31 July 2023 , 15:11
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Unless you've been living under a rock, you've no doubt heard about Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer - one of the biggest films of the year about the man who was known as "father of the atomic bomb". It not only has a stellar cast, including Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr, but cost upwards of $100million (£77m) to make - so there's no surprise that the expectations for this film were huge.
A lot of that budget was no doubt down to Nolan's choice to film it on 70mm film using IMAX cameras. According to Nolan himself, it's "the highest quality imaging format ever devised" and "it gives you an incredible sense of immersion in the image". The hit director says watching it in 70mm IMAX will "fill your peripheral vision" and "immerse you in the image because of the "clarity" and "crispness" which is "gold standard" and the "closest to reproducing the world, the way that your eye sees it".
Oppenheimer is one of the biggest films of the year (Melinda Sue Gordon)Nolan adds that watching it in IMAX 70mm will allow images to expand up to a 1.43:1 aspect ratio, which is the "best possible experience" to view the film. Now, I'm no expert in film production, but I trust him. Oppenheimer is designed to be seen in this way, and with just 30 screens in the world having the ability to show it in IMAX 70mm, and after some convincing by a friend that it will be worth it, I decided I needed to see what all the fuss was about.
I love the feeling of seeing a film in IMAX. In my opinion it makes for the best audio and visual quality, and it allows you to fully immerse yourself in the universe and completely forget about the outside world - but now I've experienced 70mm I'm not sure normal IMAX will feel the same.
I bought tickets for the Odeon Luxe screening of Oppenheimer at Leicester Square, London, and at £25 per ticket, it's not the cheapest. But considering there are only 11 cinemas showing this version in the UK, I felt the price was worth it.
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The detail in each scene was incredible (© Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.)The cinema itself is built in Art Deco style, and has been the host to countless London film premieres. Screen 1 has stalls and a Royal Circle, and you feel extra special sitting in their Luxe recliner seats, complete with foot rest and table.
Before the film started there was a nice surprise - a musician ascended from the floor at the front playing music on a Compton organ surrounded by illuminated coloured glass. After the adverts, an Odeon staff member came out and introduced the 70mm screening, which he said wasn't very common in the age of "digital film". This whole start makes me feel how special it is that I get to watch the film, the way it's intended, in this incredible building.
The organ was a nice surprise (Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz)I'm not here to review the film, so you won't see spoilers here, but I will say that I have never had a viewing experience like it. With IMAX, I sometimes feel like the screens are too big that the resolution doesn't do it any justice. The only time I've been truly wowed by the amount of detail is at the BFI IMAX in London, with its massive screen. But at this 70mm screening, which you can argue is "real IMAX", I feel like I'm in the movie itself, watching the plot unfold with my own eyes. I was blown away by the clarity and the detail in each shot.
Another way Nolan has praised IMAX 70mm is "getting the feeling of 3D without the glasses" - and that's the closest thing I can describe it as. You can feel every droplet hit the water, every twitch and movement of the brilliant acting. You can see their individual hair follicles and bumps on their skin. It feels hyper-realistic without the glossy feel that digital IMAX can sometimes bring.
Christopher Nolan said the film is made to be seen on IMAX 70mm (Getty Images)Oppenheimer isn't an action film, and doesn't use CGI, and those who have seen the film might understand what I mean when I say the impressive imagery is something you feel rather than see. Of course, the Trinity explosion itself is nothing short of spectacular (if you didn't think a film about the creator of the atomic bomb would have an explosion, I do apologise), but the film is dotted with other impeccable images that make you feel sucked in - think raindrops on a pond and the peeling skin.
The film also involves a lot of tense conversation - and Nolan himself has said IMAX is a "wonderful format for faces". With the 70mm you really feel like you're in an intimate space with the people on screen.
The clarity and detail in the faces is incredible (Universal Pictures)This is where the 70mm detail, which offers more than four times the resolution of the best commercial digital projection, really shows off. It's an organic "realness" that I simply haven't seen on a screen before.
It's worth noting that while I've seen countless films in normal IMAX, I haven't seen Oppenheimer in any other format than 70mm, so I can't speak for the comparison on this exact film. But I have seen lots of films on IMAX before, and I suspect it'll be the same as watching a film you've only seen on BluRay, and then suddenly watching it on DVD.
That being said, I have no doubt that Oppenheimer looks spectacular on any screen, I for one am glad I managed to see it the way Nolan himself intended.