performs his emotionally packed end title song in the official music video for the smash hit “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength).”
• Theatrical Trailers 1 & 2 – Avatar: The Way of Water used two theatrical trailers to engage the audience. The first was a teaser trailer released 7 months before the film. The second was a standard trailer that premiered 5 weeks before the film’s release. 

Conclusion:

Avatar: The Way of Water is a feast for the senses. The action, adventure and special effects make this a film where James Cameron is at his very best. The video and audio quality are flawless. The wealth of bonus features is exceptional here. A must have for your library. Avatar: The Way of Water is available for digital download now.

*The digital code was offered for review by Walt Disney Home Entertainment and the review is strictly my opinion.*

Digital Review: Strange World

 

Walt Disney Animation Studios' 61st animated feature Strange World tells the tale of the Clade family, a family of adventurers. Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), the family patriarch, is lost during an expedition to get through an impassable mountain range. A quarter of a century later, his son Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal) leads a quiet farming life with his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union) and his son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White). On the farm they grow Pando, a plant that has revolutionized the world due to its energy giving properties. But Pando is dying and there is a new expedition to find out the cause of the problem with the plants.

The voice cast is wonderful here and each one is solid in their own way. The design of the world is also impressive. There is so much detail to take in and you will watch it again and again to try to see it all. 

Here is a video for the home video release:

Video Quality:

The 1080p video is beautiful and seemingly pushes the HD video to its limits. It is as sharp and clear as any 1080p video I have ever seen. The character faces and clothing are extremely detailed, as are the variety of creatures and the lush landscapes. There is little compression issues here and the blacks are near perfect as are the whites. This will be one of the top reference 1080p videos for the year. 

Audio Quality:

The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is surprisingly good here. Dialogue is centered and well balanced. The score is rich and engaging, creating a cinematic experience in the home. 

Bonus Features:

• Anatomy of a Scene: Creating A Strange World – Learn about Walt Disney Animation Studios' creative process through a single, visually stunning scene as the filmmaking team puts all of their imagination – and more – on the screen.
• Strange Science – Jaboukie Young-White (voice of Ethan Clade) hosts an exploration of how Walt Disney Animation Studios artists were inspired by real science to create Strange World.
• Creature Feature – Journey into the world beneath Avalonia and meet some of the terrifying, slimy, gassy ­– and sometimes cute – creatures that inhabit this Strange World.
• The Hidden Secrets of Strange World – Uncover the references and characters from some of your favorite Walt Disney Animation Studios films hidden throughout the film, along with some fun facts and behind–the–scenes stories of how Strange World was made.
• Outtakes – Go behind the glass as we join the cast of Strange World inside the recording booth for some fun, flubs and outtakes.

 

Deleted Scenes

• The Ballad of Jaeger Clade
• Lightning Lynx
• Funerals and Promises
• Ethan and Searcher

Conclusion:

Strange World is a good story with a twist and surrounded by great characters. The reference quality video, good audio and a few extras make this a solid recommendation for your collection.

* The movie was given to me by Walt Disney Home Entertainment solely for the purpose of this review. The opinions within the review are purely my own. *

Digital Movie Review: The Menu

 

Horror and humor come together in The Menu features a group of diners heading to the exclusive Hawthorne facility where a meal is $1,250 per person. Only 12 customers will be dining tonight. Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) are prepared for a fine dinner. Tyler considers himself a huge foodie and an even bigger fan of Chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). The customers discover that tonight's menu is designed to tell a story. As the meal and the story unfolds, things begin to get strange. Is it part of the show or something more sinister?

Video Quality:

The HD video is a beautiful 1080p presentation. There is some extremely fine detail levels here especially when it comes to the food. The props, sets and actors are all presented here in a fine natural looking color scheme with little to no compression issues.

Audio Quality:

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is decent. Dialogue is clear though in the beginning of the film, the dialogue is seemingly second to the ambient environmental effects. The surround channels are subtle and creates a wonderful sense of space. The score also shares the space in the surround channels.  

Bonus Features:

Featurettes: Open Kitchen: A Look Inside The Menu - Feast on the special ingredients of The Menu to see how director Mark Mylod and his formidable cast, the biting script and renowned chef consultants concocted the perfect recipe to bring authenticity and dark humor to the film’s high-end culinary world.

• First Course: Take a seat at the table as director Mark Mylod delves into some of the key ingredients that went into crafting The Menu. Meet the renowned chefs and food stylists who brought their culinary expertise to the set.
• Second Course: Savor the world-building of Hawthorn, from kitchen “boot camp,” to the meticulous details of the production design. Hear from the cast and writers about the director’s naturalistic approach to capturing the nuances of the performances.
• Dessert: Dig into the creation of the s’mores sequence as costume designer Amy Westcott explains the painstaking process of sewing ponchos made of actual marshmallows. The cast discusses chocolate hats and the absurd predicament of their characters.

Deleted Scenes: There are three deleted scenes.

Conclusion:

The Menu is the perfect horror movie for those that don't like horror movies. It is dark, intense and humorous. The performances are fantastic and draw you further into the story. The video quality is fantastic and the audio mix brings you in the restaurant over the course of the meal. Bonus features are at a minimum. But this is highly recommended. 

 The Menu is available on digital now and on Blu-Ray and DVD on January 17.

*The movie was provided for review purposes by Searchlight Pictures but the review is strictly my own*