IMAX isn't old news.

Personally, I find that traditional Hollywood movies don't work well at all on Omnimax/IMAX screens. For example, I saw Star Wars Ep 2 on the Omnimax at the Carnegie Science Center, and I had such a screaming headache by the end of the movie it wasn't funny. It was all just a hard-to-see, pain-inducing mess every time there was any kind of fast action on the screen (which, with a movie like that, was often).

I think I get the same kind of woozy feeling after seeing movies on IMAX, but not to the effect you describe. I saw SW ep 2 and the last two Matrix movies and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that you saw them on the curved Omnimax screen.

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colincsl said:

Oh, and I think they should make a 3-d roller coaster IMAX. It could be pretty cool if thye did it right.

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"Across the Sea of Time," an Imax 3D film from several years ago had a coaster sequence. Sorry, don't know which one... we didn't get an Imax theater till much later.
Al W.

I can't speak for the OmniMax experience, but Matrix Reloaded on IMAX didn't give me any particular problems...and that was after watching about a third of a 3D presentation before it (Three extra bucks got you a good seat in advance in these parts).

Of course, it was a little easier to spot the CG scenes, but not as easily as on the DVD.

-'Playa
(who'll probably do IMAX Revolutions when it gets to town too)

Wait, I am a little confused, whats the difference between an IMAX and an Omnimax? Now that I think of it, I think the MOST (Museum of Science and Technology) might actually have an omnimax.(The MOST is the closest *MAX to me)

Omnimaxes go all around you for a very unique experience quite like no other. It is quite excellent.

IMAX projectors and their reels need to be slightly modified to be able to fit feature-length movies onto a single reel. That's why we haven't seen many films show up in IMAX format, but now filmmakers are starting to film in IMAX format (The Matrix Revolutions) or in digital format and so the quality of the images is excellent -- and it makes money for most places with IMAX theaters that they wouldn't otherwise get.

I just saw Santa vs. the Snowman in 3D and was impressed by how effective the effects were.

I think we're seeing the beginning of a new trend in moviegoing.

Matrix Revolutions was actually filmed on IMAX film?

No. Digital video maybe, but definitely not IMAX film.

-Nate

No. IMAX has some kind of a new post-production technique for adapting theatrical movies to the IMAX format (cleaning up the image, rescaling, cropping to the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, adapting the sound track, I don't know what all else...). Matrix Revolutions was the first film to be processed in this way and released for IMAX on the day of release.

There was an article about it in Amusement Business a month ago.

Details are available at:
http://www.imax.com/body.html?p=/experience/dmr.html

You're supposed to go through the front door at http;//www.imax.com as it's a flash site.

--Dave Althoff, Jr. *** Edited 12/19/2003 5:25:18 AM UTC by RideMan***

... And actually, I think Matrix Reloaded was the first. We had it up at the Boeing IMAX at the Seattle Center and it was absolutely gorgeous on the big screen. I mean... wow.

-Esch

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escher26 said:
... And actually, I think Matrix Reloaded was the first. We had it up at the Boeing IMAX at the Seattle Center and it was absolutely gorgeous on the big screen. I mean... wow.

-Esch

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...so, what do you mean when you say "we"?

Reloaded went to IMAX theaters, just like Episode 2. I think what RideMan is getting at is the fact that Revolutions was the first to go to IMAX theaters at the same time as the regular release in the normal theaters.

Other than a slight woozy, dizzy feeling right after, I really didn't have any problems with it.

The Chicago Museum of Science and Technology has an Omnimax. One easy way to tell is when they try playing regular IMAX movies there (like Super Speedway, for example), look at the picture. The picture will look greatly distorted.

Easiest way to tell you're in an Omnimax theater is to notice that the screen isn't flat...!

Flat screens are a lot easier for filmmakers to deal with than curved screens. On curved screens they have to worry about something on the left-hand side of the screen lighting up the right-hand side.

That said, I've not been in an Omnimax theater yet. I have seen an Omnimax movie projected on an Imax screen ("A Freedom to Move" at Cedar Point) and that also shows significant distortion.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The absolute best IMAX experience is seeing the movie about the sea at the Nauticus naval museum in Norfolk, Virginia.

The reason it's so cool is:
{{SPOILER}}}

At the end of the movie, the final shot is of a bay in a city. Then the screen slides over and there's a GIANT window behind the screen, and you're looking at the exact same scene of Norfolk Bay out the window! Awesome.

...so, what do you mean when you say "we"?

I worked at the PAcific Science Center where the Boeing IMAX lived. We had a staff showing of Matrix Reloaded before the official opening. It was amazing.

-Escher

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RideMan said:
IMAX has some kind of a new post-production technique for adapting theatrical movies to the IMAX format (cleaning up the image, rescaling, cropping to the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, adapting the sound track, I don't know what all else...). Matrix Revolutions was the first film to be processed in this way and released for IMAX on the day of release.

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This makes me wonder, though -- was Matrix Revolutions COMPOSED with that aspect ratio in mind? In that case, the theatrical 2.35:1 or 16:9 (anyone know which? I'm guessing 2.35:1 but I'm not positive, and IMDB doesn't say) contains junk to the sides that's not at all relevant. If it was composed for widescreen, then the IMAX is scan-and-panned just like any of those "modified to fit your home TV" movies. Ew.

Yes, I'm one of "those" people who likes watching movies in their proper aspect ratios, and buys widescreen DVDs whenever available. You know, like the ones The Onion had fun with recently.

Matrix Revolutions throws a whole big wrench into the works by being released in multiple aspect ratios right from the start. Which is "right"? ;)

Perhaps "Matrix" was filmed in "matted" widescreen (2:35-1), where they cut the top and bottom off for the theatrical release and restore them for TV.

GregLeg, I'm one of those too... once I found out about aspect ratios in college, I rebought all of my VHS videos in letterbox.... and then I rebought most of them again on DVD. Don't you hate it when a movie on TV goes to widescreen for the closing credits?

Hmmm, good point. "Pan and scan" wouldn't accurately describe the IMAX version if it was filmed in 4:3 and matted for the theater. It would still mean that either the theatrical version is cropped, or that the IMAX version has extra irrelevant junk on the top and bottom, though.

Maybe THIS is why Cedar Point got rid of their IMAX screen -- presentation headaches. (Trying to steer this somewhat back on a relevant topic)
*** Edited 12/19/2003 8:43:00 PM UTC by GregLeg***