With an extra 9 minutes of footage in IMAX 3D, it's like a whole new movie going experience!

Rating: 10/10 (9 September 2010)

'AVATAR: SPECIAL EDITION': Five Stars (Out of Five)
I just saw this movie for the fifth time (including two past viewings in 2D, one of them being on Blu-ray) and I have to say seeing this 'special edition' re-release, with an extra nine minutes of footage in IMAX 3D, is like a whole new movie going experience. First of all seeing it on an IMAX 3D screen is like a spectacular new and visually stunning way of seeing a movie. It feels like the movie seriously surrounds you and you're apart of what's going on on screen! The amazing visuals and astonishing 3D of 'AVATAR' make this a once in a life time type of experience. There's also the new footage, including four entirely new scenes that add new depth and a completely new way of viewing key plot points of the film. A couple of scenes even alter the story somewhat. It was not only visually mind blowing but an entirely new way of seeing the movie as a whole.
For those who don't know the movie it tells the story of a paraplegic marine named Jake Sully (Played by the now famous Sam Worthington). When Jake's twin brother is killed he's asked to take his place in an expensive military project on the alien world of Pandora, due to the fact that he has matching DNA to his brother. There he's asked to link to an 'avatar' body which is a physical body made up of a marines DNA matching that of a planet native, known as Na'vi, which is piloted mentally by the marine. His assignment is to use the 'avatar' to infiltrate the Na'vi, gain their trust and convince them to move from their land so an unnamed corporation can gain control of all the valuable mineral there. This of course draws many parallels to current and past corrupt business and military involved situations.
The movie is extremely emotional and enlightening as well as the best damn visual experience ever put on film. It draws inspiration from other great films like 'RETURN OF THE JEDI', 'DANCES WITH WOLVES' and heavily from writer / director James Cameron's own classic 'ALIENS' but it's also like nothing you've ever seen before, a truly unique film going experience. Cameron is my all time favorite director (Just look at his track record: 'TERMINATOR', 'ALIENS', 'THE ABYSS', 'TERMINATOR 2', 'TRUE LIES', 'TITANIC'. These are all some of my all time favorite movies!) but this in many ways far exceeds anything he's ever done before! I saw the movie once again with my friends Ed and Erika, as I did the midnight showing on it's original opening night, and they both agree it's a five star movie and one of their all time favorite films as well.
The added footage is so good it does make you wonder why it was ever deleted to begin with; I get the argument that it was to shorten an overly long film (for marketing reasons) but these new scenes are much better and more important to the film than much of the footage left in the original version. James Cameron has released far superior extended versions of his films in the past (like the special editions of 'TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY', 'ALIENS' and 'THE ABYSS') and it almost seems like he saves key footage so he can release a better version later down the road, much the way it felt with director Peter Jackson special editions of 'THE LORD OF THE RINGS' trilogy. I do believe if you're a fan of the film this special edition is worth another visit to the theater to see, especially in IMAX 3D, and I still stand by my argument that it's one of the greatest films ever made; twice now it's been one of the best single cinematic experiences I've ever had! I think it's an important film and an astonishingly beautiful one as well and if you're a fan of film and the whole film-making process like I am than I think you have to agree. Film is the most collaborative art form there is, and that's why it's my favorite, and 'AVATAR' is arguably the greatest example of this. It's an artistic masterpiece in my opinion as well as one of the greatest films ever made.
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