Avatar: The Way of Water 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
DigiPack Collector's Edition
Score: 95
from 4 reviewers
Review Date:
Avatar: The Way of Water 4K UHD dazzles with cutting-edge CG imagery, a definitive collector's edition loaded with special features, and stunning packaging.

Disc Release Date
True 4K
HDR10
Dolby Vision
Dolby Atmos
DTS-HD MA
Dolby TrueHD
Video: 97
The 4K UHD Blu-ray of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' is a flawless visual spectacle. Utilizing native 4K capture with Sony CineAlta Venice 3D cameras, it offers stunning visuals in 1.85:1, enhanced by HDR10/Dolby Vision. The levels of detail, color vividness, and contrast make this a full demo disc for 4K enthusiasts.
Audio: 97
The 4K UHD Blu-ray of "Avatar: The Way of Water" presents an exceptional Dolby Atmos mix, offering a wide, immersive soundstage with dynamic height and surround channel activity, robust bass, and clear dialogue. The soundtrack is expertly layered, delivering a top-tier home theater experience with additional DTS and Dolby Digital audio options.
Extra: 94
The extras for "Avatar: The Way of Water" 4K UHD Blu-ray elevate the initial release to exemplary status with insightful features, such as Jon Landau's engaging behind-the-scenes glimpses, detailed production and design panels, and extensive scene deconstructions. Despite lavish packaging, which can be cumbersome, the set offers over eight hours of comprehensive content that provides a deep dive into the technical and creative processes behind the film.
Movie: 83
Avatar: The Way of Water impresses with its stunning 4K UHD release, showcasing photorealistic visuals and groundbreaking underwater sequences spearheaded by WETA's exceptional effects team, though its extended runtime could have been trimmed for a tighter narrative. The rich world-building and character evolution captivate despite occasional pacing challenges.

Video: 97
The 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation of "Avatar: The Way of Water" is a technical marvel, showcasing the pinnacle of video quality achievable in home entertainment. The production process involved capturing live-action elements digitally in 16-bit X-OCN RAW format using Sony CineAlta Venice 3D cameras. Enhanced by extensive CGI work, the film was completed as a native 4K Digital Intermediate. The disc features a choice between HDR10 and Dolby Vision high dynamic range formats, providing unparalleled visual depth and richness to home viewers. This version is rendered in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, fully leveraging the immersive capabilities of modern displays.
The HEVC-encoded transfer on a BD100 disc achieves remarkable image detail and clarity. With an impressive bitrate peaking over 100 Mbps, textures such as fabric and natural elements like moss are rendered with lifelike precision. The color palette is bold and vivid, with lush greens and the iconic bioluminescent blues of Pandora delivering a mesmerizing experience without oversaturation. Contrast is handled superbly, offering deep, inky blacks complemented by bright, detailed highlights, enhancing scenes with both chaotic action and quiet introspection.
Depth and spacing are noteworthy, rivaling the theatrical 3D experience with excellent portrayal of the environment's spatial dimensions. Black levels underpin the flawless transfer, augmenting the immersive quality. Color reproduction is outstanding with varied shades of blue vividly depicted across Na’vi characters and the landscape. Both human and CGI flesh tones are faithfully rendered, achieving a close-to-reality appearance. The absence of noise and artifacts throughout confirms this release as a reference-quality disc, offering a visual experience that sets a new standard for 4K Blu-ray presentations.
Audio: 97
The audio presentation of the 4K UHD Blu-ray release of "Avatar: The Way of Water" is truly exceptional, offering a home theater port of the film’s Dolby Atmos mix. This audio experience is immersive from the outset, with a wide and dynamic soundstage that envelops the listener. The surround and height channels are utilized extensively, ensuring seamless movement and an encompassing audio experience that places the viewer at the heart of the film's world. The mix ranges from nuanced subtleties to robust, thunderous crescendos effortlessly. Dialogue is consistently clear and intelligible, and Simon Franglen’s score, a tribute to James Horner, integrates beautifully into the mix with high fidelity.
Technically impressive, the Dolby Atmos mix in Dolby TrueHD 7.1 extends its dynamic range compared to streaming versions. Low-frequency extension (LFE) is excellent, providing impactful bass that amplifies the film's engaging action sequences with pulsing emphasis. Each explosion and thud come to life with added force, enhancing the sensory experience. Additional audio options include English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, family-friendly English 5.1 Dolby Digital, and multilingual offerings such as French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish and Japanese 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus.
Optional subtitles enhance accessibility, supporting English for the Hearing Impaired, French, Spanish, and Japanese languages. Notably, the accompanying Blu-ray version offers alternatives like DTS-HD Master Audio in 5.1 and 2.0 configurations. Overall, this audio presentation not only maintains but elevates the cinematic quality of "Avatar: The Way of Water," setting a high bar for home viewing experiences with its superb execution of sound design and mixing.
Extras: 94
The 4K UHD Blu-ray release of "Avatar: The Way of Water" offers an expansive suite of extras that delve deeply into the filmmaking process, enriched by new insightful features and ports from the earlier release. Jon Landau's engaging "Behind the Scenes Presentation" is a standout, providing an in-depth look at the production's groundbreaking techniques. The "Production Design Panel" and "Scene Deconstruction" offer an intricate understanding of the CGI artistry and filmmaking nuances that make this sequel visually striking. The deleted/extended scenes offer intriguing insights, revealing the narrative choices in refining the film's story structure. Moreover, "Production Materials" and "Beyond the Big Screen" documents explore technological advancements and cultural impacts associated with the film's release. Each supplemental feature contributes to an overarching celebration of cinematographic innovation, making this disc a valuable asset for movie aficionados keen on understanding the exhaustive efforts behind such a cinematic marvel.
Extras included in this disc:
- Behind the Scenes Presentation: Jon Landau hosts an immersive look at film production.
- Memories from Avatar: The Way of Water: A compelling discussion featuring key cast members.
- Production Design Panel: Insights into the film's visual aesthetics from award-winning designers.
- Deleted Scenes: Unfinished shots offering narrative expansions.
- Scene Deconstruction: Exploration of CGI development across multiple production stages.
- Production Materials: Featurettes on on-set initiatives and advanced visual effects.
- Beyond the Big Screen: Additional featurettes on the broader impact of the film.
- Archives: Script, Artwork, Marketing: Behind-the-scenes production assets.
Movie: 83
"Avatar: The Way of Water" on 4K UHD Blu-ray provides a visually spectacular continuation of James Cameron’s groundbreaking universe. This installment immerses viewers in the lush, photorealistic world of Pandora, leveraging advanced performance capture techniques to deliver breathtaking underwater sequences by WETA. The meticulous shot composition and high-definition resolution make this a must-watch for visual effects aficionados. James Cameron's steadfast commitment to technical excellence shines, ensuring viewers experience unparalleled depth and realism in every scene.
The narrative picks up a decade after the original events of Pandora, following Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), now leaders of a family. As they navigate the incursion of the RDA into their lives once again, the film delves into themes of survival, adaptation, and conflict. The resurgence of antagonist Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) as a clone heightens the tension, particularly as Sully’s family is exiled among the Metkayina, a water-based clan. The intertwining of familial bonds and interspecies challenges forms a rich emotional tapestry, adding depth to the action-packed sequences that blend seamlessly with stunning visuals.
Despite a runtime of over three hours which could benefit from selective trimming, "Avatar: The Way of Water" excels in advancing both its storyline and characters. Newcomers such as the character of Kiri offer fresh angles, though some, like Spider, are less deftly handled, occasionally detracting from the narrative flow. Nevertheless, the script—crafted by Cameron alongside Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver—offers more originality than its predecessor. Fans will appreciate the enriched character development and expansion of Pandora’s lore, while the film’s vivid cinematography firmly re-establishes Cameron’s opus as an iconic visual and narrative journey.
Total: 95
The 4K UHD Blu Ray of "Avatar: The Way of Water" sets a new benchmark for CGI filmmaking, demonstrating the rapid advancement in digital imagery and visual effects technologies over the past thirteen years. This release showcases stunning vistas of Pandora that continue to captivate audiences. While the storytelling remains consistent with the original film, leaning towards grand visual spectacle, it undoubtedly serves as a testament to cutting-edge filmmaking. Catering to both visual and auditory senses, this edition represents reference-quality content, appealing to fans and audiophiles alike.
This Collector’s Edition is robust with enriching special features, setting it apart from previous iterations, and making it an essential acquisition for dedicated fans and collectors who relish behind-the-scenes insights. Although the packaging could have been more user-friendly, with tight sleeves making disc retrieval cumbersome, the overall presentation remains visually appealing and aligns with Disney's penchant for exquisite packaging.
In conclusion, the Collector’s Edition of "Avatar: The Way of Water" offers thorough value for enthusiasts and collectors, delivering on its technological promises and comprehensive content spectrum. Whether the intent is to double-dip or to immerse in Pandora's awe-inspiring world once more, this release bears high recommendation. Its beautiful packaging, extensive features, and auditory and visual excellence make it a must-have for those who appreciate the intricate art of filmmaking.
Blu-ray.com review by Jeffrey KauffmanRead review here
Video: 100
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Audio: 100
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Extras: 100
1080 Disc Three repeats the supplements detailed in my Avatar: The Way of Water 4K Blu-ray review and Avatar: The Way of Water Blu-ray review, while 1080 Disc Two offers the following new supplements:...
Movie: 80
This release features Avatar: The Way of Water in both 1080 and 4K UHD versions, along with a glut of bonus material, including some new features....
Total: 90
As I've joked in some previous reviews of Disney releases, the studio is certainly not averse to "recycling" titles again and again (and again), in what I'm sure strikes some people as unrepentant cash...
The Digital Bits review by Bill HuntRead review here
Video: 100
All of this was then enhanced and supplemented by extensive computer-generated visuals to produce the final result, a native 4K Digital Intermediate framed at both the 1.85:1 and 2.39:1 aspect ratios (depending...
Audio: 100
The stage is big, wide, and highly immersive, with constant surround and height channel activity, and smooth movement....
Extras: 95
Content-wise, this disc is essentially the same as the 4K disc, simply with the film in HD and no Atmos mix....
Movie: 80
He and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are also raising several children of their own, including sons Neteyam and Lo’ak, daughter Tuk, and adoptees Kiri (played by Sigourney Weaver, somehow born of the late Grace...
Total: 94
Even so, whether or not you enjoy The Way of Water will probably come down to whether or not you enjoyed the original Avatar, because this is definitely a case of “second verse, same as the first,” just...
Home Theater Forum review by Todd ErwinRead review here
Video: 100
Avatar: The Way of Water was captured and rendered in 4K and 3D using Sony CineAlta Venice Rialto 3D cameras for much of its production photography and completed as a 4K digital intermediate in both 2D...
Audio: 100
The default Dolby Atmos mix (in Dolby TrueHD 7.1) is a slight improvement with an expanded dynamic range over the more compressed Atmos mix found on the digital streaming version....
Extras: 90
Inside Pandora’s Box (1080p; 152:14): This is a very detailed, feature-length documentary on the technical aspects of making Avatar: The Way of Water....
Movie: 80
But the sky people have returned to further wreak havoc on the planet, led by General Ardmore (Edie Falco), with a team of genetically enhanced avatar hybrids that include a clone of Colonel Miles Quaritch...
Total: 90
No additional cuts of Avatar: The Way of Water, but the set is loaded up with additional interesting special features that fans will certainly enjoy, especially if they did not purchase the previous 4K...
Why So Blu?Read review here
Video: 100
Spacing is excellent and adds to the visual feast!Black Levels: Black levels serve the transfer just as well as the rest of its visual technical merits....
Audio: 100
Powerful doesn’t even begin to explain the LFE output!Surround Sound Presentation: Surround channels bring out the best of Pandora, further initiating a world of sound around you, encompassing not just...
Extras: 100
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....
Movie: 100
Conflict is in the escape and eventual battle with the RDA and also with learning to live with a clan that is at once your equal and just like you, yet also so very different....
Total: 100
If you’re like me and you love not just films but the time, effort and trials and tribulations of filmmaking, this Collector’s Edition is like a toybox treasure to savor for years to come....
Director: James Cameron
Actors: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
PlotSet more than a decade after the events of the first film, the story resumes on the lush moon Pandora. Former human-turned-Na'vi, Jake Sully, now lives a settled life with his partner Neytiri and their children. As the family grows, they find peace among the forest-dwelling tribes, learning to coexist with the myriad creatures and complex ecosystems. However, the return of humans to Pandora brings with it the inevitable clash of civilizations and ideologies. Despite their efforts to maintain harmony, Jake and Neytiri's family is threatened by the resurgent human forces bent on exploiting Pandora's resources.
In response to the escalating conflict, the Sully family is forced to leave their home and seek refuge with the Metkayina clan, Na'vi who live in harmony with Pandora's oceans. Here, the family must adapt to a new way of life and the cultural differences of their aquatic kin. The oceans of Pandora hold many secrets and untold riches, further enticing human exploitation. As tensions rise, Jake finds himself at the forefront of a fight for survival, as he attempts to unite the Na'vi clans against the technological might of the human invaders, all while grappling with the challenge of protecting his family and respecting the sacred balance of Pandora's diverse ecosystems.
Writers: James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Release Date: 16 Dec 2022
Runtime: 192 min
Rating: PG-13
Country: United States
Language: English