I feel quite privileged that I have the means and the nerdiness to travel almost four hours roundtrip to see The Odyssey how Christopher Nolan intended it: in true IMAX 70mm, as it was shot entirely with IMAX cameras. I reviewed the film itself here. While I’m a movie nerd (I don’t dare use cinephile!) and I enjoy hearing the aspects behind filmmaking, I don’t consider myself an aficionado when it comes to the nuts and bolts of showcasing the film itself. In other words, until Nolan’s film, I didn’t even realize I’d never actually seen a film on true IMAX; rather, my go-to AMC theater in West Chester, Ohio, has what those aficionados derisively refer to as “LieMAX,” or digital IMAX. Just look at the numbers: There are more than 1,800 theaters globally that have these apparently inferior IMAX screens, whereas only 41 can showcase true IMAX 70mm, 25 of which are in the United States. So, what’s the difference? Well, size. The IMAX 70mm is six stories tall and 84-feet across. The reel is fed horizontally through the projector (instead of vertically, as is typical with normal films). And the reel itself is 11 miles long and weighs 600 pounds! It needs to not only be kept in a large room, of course, but at a specific temperature. Most places return the reels to the studio, not having the space to store them. (For the full differences, research around, as someone much smarter than I am can break it down.)
The closet IMAX 70mm to me was Indianapolis’ Indiana State Museum, about two hours away. I originally bought a ticket to The Odyssey on Thursday, July 16. It’s a Christopher Nolan film. Of course I was going to try to see it as soon as possible. Then, I learned about the IMAX 70mm situation and realized, I should go out of my way to see this the way it ought to be seen; the way Nolan intended it. So, I canceled my reservation, which meant foregoing my AMC A-lister subscription, and buying a $26 ticket to the IMAX 70mm in Indianapolis. That’s actually not that far off of the AMC IMAX in West Chester: $20.99. Given how much more screen and audio immersivity you’re getting, that’s quite the deal! Funny enough, the Dolby experience, which does have better seats and the aficionados would argue better picture and sound quality compared to “LieMAX,” is $21.49. As for why Sunday, July 26, that was the next available opportunity that worked with my schedule. I had to be patient!
Anyhow, when I arrived at the Indiana State Museum and checked in, the first thing I had to do before concessions or even hitting the restroom was to just see the screen. Pictures can’t do it justice. It was like walking into a theater that was akin to stadium size, but with much more comfortable chairs — certainly more comfortable than actual stadium seating, but also more comfortable than the AMC West Chester IMAX seating. Because of its size, and the angling of the seats, my B1 seat (perfect since it was an aisle seat!) didn’t feel like I was right on top of the screen nor having to crane my neck to see everything. That was a pleasant surprise.
Other interesting tidbits from my first IMAX 70mm experience:
- They did push the showing back from its 11 a.m. start time to 11:30 a.m. because their popcorn machine broke and the crowd was backed up. The IMAX workers, rightly, wanted to ensure everyone was able to get to their seats in time. No biggie to me (I just took an extra bathroom break to be on the safe side).
- In the interim, one of the workers did a Q&A, which supplied me with some of the facts I’ve already mentioned. This segment before the movie also included shouting out and applauding James, our projectionist. Good job, James!
- While they didn’t actually show previews ahead of the movie — I don’t know if that is because they were already running behind or because we had a special look at Dune: Part III, also shot for IMAX 70mm —, I thought it was neat they make a point of saying they cap their previews at 12 minutes because they don’t want the previews to be an additional feature film, as it were. I don’t mind extensive previews. My problem with AMC is throwing a commercial in the middle of those previews, then after those extensive previews, you have the AMC commercial, the Coke commercial, the Nicole Kidman commercial, and then the feature film. It’s a lot!
- At least before the IMAX worker announced the delay in the film, which probably loosened everyone up, the vibe in the theater was unlike anything I’ve experienced with a full crowd before, which is to say, it was really quiet! Again, this was 20 minutes (originally) before the movie even started. And during the movie, the only noticeable crowd elements were if someone left to use the bathroom. No talking or phone issues at all.
Also, for the record, I love AMC and I have no animus to them, even their long commercials before the movie. I’m still an A-lister, after all!
So, was it worth it? Was it worth driving four hours roundtrip to see a nearly 3-hour movie on IMAX 70mm? Hell yeah it was! If you’re someone who has any modicum of affection for the moviegoing experience — the thrill and awe of seeing a movie in the theater — then it’s something you have to experience at least once. Obviously, your mileage may vary, quite literally, depending on where you live in the Untied States or the world in terms of the nearest one to you. But for this Midwesterner, four hours was no big deal. And even above and beyond the picture, it’s the sound that was the sneaky best part of the experience. I felt like I was there with Odysseus and his men, especially the scene when Zeus decides to wreck their ship after they ate the sun god’s cattle. That was intense. It almost felt like a 4D experience.
To cap off my experience, when we walked out of the theater, they gave us a filmstrip to take home:
How neat!
Milam's Musings 