I really didn't know what to expect from the special edition but I knew I would be blown away. AVATAR is my favorite movie of all time: I saw the original cut 3 times in IMAX 3D, twice in RealD and once in 2D, so this makes it my 7th time seeing it in theaters. The 9 extra minutes of footage feel like they've been there all along- they don't feel out of place at all. There's more of the creatures of pandora, and Grace's history with the Na'vi, a cool hunting scene, & some extended battle scenes that are really cool.
I was one of 'the lucky ones' who attended AVATAR Day, and I can tell you 3 things. 1:Do not believe ANYBODY who says ANYTHING bad about this movie. You will feel like an idiot once it comes out. 2:This is not ordinary 3D. This is IMAX 3D, on IMAX screens. The 3D in this movie (at least, in the 16 minutes that I've seen) is used to emphasize the characters, and to draw your eye to certain parts of the screen in scenes that are particularly breathtaking. 3:Buy your tickets now. A number has not been released, but ticket sales have been described as 'strong' at almost FOUR months before the release date. I personally have already bought 2 tickets and I plan on buying more later (if there are any left!). :)