Advertisement

Movies & TV

I survived Canadas first 4DX movie screening

A few hours before Marvels Doctor Strange opened across Canada today, a handful of journalists were invited to see it in the countrys first 4DX auditorium. I was one of them.

Over the last few weeks, theatre number four at the Cineplex Cinemas Yonge-Dundas has been rebuilt into a 4DX screening room, offering moviegoers an absolute cinema experience involving motion-controlled seats, strobe lights and environmental effects such as wind, water, snow, fog and bursts of air.

Its very silly.

Imagine a movie tricked out like a theme-park ride, with hydraulics that lurch the audience around in their seats during a foot chase or a scene that sends Benedict Cumberbatchs novice magician vaulting through the multiverse. Imagine a key moment in the film where dialogue is obscured by fans blasting from the ceiling. Imagine trying to orient yourself while watching a quickly cutting 3D sequence while your skull is being rattled by the back shaker in your headrest.

I dont have to imagine all of that, because I just experienced it. Like I said on Twitter immediately afterward, it was like trying to watch the movie while ignoring an earthquake. And I had an advantage: Id already seen Doctor Strange (and really enjoyed it), and could coast through the events of the plot.

I already knew where to look in the bravura chase sequence through a Manhattan thats being folded in space like an M.C. Escher image. I didnt have to worry so much about knowing what Tilda Swintons Ancient One was saying atop Mount Everest when those fans kicked in. I cant imagine experiencing those movies for the first time with all the distractions of the 4DX machinery.

Because thats what 4DX is: the latest development in the current augmented-cinema movement that actually detracts from the movie rather than enhancing it. It started with 3D post-conversion, which allowed movies that werent originally shot with 3D cameras to be shown in more expensive 3D engagements but rendered their images blurry or gloomy. Then there was D-Box, a motion-controlled seat that was actually kind of fun for the Fast & Furious movies, but otherwise made it feel like someone was kicking you in the back every time the theatres subwoofers fired.

The 4DX experience is like sitting in a D-Box chair that someone picks up and shakes while youre trying to watch a movie, with the additional irritation of a puff of air at the back of your ear when someone throws a punch onscreen, or a spritz of water near your face during a rainy scene.

The mist and snow are kind of fun, because theyre happening on the screen and their physical presence interacts with the 3D image in an interesting way. There was a moment when Benedict Cumberbatchs face seemed to push through the 4DX flurry that was pretty cool, I have to admit, as was the more subtle motion element used to create a drifting sensation during some of the films slower, gliding shots.

In those instances, you could see the appeal of the process a kind of sure-why-not element that subtly enhances rather than distracts, because it functions within the expected parameters of cinema. That stuff allows you to remain focused on the story being told, rather than the bigger effects that force you to concentrate harder on the image and sound being obscured.

Cineplex has set a $25 pricetag for 4DX screenings, just a few dollars more than the $19.50 ticket price for IMAX 3D (but considerably higher than the standard $13.25 price for a conventional 2D presentation). Will audiences go for it? Maybe once, just to see what its like people like novelty, and theres definitely nothing else like 4DX at the megaplex. But thats because movies even big Marvel action extravaganzas arent rides.

Because these augmented cinema rooms are few and far between there are just 300 4DX rooms in 42 countries around the world, according to Cineplex COO Dan McGrath theres no content specifically engineered for them. 4DX has to add stuff to something thats already been designed as a complete experience, and all that does is obscure the thing its enhancing.

Its no secret that cinema is in flux right now. Audiences only seem willing to pay megaplex prices for something spectacular, which is why every major release these days is a blockbuster franchise or an attempt to start one. Everybody is looking for the next big thing, and 4DX promises an experience you cannot have at home. I understand why Cineplex would jump on it, but this technology is the answer to a question no one was asking: How can we make watching a movie in a theatre more annoying than it already is?

Its a question that would stump even the Sorcerer Supreme. Trust me, I just spent two hours with the guy.

Find Yonge-Dundas theatre listings here.

normw@nowtoronto.com | @normwilner

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted