What I didn't know is the extra level of enhancement that last night's experience was going to get.
I admit, I'm a bit of an IMAX evangelist. I have fond memories of seeing the old nature documentary movies in IMAX theaters as a young child, swaying in my seat as we fly through the mountains or into the Grand Canyon or raft down the Amazon river. And as IMAX theaters began showing theatrical movies for the first time in 2002, I made it a point to see as many of them there as possible. I went back there to see several films I had already seen in regular theaters (which I even did this past summer for "Toy Story 3"), and in the case of "Inception", I saw the film in IMAX twice, with two different other people, and did not see it in a regular theater at all. So you could say, as a tried and true movie geek, I am a fan.
I "liked" the Henry Ford IMAX theater on Facebook, and often commented on their posts. What's great is that they reply back, as excited to hear from enthusiastic fans as those fans are to share their experiences and talk about experiences to come. So imagine my surprise yesterday, when my phone chirped that I had received a private message on Facebook. It was from none other than Ron, the head projectionist at the Henry Ford IMAX theater. He had seen than I said I was attending the 10:25 showing of "TRON" there last night and invited me to come up for a tour of the projection booth. To provide a bit of perspective, for my sister Angie, my companion last night and a self confessed Red Wings fanatic, this would be a bit like getting an invitation to tour the locker room at Joe Louis Arena. Naturally, I was more than happy to accept.
After the movie was over (about 12:45 am mind you), we headed up the stairs to the projection booth. There is a clear glass window in the hallway where the projection booth is accessed where anyone who chooses to go up can look in on the projector and the equipment, and the facility will even do tours for school groups and things like that. But a personal invite? Awesome. So after the film stopped running Ron invited us inside the booth. He proceeded to show us all of the equipment and explain how all of it works, from the gigantic, $1 million projector and huge spools of film ("TRON: Legacy"'s are a bit over two feet wide--and there's two of them) to the electric equipment that keeps the whole thing running. He even gave us some swag (pictured below). But through it all he was very friendly and informative, eager to answer questions and share information and talk a little shop with two obvious fans eager to listen. It was a fun, unique experience and one I'll take with me for a long time and remember when I recommend the theater to others.
A size comparison of AMC's "IMAX" screen vs. the Henry Ford's (and for perspective, 6' tall Ron the projectionist.)
A comparison of screen and film sizes between IMAX and theatrical films.
Some cool pins and buttons I got.
As for the movie itself, there was absolutely no comparison, and I even enjoyed it more on the second viewing as I picked up on subtle plot touches throughout the film. But the film really shined in the moments when the action filled the entirety of the 80X60 screen and you were sucked into the flawless 3D of the futuristic grid and all of the action contained within. The sound and picture at the Henry Ford were surprisingly clearer and more immersive. And Daft Punk's brilliant score (I downloaded it on iTunes almost two weeks ago and still listen to it constantly) just BUMPS so loud you feel like you're actually in the End of Line Club from the movie. It is a movie going experience--truly the best word to describe it--unmatched by any in recent memory. And it would have been this on the strength of IMAX alone. IMAX is not just a gimmick to keep you from just staying home and watching movies from your Netflix queue on your 50" widescreen HDTV and six-channel surround sound system. Nor is it shameless money grubbing on the part of movie studios and theater owners (in fact, the Henry Ford IMAX is a non-profit venture.) It is an experience (think of it more like a theme park or museum attraction) and truly the best way to watch a movie. Watching a multiplex IMAX theater (referred to by some as Digital IMAX, "Mini-MAX" and even "LIE-MAX") is basically little more than watching a movie on a slightly larger screen with a better sound system. It's in true, 15/70 film format (meaning, 15 holes on each side of the film per frame, which is 70 mm wide) that the word "experience" comes in.
But my "experience" last night was enhanced by something I never would have gotten in a multiplex: the kind of personal touch that inspires a person to ramble on his blog about it. And while I'm sure Ron gives plenty of these tours every year, to school kids and interested movie geeks like myself, the fact that he took the time to personally invite us up and show us all of the equipment, to happily welcome us into his world as fans of his work, so to speak, truly brings this "IMAX Experience" to the next level. Thanks, Ron. We'll see you again soon.
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