SPY REPORT: Cutting the IMAX Clones & Your IMAX Reactions

I would love to see the Balrog on an 8 story screen, but LOTR on IMAX won't happen.

Its sort of interesting that Apollo 13 was the first story movie on IMAX, but a bigger deal was made of AOTC.

 

I'm sorry for folks who couldn't see "Lord of the Rings" on IMAX. It was here in the Bay Area last December and that being my first exposure to the world of JRR Tolkien, I was blown away! I felt it was the film these new Star Wars films should be. I had a sense of wonder and awe I hadn't felt since SW in 1977.

 

Believe it or not, Fellowship was shown in IMAX at it's entire 3 hour running time and more than held my interest all that time.

As for AOTC, I went to see only when I realized that it had been edited. I think the "love story" benefited most from the cuts. Anakin seems more serious, less dorky or psychopathic. I'm glad they took out that "Sound of Music" scene. I cringe whenever I see it (unfortunately they also omit Anakin's remark about dictatorships).
I think they should have cut all of 3P0's bad dialogue during the arena battle. He's joking and the next shot is lil' Boba holding Daddy's head in his hands?
The only other quibble I have is that the cuts from Obi Wan to Ani/Padme were too abrupt.
Overall, the story is essentially the same for me.

 

A miss some of the stuff that was cut but it was ncie to see one time. Lots of nice background details. And Padme's new "uh huh" line was a treat. Now bring on the dvd goodness.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble indy4, but you didn't see an IMAX version of Fellowship of the Ring.

Many commercial IMAX venues will show some of the more popular 35mm films on thier IMAX screen. This does not magically transform them into IMAX format.

The 70mm reels used in IMAX can hold a maximum of 60 minutes worth of film. The newest projectors can hold two platters for a maximum running time of two hours without intermission.

My local Imax in Dallas has shown LOTR:FOTR, Spiderman, and xXx on thier big screen, but none of them are IMAX films.

 

It is scary Indy4 that you didn't even notice the difference in quality between the normal LOTR on an IMAX screen, and SW in IMAX format. The clearity should have reached out and slapped you. Oh, well.

 

Just got back from seeing the IMAX in Chicago and I have to say that I for one really enjoyed it. Of course, this is not the version that I think is "best" and I did miss a couple of the scenes(like Yoda giving Palpy "The Look") but given the time constraints and the format, I thought they did a great job.

I did miss the first part of the meadow scene(not the Shaak thing) but the cuts of the other Anakin/Padme scenes I thought went very well, especially since I'm pretty sure that most people who see this version are familiar with the theatrical release version.

As cool as the IMAX was, I have to admit a preference for digital. Now, if we could get digital IMAX, well, I'd have to have a cigarette after that one!

I'd definitely recommend going, if just for the experience of seeing it again on pretty much the biggest screen possible with a theater full of devotees. That for me is the highlight, having people clap and cheer when Yoda walks in or when the Lucasfilm logo comes up. This one is for the fans and I appreciate it for what it is.

On the box office watch front, my 12:30 show was pretty darn full. A few seats left right down front and on some of the edges, but at 11 bucks a ticket, I'd say that's a good haul. Lots of kids too, which was nice to see.

 

I just saw it this afternoon, and I loved it, though I missed the picnic scene (one of my faves) a lot. I also missed the Palpy scene at the beginning.

Also, there were some funny musical cues, most especially during the confession scene and where Ani talks to Watto. I found that kind of disconcerting.

Still, it was gorgeous to watch, though I'll have to sit farther up next time.

Kamino, the Tusken camp, and the very end with the wedding and the clone army were reason enough to pay $12.00 to see it again.

 

WHAT THE CRAP!!!! I live near New Orleans and they have a IMAX theater but there not playing it! WHY!

 

Just saw it on IMAX...great! I didn't realize how many scenes were cut. I only remembered the meadow and Boba firing the Slave I's guns. Actually, the movie seemed to flow a lot better with those cuts (except for the Boba cut). I should've known something was up when I went to the 7pm show and got out at 9:10 (including the IMAX intro). Sheesh!

 

*****
* A minor trim: the part where the assasin droid (to which Obi-Wan is clinging)
tries to scrape Obi against the building was removed.
*****

That was in the film.

I can't believe the backlash against it though. This isn't for the people who couldn't take the time to see it this summer. It's a treat for the fans who've seen it 5 times. Those of us who went out of our way to see it at a DLP threater. Yeah stuff was cut, but we got to see Yoda larger than life. Not to mention the little details we couldn't normaly like sea level of Coursant as Jedi are falling from the sky.

What I really enjoyed was the speakers weren't so loud I could make out some dialogue that excaped me my previous 6 showings. I also like the bloopers it caused like Obi-Wan saying "You mentioned grown acceleration.", but not in this version. Or like someone said Oliver Ford Davies in the credits.

Anyway it was well worth the 200 mile round trip, and I hope we get an IMAX Version DVD someday. Maybe in 2025 when DVD is obsolete and were all signing petions to get the origanal versions of the OT directly downloaded directly into our cellrebal cortex.

 

WHATEVER. All I know is I saw LOTR on a HUGE screen. I don't give a hoot about the format, it's bigger than your average screen and for me that's what matters.

I don't go looking for every glaring imperfection and pick it apart. If you're really into a film, you're not going to trip on the little things

 

I thought it was ONLY a fun experience if you've seen the film in regular (preferably digital non-IMAX) format, and are seeing this as a "bonus." Even though I sat near the middle, I could not never fully get over the "screen too large to take everything in" effect. This is the Tech Museum/San Jose IMAX dome. You know when you sit too close to the TV, and realize the view looks better about 8 feet back? That's the effect I had. But the film was still awesome when I noticed new details, like the Jawas in the Sandcrawler. All in all, good as a "bonus" viewing of AOTC, not as the first viewing.

 

I think it's going to do very well, even when the DVD comes out. A very unique experience with a legitimate cut. A punchier film that more closely resembles the pace of the OT. This definitely suits the Imax experience.

But I still prefer the theatrical cut. I don't have a short attention span, the love dialogue doesn't make me cringe, and I love those "little touches". Sure they slow the film down, but I like that. The prequels have a more subtle narrative than the OT. It shouldn't be as frantic because we don't have an Empire breathing down our heroes' necks. It's the end of the Republic in slowburn.....with the galaxy in the wings, and evil incarnate manipulating our protagonists like puppets in a game. I think the theatrical's pace suits that story.


But the IMAX experience is truly a blast, and the new cut WORKS. I definitely recommend it. In fact, even after buying the DVD next week, I could see myself wanting to catch this again just for that unique experience.

 

OK, here's my 2 cents:

I saw AOTC at the IMAX theater in Providence RI, and my biggest disappointment was the fact that the theater itself sucked...not only did we start a half an hour late (and I went to the 11:30 PM show, so...) the sound in the theater just wasn't used to the fullest...now, if I had gone to one of the theaters in the Bostons area, which, granted, are newer theaters, I know the sound would have been 100% better...

but anyway...on to the movie itself...

I walked out thinking "wow, that was total eye candy!!"...I missed the cuts, but I will admit that taking out the "sound of music" scene made it much better... some parts seemed a little too fast for my eyes to keep up with, but I think that was because i was sitting in the 3rd row...the details I caught this time around were quite amazing...i think someone else said that you could watch it just for that...

and then there was yoda... the battle scenes were awesome!!

so, over all, pure eye candy...

 

I was never a huge fan of the "Anakin's shirtless nightmare" scene in AOTC, but after watching the IMAX version, I realized that it does serve some purpose...Without it, didn't it almost seem like Anakin and Padme spent the night together?

When she comes out of her room in the morning, she tells Ani she heard him having a nightmare...you know what I mean?

 

i just read that they cut the boba firing on obi scene and that pisses me off.

the few minutes of screen time that real actors have on screen (especially the cool and twisted idea of an 11 year old firing on a jedi) is cut over a few seconds of animated clones running around or anything else is asinine imo.

 

We saw it yesterday here in Kansas City, and loved it. As soon as the 20th Century Fox logo came on and everyone in the whole place giggled and gasped at the sheer hugeness of it, I knew it would be a blast. I kind of missed the scene in Palpatine's office too just because it's the first glimpse of Yoda and he loks so amazing in it. Otherwise, I didn't have any griped. The fireplace scene was FANTASTIC the way they cut it. Ah well. Anyway, the sound in our theater rattled in my esophagus, and of course the visuals were awesome too. Bring on the DVD!

 

One thing that was a really cool detail to hear loudly was the "Anakin! Anakin! Noooooo!" thing with Yoda....That was one thing I missed in the theater, which you could really hear in the IMAX sound system...

 

Is this really not going to be shown in the UK?



Am I really going to have to make do with pausing and zooming in the DVD if I want to see the little details?

 

I really enjoyed the IMAX version of the movie, the cuts make the pace tighter and faster, which I like very much.
Having said that, I still kind of wish my local IMAX theater could have shown the theatrical version of AOTC this summer.
(Yes, I realize that it would be a regular 35mm film being screened on the IMAX screen, not an IMAX film).