Is the movie "First Man" worth seeing in IMAX?

October 15, 2018 3:15 AM

The title says it all. IMAX is more expensive and further away, so is there anything about the film makes IMAX worth those headaches?
posted by Brandon Blatcher to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

I saw it last night on a regular screen, and I don't think it would have benefited from Imax. If anything I think a smaller screen would be better. It's basically half domestic drama and half space scenes. The space scenes are shot with what appears to be a jittery hand held camera and somewhat grainy film, which I suppose is intended to give more of a first-person perspective. Except for the moonwalk, even the space scenes are more about the experience of being confined in a small spacecraft than of the vastness outside. So I don't think it would benefit from the extra resolution and the larger screen would only exaggerate the jitters. Definitely worth seeing, but it's a human drama not an Imax extravaganza.
posted by wps98 at 6:37 AM on October 15, 2018

I'm not sure I can give you a yes/no because the IMAX experience varies greatly. I saw it in IMAX and I'm glad I did, but the IMAX screen in my town, while the biggest screen for many miles, is small by IMAX standards.

So, some things about the film that might help you decide. (And certainly others will follow up with more helpful input.): This film is not full of 2001-like space sequences, although there are a few. But the space flights are more claustrophobic and concerned with what is happening inside the the craft, and the bigger screen may enhance that "being there" feeling. There are of course, also some grand visuals of lift-off, and the moonscape, and everything else you would expect. But it's also an intimately filmed movie with a lot of hand-held shots taken close to characters' faces. (That was one thing that struck me as distracting in an otherwise perfect film.) So, if shaky, close-up camerawork bugs you, it will be magnified in IMAX. So, there is are pluses and minuses.

If I were in your situation, the extra expense of IMAX is almost always worth is, but I don't know what "further away" means in your context. If your nearest theater has decent sized screens, is comfortable, and has good quality projection and sound, I don't think you'll be missing out on anything.
posted by The Deej at 6:38 AM on October 15, 2018

I'm planning on seeing it in IMAX this week. The moon scenes were shot with IMAX cameras so they'll project at the native aspect ratio that they otherwise wouldn't in normal theaters. But a lot of other scenes were shot in crazy grainy Super 16, so, who knows.
posted by hwyengr at 7:41 AM on October 15, 2018

I haven't seen it yet, but according to this article, you absolutely should see it in IMAX.
posted by Awkward Philip at 8:00 AM on October 15, 2018