My friend Corey, his girlfriend, and I went to a second screening of The Dark Knight last night, at the IMAX theatre in Mississauga. The results?
(1) My three complaints about the movie still stand (especially the length — the natural cliffhanger should have been the Joker, hanging off the side of the building) However, my praise for the rest of this gorgeously-made film remains intact. One thing the IMAX sequences do is enhance the beauty of the cinematography, although I’m not sure The Dark Knight in general is any more effective in IMAX than it is on a normal screen.
(2) Mind you, I was surprised how much extra leg room you get in the tiered seating format of the auditorium. Very nice for a ridiculously tall being such as myself…
(3) …and I was doubly surprised by the 1980s discotheque laser-light show that opened the film. Sure, it was nice to learn how the technololgy works, but…good lord, could it get more Wargames/Ferris Bueller? It was as if Van Halen was waiting for their cue to “JUMP”, from behind the screen!
(4) One thing I did find that was truly superior to my other theatre visits was the sound. It was easily the best sound system I’ve ever experienced in a movie theatre. I always find problems with the sound in most theatres…sometimes too loud & crude, other times too soft & gentle…but in the IMAX theatre, it was absolutely perfect.
So…not a complete waste of time, but it’s going to take something spectacular to get me back into an IMAX theatre for another Hollywood film.
