Avatar (2009)
Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction • 2h 41m
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Wes Studi, Laz Alonso, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Sean Anthony Moran, Jason Whyte, Scott Lawrence, Kelly Kilgour, James Patrick Pitt, Sean Patrick Murphy, Peter Dillon, Kevin Dorman, Kelson Henderson, David Van Horn, Jacob Tomuri, Michael Blain-Rozgay, Jon Curry, Julene Renee, Luke Hawker, Woody Schultz, Peter Mensah, Sonia Yee, Jahnel Curfman, Ilram Choi, Kyla Warren, Lisa Roumain, Debra Wilson, Taylor Kibby, Jodie Landau, Chris Mala, Julie Lamm, Cullen B. Madden, Joseph Brady Madden, Frankie Torres, Austin Wilson, Sara Wilson, Tamica Washington-Miller, Lucy Briant, Nathan Meister, Gerry Blair, Matthew Chamberlain, Paul Yates, Wray Wilson, James Gaylyn, Melvin Leno Clark III, Carvon Futrell, Brandon Jelkes, Micah Moch, Haniyyah Tahirah, Christopher Nolen, Christa Oliver, April Marie Thomas, Bravita A. Threatt, Alicia Vela-Bailey, Larry Rew, Dina Morrone, Rodney Cook
Best English-friendly & video release · updated 8 days ago
UHD tiers
Excessive AI upscaling
Overview
In the 22nd century, a paraplegic Marine is dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, but becomes torn between following orders and protecting an alien civilization.
Director: John Ford
Sources: ibb.co (opens in a new tab)
Warner Archive Blu-ray is 4K restoration from nitrate projection elements
Germany Filmjuwelen Blu-ray is AI upscaled https://ibb.co/album/mCJ7RQ
Germany Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with AI upscaling
Video format: HD Streaming
Internet Archive Streaming https://archive.org/details/twentyfourdollar-island_1928
Sources: archive.org (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Kino Lorber Silent Avant-Garde Blu-ray is even though a much better restoration, has the worst AI upscaling I've ever seen, it's almost like a cartoon https://slow.pics/c/dFdgCFgn?image-fit=contain
I would instead recommend the blurry, compressed, and cropped internet archive Streaming version https://archive.org/details/twentyfourdollar-island_1928
Director: David Lynch
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Reddit (opens in a new tab) · dvdexotica.com (opens in a new tab)
Criterion 4k resto, but it was AI upscaled although supervised and approved by Lynch https://www.reddit.com/r/davidlynch/comments/12klbw9/inland_empire_and_ai_upscaling/
See another detailed review: https://www.dvdexotica.com/2015/05/lets-get-serious-about-inland-empire.html
Director: James Cameron
2013 MGM Blu-ray, or 4K Blu-ray if you MUST have the mono mix, 1997 Image DVD/2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
Sources: vimeo.com (opens in a new tab) · facebook.com (opens in a new tab)
2013 MGM Blu-ray for non AI transfer, 1997 Image DVD/2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
1991 Image Entertainment LaserDisc for the US mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for the International mono mix
Comparison between the US and International mixes: https://vimeo.com/246332731
The 4K Blu-Ray and the 2001 MGM DVD have exclusive extras.
TV series
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray See caps
DE Nameless 4K Blu-ray is an extremely poor AI upscale. See caps
Director: Joe Alves
2D version: 2016 Universal Blu-ray
3D version: Universal 3D Blu-ray
Sources: fanrestore.com (opens in a new tab)
(caveat: 3D Blu-ray has misaligned eyes)
Nick_M's 3D version is better than Universal 3D Blu-ray
Director: James Cameron
Paramount/Fox Blu-ray
3D Blu-ray for the IMAX/Open Matte version
35mm scan for original theatrical cut
4K Blu-ray is AI upscaled
The 4K Blu-ray bonus disc, the 2012 Blu-ray bonus disc, and the 2005 3 disc DVD have exclusive extras.
Director: Jack Sholder
Sources: fanrestore.com (opens in a new tab) · originaltrilogy.com (opens in a new tab)
2017 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray and subsequent 4K Blu-rays are notorius for being heavily denoised and smoothened. Alternatively, 35mm scans for the theatrical cut is also available.
For the Ultimate Edition with the T-1000 searching John's room and the happy future ending, the 2009 Skynet Blu-ray, which is the older pre-2017 transfer, but has DNR.
Director: James Cameron
Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)
Disney 4K Blu-ray has AI enhancement see youtube comparison
Director: James Cameron
Resen 2020 Spain Blu-ray, old WEB-DL (pre 2023/2024 transfer), HDTV rip, or 35mm scan
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Resen 2020 Spain Blu-ray, old WEB-DL (pre 2023/2024 transfer), HDTV rip, or 35mm scan better than 4K Blu-ray with terrible "AI" upscale: screenshots
Director: James Cameron
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Disney 4K Blu-ray's artificial smoothening of facial textures making actors look unnatural, grain reduction and other changes to make the film look less like a product of its time
Old WEB-DL or HDTV rip for non AI version
Disney Collector's Edition 4K Blu-ray
Collector's Edition has more extras + Dolby Vision
Video format: 4K Streaming
Director: Terence Young
WB 4K Blu-ray despite frozen grain
Director: David Butler
Video format: Only Unofficial Sources
Sources: archive.org (opens in a new tab)
The DVD isn't an official one, and according to a user review on Amazon:
This DVD comes from Archive.org, where the movie can be viewed for free. The original source, comes from the Fox Movie Channel
Director: Peter Faiman
Australia Cut: Australia Fox DVD
International Cut: Paramount Blu-ray
Encore Cut: Germany Winkler Film 4K Blu-ray, censored but good encoding
Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)
US Paramount 4K Blu-ray, is the International US Cut and not the Encore Cut
Australia Cut: Laserdisc
The film exists in three versions:
- the original Australian cut (~104 minutes at 24fps/~100 minutes at 25fps);
- the American/international version (~98 minutes at 24fps/~94 minutes at 25fps) trimming some exposition in the Outback first half of the film and some shorter extensions of a few seconds in the New York section, altering some of the dialogue – including censoring a "fuck" to "screw" – but featuring one additional dialogue extension not in the Australian version (a comparison of the two cuts can be found at Movie Censorship);
- the Australian Encore Cut (~95 minutes at 24fps/~91 minutes at 25fps) which uses the international version source so it already has those alterations but also removes approximately three minutes consisting of parts of two scenes featuring Mick grabbing the crotch of a cross-dressing prostitute and a later sequence when he does the same thing at a party to a woman with a deep voice (a comparison of the international version and the Encore Cut can be found at Movie Censorship).
Director: Ridley Scott
Theatrical Cut: Fox 4K Blu-ray
2003 Directors Cut: Fox 4K Blu-ray
(additional scenes appear to be upscaled)
Original Theatrical 70mm 6-Track Stereo: Fox 4K Blu-ray (DTS-HD MA 4.1)
Original Theatrical 35mm Matrixed Dolby Stereo: 1999 DVD? (2.0 mix on the UHD is a downmix)
2003 Directors Cut: Fox 4K Blu-ray, Fox Blu-ray (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
Directors: Neil Nightingale & Barry Cook
Fox 3D Blu-ray has both the theatrical cut and the "Cretaceous Cut"
Fox 3D Blu-ray has both the theatrical cut and the "Cretaceous Cut" which removes the dialogue and the framing device, essentially serving as a director's cut of the film. The "Cretaceous Cut" is not available on the 2D Blu-ray or on digital streaming.
Caveat: No Dolby Vision metadata from Streaming
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