Book Review: James Cameron’s Avatar Collectors Vault 3D

Published by Titan Books & Whitman Publishing | RRP £34.99

As you make your way through James Cameron’s Avatar Collectors Vault 3D, you will journey through stunning terrain that few human eyes have seen the world of the Navi, the 10-foot-tall blue-skinned humanoids who inhabit Pandora. They have a mystical connection to Pandoras natural world, which they believe to be nurtured by and inextricably bound with Eywa, the goddess of life they worship.  Enjoy natural wonders like the floating Hallelujah Mountains and Pandoras natural bioluminescence. View the moons amazing creatures, ranging from the gentle, spirit-powered woodsprite to fearsome predators such as the thanator and the great flying leonopteryx. This interactive book also contains 3D glasses to further enhance your viewing experience, plus 3D Pandora removable profiles. If you are inspired by the awesome beauty of Pandora, James Cameron’s Avatar Collectors Vault 3D is for you!

This 96 page over sized hardback is printed mainly in 3D and comes with a pair of red/blue 3D glasses. The 3D images are well done and the photographs are well presented, pull out bits consist of posters (3D on one side, and normal on the other), stickers, and ‘profile’ cards, which are really just oddly shaped playing cards.

I’m sure huge fans of the film will love this book, but I don’t think it’s as good as the Star Wars or Marvel Vault books, mainly because Avatar does not have enough history to warrant a Vault. Where previous Vaults have been packed with information and quirky pullout items, the Avatar book is mainly double page and full page photos, with very little new information. The posters are folded 4 times and are still smaller than the images in the book that they reproduce. Whitman also misses an opportunity with the profile cards – they consist of a photo on one side and a 3D back, a bit like a playing card, it would have made a lot more sense to put information about the image on the front, on the back of the card.

For the price of £34.99 you’d be better buying the DVD of Blu-ray. Or both. Maybe after Cameron releases two more Avatar film there will be enough information and a large enough back-story to warrant a better version of this book, but at the moment James Cameron’s Avatar Collectors Vault 3D is a cash in rather than the special book previous Vaults have been.

James Cameron’s Avatar Collectors Vault 3D is out now from Titan Books.