Indy on IMAX

Crack that whip

Crack that whip

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I got off work just a few minutes too late for the 2:00 pm showing I was hoping to catch, and had to go to the 5:00 pm instead (not that I mind seeing movies later - I like them then, with the larger crowds one would expect, but of course they're more expensive then and money is sadly pretty tight for me these days).

I will say it's clear the movie wasn't really shot with IMAX presentation in mind, but it held up quite well. The movie looked and sounded beautiful, and I too noticed details I'd never noticed before in three decades of regular re-watching. :) The one disappointment was the non-crowd - I was really hoping to experience it with a sizable audience once again, but there were hardly any people there. :( I'm hoping / expecting the marathon will have a larger turnout, since it's much less expensive per movie (even for all those people pledging to skip one) and there's a single showing.

(Oh, and one more thing: the title on the IMAX poster notwithstanding, the movie was still "Raiders of the Lost Ark" on screen.)
 
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Henry W Jones

Henry W Jones

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Movie starts in 5 min. In seat poster and stub in hand. So excited!!!! Smaller screen tonight. Massive Imax screen Sunday.
 
russds

russds

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It looked really, really good. Much better than I expected.

The Good: The music, sound, restoration. Man, it looked and sounded terrific. Close ups were crisp, sound effects were clean, some of the more substantial sound effect (explosions, gun fire, and bolder) were rumbly and sounded very good. I honestly felt for the most part like i was watching a modern movie. A couple of distractions (listed below), overall very, very good. Used original truck chase cliff scene (not the CGI version). I noticed small sites and sounds I hadn't noticed before. Score was well mixed, and nice and loud, which for me was perfect. The opening sequence in the Jungle looked particularly different, brighter, and more vibrant.

The bad: Some scenes (just like Rocket Surgeon pointed out) were fuzzy. Especially the scene with Sapito and the tarantulas. At first I thought it might be the projector alignment, or focus, but the fact that Rocket Surgeon said the same thing, makes me think it was part of the movie. It seem to be more prominent in the beginning, I didn't notice it as much after the opening sequence.

The Ugly: The Washington stock footage was out of place, you could definitely see it looked different. Theater wasnt' full. About 50-100 people.

My overall feeling was, "More people should see this, it looks and sounds fantastic!". I wish there was more advertising because it really does look and sound great.

On a side note, I'm especially fond of the score(s) and to hear it prominently and well mixed...wow. To give you an idea, my wife (who's not from this country, not a musician, didn't grow up with Indy, is ho hum about the movies in general) said at the end, "wow, the music is better than the movie", and she liked the movie. ;)
 
Crack that whip

Crack that whip

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russds said:
I noticed small sites and sounds I hadn't noticed before. Score was well mixed, and nice and loud, which for me was perfect.
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russds said:
On a side note, I'm especially fond of the score(s) and to hear it prominently and well mixed...wow. To give you an idea, my wife (who's not from this country, not a musician, didn't grow up with Indy, is ho hum about the movies in general) said at the end, "wow, the music is better than the movie", and she liked the movie. ;)
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I noticed this as well. As much as I might lament it, enough time has now passed that Raiders of the Lost Ark is really from a different era in motion picture scoring than the one we're in now, and there was emphasis on rich scoring that we just don't have in most new movies anymore. I, too, noticed the score had been treated well in the new presentation - not dialed back for contemporary audiences or anything like that at all, but good and prominent, telling Indy what do do, as Spielberg indicated in the original soundtrack liner notes. ;) It was nice and clear, with good stereo separation and all.
 
C

caats

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I wondered what was up with the fuzzy screen. BUT IT WAS GREAAAAAT. Finally got to see an Indy movie on the big screen (minus skull).
 
Rocket Surgeon

Rocket Surgeon

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russds said:
I noticed small sites and sounds I hadn't noticed before.
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Ben Burtt added NEW sounds / effects...just found out. Hmmm.

russds said:
Some scenes were fuzzy. Especially the scene with Sapito and the tarantulas. At first I thought it might be the projector alignment, or focus, but the fact that Rocket Surgeon said the same thing, makes me think it was part of the movie.
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Just got a third confirmation of the phenom from LA with a reasonable explanation:

Originally posted by Lairdo

Well, I don't think it was the projector as we had the same thing here in LA. I'm seeing it again on Sunday and will check. That sequence as they enter the temple has always been soft in focus, and I am guessing the conversion to 4K really brought it out.
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Henry W Jones

Henry W Jones

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Only ten people were at the 10:15pm showing on a Friday. Not a very large turnout. The film looked great and I enjoyed seeing it on the big screen for the first time since I was 7 years old. Not sure if I like the removal of the snake reflection but I get it. The added sounds were okay but unnecessary. The blurry scenes were not horrendous and I'm guessing were partially from being projected. The bluray will be all telling. I noticed a few things I hadn't before in the hundreds of previous viewings. I never noticed when the sub is pulling in the the island, you can see Indy holding on up top. That fly is also in the shot of Indy holding the rocket launcher. It also seemed like they blurred the antenna behind Indy in the scene at Sallah's place. I had a great time and look forward to seeing it again tomorrow on a large IMAX at the Pacific Science Center tomorrow with some friends. Had to go opening night and get the poster. I talked the girl at the ticket window into giving my an unrolled poster as well.
 
kongisking

kongisking

Active member
My quick thoughts:

Only five people in my theater. Sigh...:(

The restoration made the film look brand new, except for a few moments that looked slightly grainy, but really, who gives a rat's about a few seconds of grain? The rest was incredible!

Something that struck me watching this, more than ever, was how incredibly cheesy and campy this film was. The acting is so incredibly cartoony by the villains, especially Toht, and the characters such astounding caricatures. I can't get the moment where Belloq cackles like a B-monster movie scientist out of my brain. Every inch of this film is a camp Saturday matinee adventure. And that, for me, is what makes it so delightful: it's a drive-in B-flick without the awfulness. The cheese and camp adds to the entertainment value. The characters are fun precisely because they are simple, one-note and black-and-white. The closest we get to any moral ambiguity is Indy and his scene with Belloq, and the moment feels slightly out-of-place in contrast to the cartoony simplicity of the rest of the film.

But please don't interpret these comments as criticisms. In fact, any fundamental flaws that the film has are what make it a masterpiece of thrilling simple-minded fun cinema. Same with the other films,especially KOTCS, which in retrospect after watching this seems even more in line with the philosophy began by Raiders, which is: have fun, don't take yourself seriously, and give the audience a good time. The flaws are what make Indiana Jones great, if that makes any sense...
 
Crack that whip

Crack that whip

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Saw it again at the first showing (11 am) today, and I'm happy to report there was a better turnout this time than yesterday afternoon at 5, though it was still a largely empty theater. Stupid Tallahasseans, missing out on greatness... *sigh*

Anyway, the movie's still great, and I'll see it again tomorrow - more than once, so I'll have a better idea how much of a factor the time of the showing might be. I'm glad to see from this thread that at least a few locations are getting good turnouts, though it does appear many / most screenings just aren't drawing many people. Perhaps it's to be expected, what with the premium pricing and the fact the movie's been around in people's living rooms since forever and all, but still. I'm disappointed there haven't been more people. But I'm loving the movie itself all the same.
 
Z

Zucot

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Does anyone have a list of new sounds added to the IMAX release? I must have missed this information. Here are some details that jumped out at me, things I never noticed before:

Painting of naked ladies above Indys fireplace in his house.
A extra with a glass eye in the lower right area of the frame when Indy is chasing Marion / the Nazis have are loading her basket into the truck.
Music playing during the opium den scene.
Music playing during the scene where the old man translates the marking on the headpiece.
Lots of flies (bazooka scene, etc.)

The only two scenes that looked bad to me were the stock footage and the shot of the airplane that Indy takes to Nepal (the one before the close up of Indy boarding the plane.)
 
russds

russds

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Zucot said:
Does anyone have a list of new sounds added to the IMAX release?
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Great Idea. Here are some things i noticed:
Water dripping sound fx during opening sequence.
The eyes of the idol during the opening sequence.
Indy on top of sub as it heads towards the island.
The flies. (bazooka, Indy, Belloc scene).

I know there were some others, can't remember though, will chim in if i remember.
 
Kevin

Kevin

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Zucot said:
Does anyone have a list of new sounds added to the IMAX release?
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I noticed more chatter of the students after they are dismissed from Indy's class. Also, the distinct sound of breaking glass when Toht exits The Raven (whereas before I remember a generic crash sound, so I never was sure whether he was crashing through a window or a door).

With respect to sound, I also have to mention that the gunfight in The Raven sounded much louder than before, it sounded like you were in the middle of an actual gunfight, it was great!

Also, upon viewing in IMAX, I noticed something I never had before: the first shot of the China clipper shows the plane's propellers starting, but then when it switches to the close up shot of the passengers on the gangway, the propellers are not moving. Anyone else notice this before?

Overall I have to say the IMAX experience was great. The only time I had seen this on the big screen previously was an original theatrical version at the Egyptian on Capitol Hill, very grainy. The clarity of IMAX really brought out small details, for example the texture of Indy's suit at the college. I did notice pretty substantial blurriness during the temple tarantula scene, as others have noted.
 
russds

russds

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http://www.altfg.com/blog/movie/box-office-results-2012-worst-weekend/

Also worth noting is that 267 IMAX venues are showing the George Lucas-produced, Steven Spielberg-directed 1981 blockbuster and Best Picture nominee Raiders of the Lost Ark, starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. Considering costlier IMAX tickets, Raiders of the Lost Ark collected a somewhat disappointing $438k on Friday and may fail to crack the top twelve box-office chart.
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sigh :(
 
IAdventurer01

IAdventurer01

Well-known member
To be fair regarding it's turnout - it's had pretty much no advertising. Other than people such as us who knew within the day of the first announcement and the people we told about it, I don't think many other people even knew this was happening.

We'll see how turnout tonight is - I can't wait! :D
 
Crack that whip

Crack that whip

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Kevin said:
Also, upon viewing in IMAX, I noticed something I never had before: the first shot of the China clipper shows the plane's propellers starting, but then when it switches to the close up shot of the passengers on the gangway, the propellers are not moving. Anyone else notice this before?
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Yes, although it's just the one propeller that's shown moving (the outermost one on the right/starboard side of the plane, or on our left as we look at it on screen). It's one engine over from the only propeller we can see in the next shot, so it's not a continuity error - the engines just aren't all starting at the same time, that's all. In the interior scenes, with Indy and the other passengers taking their seats, one can hear sound effects of the other engines starting, one by one.

IIRC, the actual plane used in the two exterior shots actually had just one engine in working condition, so that's the one that was actually shown working.
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The turnout has been a bit better for the showings I went to yesterday and today, at least, though still not what I'd hoped for. At least the movie itself has been worth going for, even if the crowds aren't. I'm a little surprised to see those box-office results, though, since it's still Sunday as I write this, and the movie still has a few weekend showings to go.
 
IAdventurer01

IAdventurer01

Well-known member
Well, just got back. Turnout is what I normally see when I go to movies. It's worth noting that I go to movies 2-4 weeks after the initial release, but not bad for a movie 30 years after its initial release!

It was a real blast seeing the movie on the big screen, and it's about as close I can get to seeing the movie with fresh eyes. It was fun being able to spot the fun background stuff with ease, rather than searching for them frantically, such as R2D2 in the Well of Souls, the guy in Cairo wearing jeans, and of course, the fly.

I also enjoyed seeing directing nuances that I didn't really 'get' before. The opening scenes through the jungle were particularly cool, with really getting the sense of moving through yourself. When the camera focused finally on the poison dart, it was actually a surprise to see, like "Whoa! What's that!?" because of how immersive the directing was.

Sound was good, image was immaculate except for a few 'focus' issues here or there. All in all, if you haven't seen it yet - do it while you still can! It's completely worth it, especially if you haven't yet had the joy of ever seeing Raiders in theaters!
 
Henry W Jones

Henry W Jones

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I saw it again yesterday, with a full theater, and on a full size IMAX screen. The crowd clapped before and after the film and laughed at all the classic jokes. It was really grainy compared to the smaller IMAX screen I viewed on Friday night but the screen size still made it more intense. The sound was way louder at Fridays viewing but I actually enjoyed the reaction of the large crowd more than anything yesterday.
 
Rocket Surgeon

Rocket Surgeon

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Henry W Jones said:
I saw it again yesterday, with a full theater, and on a full size IMAX screen. The crowd clapped before and after the film and laughed at all the classic jokes. It was really grainy compared to the smaller IMAX screen I viewed on Friday night but the screen size still made it more intense. The sound was way louder at Fridays viewing but I actually enjoyed the reaction of the large crowd more than anything yesterday.
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What full size IMAX screen did you see it on?
 
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