The Imax Experience

When we first moved to Myrtle Beach, I was extremely excited to see that we had an Imax theater.  The idea of seeing movies on an even bigger screen was enticing.  In the past, I had a two very different experiences with Imax.

The first time I saw a movie on Imax, it was The Return of the King, and it was a horrible experience.  The print was scratched, and the film was not properly projected, resulting in an out of focus picture.  Watching such a long movie in such poor conditions didn't endear me to the Imax experience.  It was quite some time before I gave Imax another try.

Not counting the forgettable Imax experience that was Superman Returns*, my next real Imax experience was The Dark Knight, and it was amazing.  What Nolan did with the Imax cameras was effective and proved their worth.  I saw The Dark Knight multiple times in the theaters, but the viewing at the Imax was my favorite.

Now, there is another Nolan Batman movie, and he utilized the Imax cameras even more.  The important question is whether or not it is worth it to see the movie on Imax.

Cost

For two tickets to the 7:00PM showing, it was $31.  That's ridiculous.  I'm sure there are understandable explanations, but ouch.

Proximity

Most people don't have an Imax theater close by.  We travelled to Wilmington, NC to see The Dark Knight Rises.  In the past, we also had to travel a couple hours.  While there was an Imax theater here in Myrtle Beach, it didn't show first run movies.  Now, it has been closed and re-opened as a Big D theater, owned by the near-by Carmike cinema.  It only shows one movie per week, and this week they're showing Total Recall.  I haven't checked them out yet.

Projection

If the film is just being projected larger, it isn't really worth it.  After the poor experience I had with the Return of the King, I have lost faith in movies that aren't properly formatted.  At the same time, Nolan's movies actually utilize Imax cameras for some of the filming.  This makes them better candidates for an Imax viewing.  It's really up to you to decide whether it makes a difference.  Both of the Nolan Batman movies that I saw in Imax were more impressive in that format.  I would do it again.  I would not go out of my way to see Superman Returns or Return of the King in Imax again.

Much like 3D, Imax is only worth the extra cost when done properly.  Avatar was worth the upcharge for 3D, and The Dark Knight Rises is worth the up-charge for Imax.  If a film was created with that as part of the artist's vision, it's probably worth seeing in the way they intended, which is the case with both of Nolan's films.

Otherwise, I would steer clear of Imax.  It's ridiculously expensive, and even though the seats are comfortable, they're not that comfortable.  On a side note, I can't figure out why they try to convince you to see a movie in Imax when you're already doing so.  Theaters need to learn that they don't need to play promos for themselves once you're already in the theater.  Let the experience speak for itself; don't play a two minute promo telling me how awesome Imax or Carmike cinemas are.

*I know it doesn't seem fair to disregard that experience, but it was rather bland.  It wasn't great; it wasn't terrible.  I often forget about it altogether, much like the movie we saw.