Spider-Ma

May 23rd, 2007

The IMAX film projector is apparently a very complex thing. It weighs just over a ton, and makes use of all sorts of pistons and compressed-air devices and xenon bulbs that can kill a man with quartz crystal accuracy.

In short, it’s not a camera to fuck with. If it were a Transformer– presumably monikered IMAXtron– it would crush you to death and record the whole thing in an incredible resolution of clarity. At least you would achieve some nominal immortality on film.

So, for the first time ever, I ventured forth with a couple of friends to see an IMAX movie, specifically “Spider-Man 3: The IMAX Experience”. I figured it was a good bet to see in mind-boggling high-def, and the complexity of the eye-candy proved me right. From the awesome physics of the whorls of digital sand grains, to the high-powered web-grab-and-punch moves in mid-air melee, I delighted to the detail that might otherwise have been lost.

However, almost exactly 120 minutes in to the 140 minute spandex-clad melodrama, just as the hands of the clock swept past midnight, just as the final climactic battle began to build towards its crescendo, everything went dark.

Despite the plainitive cries of dissatisfaction throughout the theater, IMAXtron refused to show us the last fifteen minutes. Something’s wrong, the employees said, after tracking down the projectionist, and we can’t fix it. Here’s some free movie passes, they said, and urged us on our way.

At the price of IMAX tickets, and after this “experience”, I’m not sure I’ll see one again anytime soon. But I sure would like to see the end of Spider-Man 3, someday.

Entry Filed under: Cinema

2 Comments Add your own

  • 1. KK  |  May 23rd, 2007 at 1:43 pm

    It goes to show ya that going bigger is not always better. IMAX is like an evolutionary step forward, once that I’ve only seen matched by the arclight in LA. http://arclightcinemas.com/ You think there’s no movie ticket worth over 15 bux, but you are indeed wrong.

    I see that the sales on S3 dropped fast, people are attributing it to word of mouth not that the word of others has much influence on me. The difference is that folks like us will go for the effects in a superhero context alone, the fact that the move was long, had too many bad guys, etc. who cares? So far, everyone I know that likes Spiderman liked the move. The people that didn’t like it are the ones that are being convinced to buy into the superhero genre anyway. (Or the Superman lovers, sometimes I swear it’s worse than the Jater/Skater debates by the LOSTies.)

    Here’s how I look at it, you got to check out the IMAX experience for free. The story wasn’t really the point, was it? :)

  • 2. Administrator  |  May 29th, 2007 at 8:47 am

    All too often, “word of mouth” also equates into, “I talked to someone who read a couple of bad reviews of that movie, so I’ll pass.” Like, seriously? You’re not going to go see something you were interested in previously because of some douchebag reviewer?

    Then, of course, some of us really enjoyed The Punisher, despite it getting almost universally panned (28%/100% on rottentomatoes.com) by professional critics. There’s no accounting for taste, mine or theirs.

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