Do you like 3D, what about IMAX?

[Hawk]

Let's have a thread to discuss the bells and whistles of cinema watching. Personally I do not really like 3D as it's fairly distracting. I'm also not really the greatest fan of Imax as I feel like it's not really worth it,, in terms of having to find a theater and paying more (Imax charges more right? I;'m not entirely sure).

What about you?

 

[Riderz1337]

I hate 3D. Was very upset when I went to go watch War for the Planet of the Apes and they only had 3D showings...

I also just recently watched my first two IMAX films...Dunkirk and Blade Runner.

Dunkirk was a masterpiece. I've never had a theatre experience like that before. It felt at times like I was actually in the film with all the different sound effects and large screen.

Blade Runner was also great, but not as impressive as Dunkirk in my opinion.

 

[Orange]

I don't like 3d at all, it hurts my head after a while and doesn't even look nice (plus I would have to wear contacts to movies)
IMAX on the other hand is pretty much the perfect movie experience for me, just has to add reclining seats for the big imax screens

 

[SuperRaddy]

I like 3D when its done well, and it has to be on IMAX, none IMAX 3D is the worst, the loss in clarity is unbearable.

 

[Cocksman]

I quite like Cinemark's 2D XD experience. Don't know how it differs from LieMax though.

 

[Deleted member 3925]

I hate everything 3D. IMAX 2D on a legit screen is a mind-blowing experience.

 

[Kthulhu]

3D sucks, IMAX is only worth it for a handful of films.

 

[FireSafetyBear]

I personally prefer Dolby Cinema at AMC.

You get recliners, 4K, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and the screen is giant as well.

 

[defaltoption]

I despise 3D but love IMAX, my main theater here in Pointe Orlando apparently has the largest one in Florida.

 

[rsfour]

Liemax can eat shit.

 

[Grym]

I feel Imax is worth it. 3D?...eh... in nearly every case, not a fan

 

[Metzas]

In my little Greek island there is no such thing, I do love me some traditional 3D cinema though.

 

[Deleted member 15447]

I'm a big fan of 3D.

And while I totally respect anyone who isn't, it's quite annoying seeing many of those people not content with simply not liking something and ignoring it and actually attacking and shit talking it.

Not all 3D movies are better than their 2D version but the one's that are done well (Avatar, Mad Max, Step Up, Life of Pi, Tin Tin etc) are such amazing, immersive experiences.

I have a pretty large Bluray collection, a small portion of that (maybe 20%) is 3D bluray and a smaller portion (about 10%) is 4K bluray, so I appreciate all versions depending on what works best.

I do wonder though for those who don't like 3D, whether they've seen the right movies on the right hardware. Life of Pi and Avatar for example look out of this world in Passive 3D on my OLED screen.

 

[Dan-o]

3D no.
IMAX sure.
Dolby Cinema is king shit of fuck mountain.

In my little Greek island there is no such thing, I do love me some traditional 3D cinema though.

Click to shrink...

Which island? I spent a few weeks on Ios once :)

 

[CallMeShaft]

Love IMAX, hate 3D (glasses on glasses is a pain).

 

[Elfforkusu]

Boo 3D
Yay Imax

 

[RedNalgene]

I like 3D if the movie was written to take advantage of 3D, and filmed in proper 3D. This digital 3D stuff is a money grab.

And I like IMAX, but not IMAX Experience. The "Experience" version is just a slightly bigger screen with slightly better sound for 50% higher price (at least here in NYC).

 

[Venatio]

I hate 3D.

IMAX is great (especially if filmed in that format), but it's prohibitively expensive. I paid $46 to see Blade Runner with my wife. That's too much!

 

[MegaMix]

4D is honestly much better than 3D. The seats move, smoke fills up the screen, and even shocks occur. Watching Force Awakens in 4D was awesome.

 

[rawr its ry]

I don't care for 3D. Firstly, my head is big af so wearing glasses feel weird, and then sometimes I get woozy during them lol. But I really love imax. Love the sound and the size of the screen, just wish they weren't as expensive.

 

[DemonCarnotaur]

Everyone I know hates 3D.

Maybe I'm strange, but I like it. Obviously when it's poorly done, it sucks.

But the majority of the time it doesn't bug my eyes, I forget it's 3D, and just get immersed in the world and images. In my opinion, it's easier to lose yourself to the story in 3D films, toning out your environment.

 

[Venatio]

Everyone I know hates 3D.

Maybe I'm strange, but I like it. Obviously when it's poorly done, it sucks.

But the majority of the time it doesn't bug my eyes, I forget it's 3D, and just get immersed in the world and images. In my opinion, it's easier to lose yourself to the story in 3D films, toning out your environment.

Click to shrink...

Exact opposite for me. I become super focused on the 3D experience, to the point where it detracts from the film.

 

[Pacote]

Imax? sure

3D? Let it fucking die already.

 

[filip]

Absolutely hate 3D and love IMAX. The thing that sucks is that like 90% of IMAX showings here are 3D only... But when it's 2D it's glorious. Dunkirk and Interstellar in 70mm were really amazing experiences.

 

[blast0rama]

3D has worked for me all of one time: AVATAR.

Besides that, total garbage.

Dolby Cinema rules, as does proper IMAX. Otherwise, just give me a competent 2D screening.

 

[Neece]

Watching Blade Runner 2049 in Dolby was awesome.

 

[Deleted member 6949]

If I'm going by myself and it's 100% up to me I always watch a regular 2d showing. I've never seen a movie that was really elevated by 3d. Avatar had all of the bells and whistles and at the end of the day it was still just a wacker version of Ferngully.

 

[Bishop89]

3d no.
Pretty sure I get headaches from long exposure.

I cant even remember the last time i went to imax. Maybe when i was like 10 yrs old.
Isn't it just a MASSIVE screen?

 

[Camells]

At least for me 3d movies should die already. Worst trend ever and the industry is insane they keep trying to push this shit down the throat

 

[Bamboo]

There's no IMAX theater anywhere near me, so that's never really an option.

For 3D it very much depends on the film. Sometimes it's unneccessary garbage (Alive in Wonderland), sometimes it's nice to have but not crucial (Star Wars Episode VII) and there are few film that really benefited from it.
Avatar
Gravity
Coraline
Resident Evil: Retribution
Pina
Flashback Memories
Pacific Rim
Dial M for Murder
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Mad Max Fury Road
The Adventures of Tintin
They were all great in 3D for different reasons. I enjoy it for complex and interestingly staged action sequences like in Mad Max or Tintin. The feel for rooms, claustrophobia and a place like in Dial M for Murder. The textures of space in Pacific Rim (all that steam, rain and underwater bubbles!) and Tintin (dust). The most inventive was probably Flashback Memories in it's clever use to convey ideas about temporality, memory, space and time throguh it shifting 2D and 3D sequences. It's highly recommended but probably hard to catch. Coraline pulled a cool trick with shifting depth towards the end.. Gravity was a space opera, literally.
So yeah, 3D can be amazing, it depends on how you work with it.

 

[TAJ]

Love IMAX, hate 3D (glasses on glasses is a pain).

Click to shrink...

You can get clip-on polarized lenses for your glasses.

 

[DTJAAAAM]

Not a fan of 3D, but generally like IMAX. I would see more IMAX showings at my local theater if they were 2D.

 

[MadeULook]

Don't really care much for 3D but I absolutely love IMAX. Been great seeing more 2D IMAX showings at my local theaters.

 

[Avitus]

3D tends to rob the movie of image quality more than anything, so I actively dislike it. Dolby Cinema is my new favorite format. If I can't find that, or if a movie was specifically framed for IMAX (really only Nolan movies nowadays), I'll go to a legit IMAX screen.

 

[Rewrite]

I love the 3D myself as I think it's neat. Most of the time it's done in a cheesy way, but I like it. I've only seen 3D in IMAX. Not sure how other cinemas would flare against that.

 

[Squarehard]

I wear glasses, so it's basically impractical for me to do 3D, unfortunately.

Even the ones that are made for people who wear glasses, still don't really fit all that well, or they're incredibly uncomfortable.

I don't really feel like I'm missing out though to be honest, as far as times when I've been able to watch it, and times when I haven't.

It's neat, but I also don't feel like I need to pay that extra ticket price to see it in 3D in a theater.

 

[Chowchilla]

The IMAX near me doesn't seem to show regular 2D films anymore so i just avoid it when possible, it just detracts from the film for me. Just makes the whole viewing experience uncomfortable.

Last 2D IMAX film was Dunkirk and that was fantastic.

 

[GMM]

If the movie was well produced for 3D like Avatar or Tintin, I absolutely enjoy it, but more slower paced movies like dramas shouldn't really have it as it doesn't add too much to the experience by simply shooting in 3D.

 

[Kitsunebaby]

I can't stand 3D. I dunno if it's just my brain, but it doesn't let my eyes focus properly. I could barely see what was going on in Avatar's action scenes. I hate the way it dulls colors as well.

I think I was a kid the last time I saw anything in IMAX, but I remember it was lovely. Not necessarily worth the hassle, but lovely still.

 

[Prophet Steve]

I really dislike 3D and haven't liked it with any movie. The image just looks a lot better to me without those glasses on, I've also tried it a few times with 3D movies at home but after some time I just switch over to 2D. I just never get a sharp image without crosstalk and it dims everything (which I'm not sure is always corrected for).

I enjoy IMAX, but sadly my theaters only have the fake IMAX available so I need to settle for those.

 

[Zulith]

I love IMAX, but if you don't have a full-size IMAX then it won't feel like much of an upgrade. Thankfully, my IMAX is the AMC Metreon which is one of the largest in the country. I feel like I get the full treatment anytime I see something there.

For 3D, I've given it plenty of opportunities to win me over. A few of those experiences felt really worth it -- mainly Beowulf (the first I ever saw in IMAX 3D, and it was really well suited for the format) and a handful of animated films. The one documentary I saw in 3D, Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams, did feel more immersive but also suffered from some strange artifacting in the image (camera picking up dust in the shots? I can't really tell what the issue was) which made it distracting. Most other 3D experiences didn't feel additive and in most cases had varying levels of distraction.

Then there's the issue of the glasses. The last few times I've gone to a 3D showing at IMAX, the glasses are incredibly foggy and scratched up. When you put them on you see a fog halo the entire time you are trying to watch the film. Cleaning the lenses does nothing, and exchanging them didn't help. Theaters just aren't putting care into maintaining their 3D glasses.

When I don't feel like springing for IMAX or Dolby, most of the time I'm perfectly fine just seeing something at a normal 2D screen. These days they are almost all 4K digital screens, so everything looks super crisp. Sound systems do vary, but most are lightyears ahead of what they were a decade and more ago, so it's not a big deal to me.

 

[hateradio]

I like 75mm IMAX. Too bad that it's basically dead. :/

 

[DeusOcha]

IMAX is alright I suppose? I mean it's not a detriment but doesn't really affect my enjoyment of a film in a substantial way. 3D can go fuck itself though. I don't need to wear glasses over my glasses and not every movie I want to go see I'm in the mood for putting on contacts.

 

[FaceHugger]

As others have said, I like well-done 3D quite a bit. Not enough to buy a 3D television for home, but if a movie is showing in 3D there's a 50/50 chance I'll go that route.

And I adore IMAX.

 

[NekoFever]

I avoid 3D if at all possible. I'll only see it under duress if the movie was actually shot that way - I'm not paying over the odds to see a fake 3D conversion.

 

[Reversed]

I had the bad luck to get a low seat for a IMAX 3D movie.

Not only my neck hurted, but the visuals weren't pretty at all.

 

[Pixels]

IMAX is amazing. 3D is not.

 

[Matrix XII]

I have mixed feelings with 3D. I've enjoyed 3D on movies like Star Wars VII, Rogue One and Avatar but other movies don't benefit much from 3D and isn't a necessary experience for me. Wearing the 3D glasses themselves isn't fun and I get tired of wearing them by the end of the movie (especially if I forgot to wear contacts, in that case I'd have to wear glasses over glasses which is kind of terrible.)

As for IMAX, depending on the movie, it can be a good experience. I saw the Hobbit on IMAX and definitely enjoyed it. The audio system is the biggest difference to me and I enjoy the immersion it gives. The price is an issue though, perhaps that's why I don't usually go to IMAX movies very often lol

 

[Ex Machina]

First Imax 3d cinema experience was with watching Gravity. Everyone was raving how more immersive watching in 3d so I had to try it.

Besides having the reduced comfort of wearing the big glasses, I'm pretty impressed with the visual effects and depths.

 

[Sturoboros]

I'll take my eldest son to IMAX 3D showings of the big hitters that he wants to see - our interests mostly align so that's great. He loves the 3D aspect of it but rarely have I walked away from a film being blown away by the effects myself.

The best use I've seen is Spider-Man Homecoming where Peter climbs the Washington Monument and stares downwards. The use of 3D was brilliant there.

Otherwise, I'd be happy just to watch in IMAX because the scale of these films warrants it - be it for the vibrancy of the imagery or the clarity. Some films just demand the big screen, IMAX experience, such as Dunkirk.