We decide to take the children to see the new Batman movie at the Imax instead of the usual mainstream cinema. As soon as this announcement was made we were hit by a barrage of questions. Why are we going to the Imax? What is Imax? What's the difference between Imax and our regular cinema? Do they have popcorn?
So what is the difference between Imax and a regular cinema? Well for starters the Imax has a much larger screen and louder audio.
The major difference between Imax and regular cinema is the size of the screen. It is much larger than the screen you will find in a regular cinema. It not only has a big screen it also has big speakers.
Imax is an abbreviation for Image Maximum. It is a motion picture film format and a set of cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. It has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems.
The movie we had chosen to watch at the Imax was The Dark Knight Rises, it was filmed using the Imax process. For this type of film, I would thoroughly recommend that you see it at the Imax. Nolan's commitment to making a film using the Imax process has done wonders for Batman. It's the perfect combination. The shooting of the cityscapes and fight scenes in 70mm adds an extra dimension, which you just don't get in regular cinema. The movie features 72 minutes of Imax footage, currently the most any studio film has used. The rest of the movie is presented in 35 millimetres, a more rectangular look.
The Imax screen showcases the exaggerated vertical scale of Gotham's skyscrapers, it is a powerful visual effect and worth the extra expense. The screens are also almost twice the brightness of regular screens. The other major difference is the seating. The Imax seating is arranged so that even in the back row you get something like 70% of the big screen effect.
Overall the Imax offers the exact same things but on a different scale.
The location of our Imax cinema in Glasgow is far more pleasant than the city centre cinemas, easier for parking as well. As we were leaving the Imax, we had a stunning view of the Clyde with a few boats bobbing around on the horizon. If we had visited our usual cinema it would have been out to a concrete jungle.
Top tip: Get to the Imax early, as its first come first served, in terms of seating.
Glasgow Science Centre, where the Imax is housed
