The last few weeks have been exciting for fans of the cinematic experience, with two big movies that have managed to bring audiences back to the theaters, en mass, for the first time since the pandemic. Of course, I’m referring to the “Barbenheimer” effect, with Oppenheimer and Barbie opening on the same weekend to brilliant effect with huge numbers not just choosing to see one or the other, but going to see both, some on the same day. It was, if you will, counter-programming of the third kind.
Much was also made of the fact that Oppenheimer had taken a monopoly on all the IMAX and large format screens, much to the chagrin of Tom Cruise, and after four weeks Oppenheimer can still be seen in the director Christopher Nolan’s preferred IMAX format, whether that’s film or digital projection.
Finally, a movie has come along that is now replacing Nolan’s masterpiece on some IMAX screens – and that movie is Blue Beetle, the latest superhero effort from DC. Depending on how clued up you are on comic books, this may have you confused or at least bemused. While I am a fan of superhero movies, I can’t claim to be a comic book fan, so I am one of what I suspect is a large group, who had never heard of the character, up until I saw the trailer for the movie. It’s safe to say that superhero movies are going through something of a crisis right now, with a noticeable wane in popularity, with DC’s last effort, The Flash, being relatively well received by those who saw it, but widely ignored by the wider audience, leading to it being dubbed a major box office flop.
What fate awaits Blue Beetle? At the time of writing, it has just opened and has a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 94% audience, and while this is likely to go down once regular punters have seen it (enthusiasts tend to skew early responses upwards) it has also been Certified Fresh by critics, so the signs are good.
I don’t know for sure but IMAX fans will be pleased to know that up to 70% of the movie in IMAX expanded aspect ratio – at least 1.90:1 ratio that is the default for all IMAX digital screens, which means you get a large picture, then the rest of the movies standard 2.39:1 widescreen ratio – with extra image on the top and bottom. The standard scenes, of course, will have gone through the IMAX DMR process, essentially upscaling them so they look good on the larger IMAX screens.
To give this move some credibility these scenes were shot with the ARRI Alexa Mini LF digital camera, which is part of the company’s “Filmed For IMAX” program that certifies digital cameras as good enough for IMAX.
It’s worth noting that there are no scenes in the full IMAX 1.43:1 ratio as used in movies such as Oppenheimer, and Dune, but while it’s not the full Monty, as it were, I am still a fan of the larger image provided by 1.90:1. It does make for a more immersive, and powerful experience. According to Ángel Manuel Soto, the movie’s director, they put some thought into what scenes would benefit from the IMAX expanded aspect ratio – and it wasn’t just for the bangy/crashy scenes.
“We went through the process with editorial just looking at the best scenes that could do the IMAX pop-up, that were not just action sequences, we also wanted a little of the other places such as Puerto Rico and how it looks and able to have moments of just family intimacy and family dynamics also shown in that immersive format.”
It’s clear then that for me the best format will be IMAX – and preferably if that’s IMAX Laser. While its standard Xenon-lamp-based projectors are still the most common for IMAX Digital Theaters, laser projectors are usually found in newer builds, providing a brighter, and more vivid contrast-rich image.
We also shouldn’t forget the sound – IMAX will deliver a powerful, fulsome sound, especially in laser-projector-equipped venues – though not of course because of the projector but because it is usually paired with a newer 12-channel system with overhead speakers.
If absolute image quality rather than scale is important, or possibly just better seats, then Dolby Cinema will be a great choice. Its projectors can deliver 14-foot-lamberts which is bright enough that it is the only cinema system that can claim to deliver an image with high dynamic range (HDR) – with bright white and truly deep blacks. The precision of the Dolby Atmos sound is always a winner too.
Another great option for this type of film is 4DX, which takes the “theme park” element of the superhero movie and makes it real. In 4DX screens, the seats move forward, back, and up and down in time with the action, you feel punches and crashes in your back, you get blasted by air and water, and lights flash, when appropriate. If that sounds like your worst nightmare it’s probably best avoided but having tried it several times, it can be a lot of fun. Holding a hot drink though is probably best avoided unless you want to go straight to A&E.
If that doesn’t appeal but you can’t get to an IMAX or Dolby Cinema you might have more luck finding a regular premium larger format which offers a larger than average screen, 4K projection and often Dolby Atmos audio. Each cinema chain has a different branding for these. In the UK, Cineworld calls it SuperScreen, Empire calls it IMPACT and Odeon, iSense, and in the USA there’s Regal RPX or Cineplex UltraAVX.
Finally, of course, you could see it in your average, el bogo, standard screen with 2K projection and 5.1 sound and while I’d always advocate going to the cinema over waiting for streaming the quality of these screens is often luck of the draw. So better to go big, if you’re not going to stay home.
To sum up then, my top 6 choices for Blue Beetle are:
1. IMAX Laser
2. IMAX Xenon
3. Dolby Cinema
4. 4DX
5. Superscreen
6. Standard 2D
Read the full article here
