Dark Night Imax Review Anyone?

[spotlightkid]

I want to go see this in Imax-Is it worth the extra dollars to see
this on the larger screen?Could you tell which scenes were filmed
using the Imax cameras?

[Oatsdad]

I've not seen it, but I've heard differing opinions. Some have said it rocks in IMAX, while others have thought the shift between IMAX shots and non-IMAX shots became a distraction... :shrug:

[Rando]

It was fantastic in IMAX. Highly recommended. :thumbsup:

[StyxCollector]

The IMAX version was great. The scenes shot in IMAX were amazing, and going back to the standard format didn't "take me out of the experience" (so-to-speak). $11.50 well spent here. I have no real desire to see it in a "normal" movie theater.

[davenav]

Here's another thumbs up for the Imax experience. I was so into it, I didn't notice the back and forth between Imax and the normal.

[jables]

It's the big action sequences that are filmed in IMAX as well as a few shorter scenes. I didn't find the shift between IMAX and non-IMAX a distraction at all. I bet most people didn't even notice it.

[balzac]

I don't go to the "regular" movies often these days, let alone IMAX, so I'm curious: The aspect ratio actually changes during certain segments filmed in IMAX? Does it get wider, or taller?

[Pinknik]

I don't go to the "regular" movies often these days, let alone IMAX, so I'm curious: The aspect ratio actually changes during certain segments filmed in IMAX? Does it get wider, or taller?

I've wondered this about any 35mm to IMAX film. Do they "letterbox" widescreen films for the nearly Academy IMAX ratio, or do they "pan and scan" it? And, as balzac asked, does this one stay at one ratio, or go back and forth? Thanks.

[davenav]

Whatever they do, it's good because I didn't notice it. If they had gone back and forth between letterbox and the ginormous Imax picture, I like to think I would have noticed that.

[Jamie Tate]

I don't go to the "regular" movies often these days, let alone IMAX, so I'm curious: The aspect ratio actually changes during certain segments filmed in IMAX? Does it get wider, or taller?

The IMAX image gets taller (it fills the screen).

[balzac]

The IMAX image gets taller (it fills the screen).

What are the approximate aspect ratios? I would imagine the main portions of the film are shown at something around 2.35:1. Does it go to 4:3, or just something around 1.85:1? I have read that for this film they may be planning on replicating the change in aspect ratios on the resulting DVD or at least the Blu-Ray. I'm thinking the jump to a "taller" picture couldn't be replicated on Blu-Ray at least unless it doesn't change to anything more than 1.78:1 or 1.85:1 or so in terms of height, unless they plan to windowbox most of the film, which would be pretty odd for a 2.35:1 film on Blu-Ray. I suppose they could have it on the Blu-Ray letterboxed, and then sort of zoom out and pillarbox the IMAX image, but that wouldn't at all replicate the actual IMAX viewing experience from what I can tell.

[Jamie Tate]

I don't know the specifics of the IMAX aspect ratio but from eyeballing it I would imagine it's somewhere close to being 4:3.

[balzac]

I don't know the specifics of the IMAX aspect ratio but from eyeballing it I would imagine it's somewhere close to being 4:3.

Yeah, that's what I've been able to tell. I'm just curious how they would replicate this on Blu-Ray. My best guess would be that the approx. 2.35:1 image would simply expand to 1.85:1 or so. This would reveal "more" information and also have that sort of "expanding" feel to it, while I suppose would still actually be cropping the image to a degree, depending how the footage is shot to begin with.

[Vidiot]

I don't know the specifics of the IMAX aspect ratio but from eyeballing it I would imagine it's somewhere close to being 4:3.
Imax can be any aspect ratio you want. It's a film format, not an aspect ratio.

I believe Batman is using 15-perf wide 65mm negative. The rest of the movie was uprezzed to 6K from regular 35mm anamorphic negative, and if they do their job right, the differences are subtle. The aspect ratio should not change for these sequences, but the Imax-shot scenes should appear sharper.

Director Chris Nolan has already said that if this film was successful (which it is, hugely), they're considering shooting the next one 100% in Imax, which is amazing. Logistically, that'll be a huge challenge, but I applaud him. This what guys like Spielberg and Lucas should be doing.

[balzac]

Imax can be any aspect ratio you want. It's a film format, not an aspect ratio.

I believe Batman is using 15-perf wide 65mm negative. The rest of the movie was uprezzed to 6K from regular 35mm anamorphic negative, and if they do their job right, the differences are subtle. The aspect ratio should not change for these sequences, but the Imax-shot scenes should appear sharper.

Director Chris Nolan has already said that if this film was successful (which it is, hugely), they're considering shooting the next one 100% in Imax, which is amazing. Logistically, that'll be a huge challenge, but I applaud him. This what guys like Spielberg and Lucas should be doing.

So in the case of the new Batman flick, what aspect ratio are they displaying the IMAX portions (and the non-IMAX portions for that matter) in? I would guess that the non-IMAX portions are being shown in something around 2.35:1, and people are describing the IMAX screens as something around 4:3, with the IMAX portions of this Batman film expanding and filling the entire screen. I'm just curious how this format change during exhibition of the film and the supposed resulting replication of this exhibition on a future Blu-Ray will happen. It doesn't sound like the way this is being exhibited in IMAX theaters can be exactly replicated in terms of aspect ratios on a 16x9 screen and/or on Blu-Ray without either some cropping or strange windowboxing or something.

I have a few Blu-Ray discs with older IMAX stuff on it, and my vague recollection is that the original aspect ratio was something strange like 1.44:1 and the Blu-Ray versions just cropped it to 1.85:1 or so for 16x9 screens.

[Pinknik]

Director Chris Nolan has already said that if this film was successful (which it is, hugely), they're considering shooting the next one 100% in Imax, which is amazing. Logistically, that'll be a huge challenge, but I applaud him. This what guys like Spielberg and Lucas should be doing.

That'd be something. This'd be even cooler:

http://www.in70mm.com/newsletter/2001/64/sds_70/index.htm

[Jamie Tate]

Imax can be any aspect ratio you want. It's a film format, not an aspect ratio.

I was talking about the screen shape.