HOW IMAXED THE WATCHMEN IS

March 10, 2009 4:00 PM

Has anyone seen both the IMAX and general-release versions of Watchmen? ->

I'm trying to decide which version to see and searching Google for direct comparisons, clearly stating how the IMAX version differs from the large-release version, is, well, let's just say it's not something that runs like clockwork.

SPECIFICALLY:

was the IMAX version recomposited to fit the IMAX aspect ratio (a la Apollo 13 IMAX)?,

OR

was the film been treated more like the recent Dark Knight film?


The Dark Knight II Electric Boogaloo (or whatever the official title may be) was shown in the standard wide screen ratio until certain set-piece FX sequences were presented in the IMAX format and once the set-piece sequence was completed the film returned to the standard ratio.

Please to hope me, film geeks!

posted by mwhybark to media & arts (6 answers total)

I'm not a huge movie buff but I have seen Watchmen once in IMAX and twice in a normal theatre. I didn't notice anything different except for...well, the IMAX version is way bigger. Unlike TDK, I don't believe any scenes were filmed in IMAX format.

I'd go for IMAX over regular release but go any way you can. It's a fantastic movie.
posted by Diskeater at 4:06 PM on March 10, 2009

I know they remastered the sound for the imax version....
posted by HuronBob at 4:13 PM on March 10, 2009

HB, all things taken into account, can you tell me more about the aspect ratio thing? Feel free to mefi-mail me if you don't wanna post back here. Also, have you seen it yet?

I am quite looking forward to the film.
posted by mwhybark at 5:16 PM on March 10, 2009

Diskeater, since you have seen both versions, did you notice any differences in aspect ratio?

To clarify, in the IMAX showings, were there black bars at the top and bottom of the screen?

IMAX's default aspect ratio is roughly 4:3, like non-HDTV television. Most wide-release films today use a much wider aspect ratio, such as 16:9, which is used by HDTV.

Here's wikipedia on the topic.

I'm in the happy position of selecting to see the film on one of the largest conventional screens in the country at Seattle's Cinerama or in IMAX at the Pacific Science Center. The Cinerama is my default choice for most films here in town, especially when they have repertory special runs. But I am familiar with the PSC's IMAX as a venue for theatrical films as well, and for me, it comes down to which version the director spent more time on.
posted by mwhybark at 5:33 PM on March 10, 2009

I've seen both. The aspect ratio is the same*. The upper and lower parts of the IMAX screen remain black. The end credits are shorter in the IMAX version and Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan" is ommited.

*Although for some strange reason, 2:21 on a IMAX screen feels like 1:85 in a regular theater. But I did not notice any re-cropping of the visual compositions.

IMAX is a sligthly better experience, but you're not missing anything if you just see it in a regular theater.
posted by jchgf at 6:00 PM on March 10, 2009

First We Take Manhattan

SPOILER ALERT !! SPOILER ALERT !!

ha, that is amusing.

Hurm. Decisions, decisons.
posted by mwhybark at 10:18 PM on March 10, 2009