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#Post#: 29647--------------------------------------------------
4DX
By: Mac Date: July 15, 2014, 8:15 am
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[glow=red,2,300]Does 4DX Live Up To Its Theatrical Hype?[/glow]
[quote]I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to movies. I can
watch a double header of some old Howard Hawks comedies in
grainy black-and-white one day, then go see the latest IMAX 3D
blockbuster the next. I'm not a purist. Looking back at the way
movie theaters have advanced over the years, it's easy to see
how much they've improved by making big changes to the format.
While some people might have balked when, for example, they
changed the aspect ratio from a square to a widescreen
rectangle, it was certainly a smart move, giving movie theaters
a leg up on television...at least for a while.
Over the years, many other improvements have been made to the
theater going experience. Things like surround sound, 3D, curved
screens, and stadium seating have largely made the moviegoing
experience better. So I was excited to hear that a whole new
kind of movie experience was coming to the U.S., in the form of
4DX. If you haven't already, go check out my article on 4DX
that we published
HTML http://hometheaterreview.com/will-4dx-get-you-back-into-the-theater/<br
/>a few weeks back. You can also check out the 4DX website
HTML http://www.cj4dx.com/
for more info. The short version is that
4DX is an immersive experience featuring all sorts of
environmental effects that are meant to draw you into the
film.[/quote]
HTML http://hometheaterreview.com/assets_c/2014/07/dede-thumb-225xauto-12835.jpg
HTML http://hometheaterreview.com/assets_c/2014/07/rtr-thumb-225xauto-12841.jpg
[quote]The Event
Recently I was able to attend the first U.S. 4DX showing at
Regal L.A. Live Cinemas here in Los Angeles. The film to be
screened was Captain America: The Winter Soldier in RealD. I'll
confess, it wasn't a film I was dying to see - I was much more
interested in the 4DX technology than the umpteenth movie in the
Marvel cinematic universe. Although it did seem like the kind of
film that would be a good showcase for 4DX (I'm sure they
wouldn't have chosen it if it wasn't), so I was looking forward
to it.
The theater was smaller than I expected, and the screen was a
little smaller than I'm used to. The 4DX seats are grouped
together in fours, and there is a railing in front of each. On
the railing are two nozzles in front of each seat: one for
wind/water blasts and one for scents. Behind my head were two
tubes on either side of the headrest for puffs of air, while
overhead the edges of the ceiling were lined with fans. At my
feet was something called "the tickler" - a thin, white, plastic
tube that I gathered was intended to move back and forth and
tickle my Achilles tendon area. As I was wearing heavy
motorcycle boots, this effect was lost on me, but I don't think
it was used anyhow.
Things got off to an interesting start with a Q&A with a 4DX
rep. The best comment came from someone who asked, "Why are the
seats so uncomfortable?" And indeed they were. There's a large
hump in the back of the seat just below your shoulders that
causes you to pitch forward. It also makes it difficult to lean
back and rest your head because your eye line is then directed
toward the top of the screen. I wondered if the seats were
designed for the smaller frames of those in the Asian markets
where 4DX has the most theaters. You also can't rest your feet
on the railing in front of you because they'll get knocked off
when the chair starts shaking. Another person asked during the
Q&A why it had taken so long for 4DX to come to America, since
there are nearly 300 4DX theaters around the globe. The rep
answered that American theater owners were more apprehensive
about installing the system and took a "look-see" approach,
waiting to see how it turned out in other countries first.
I managed to squeeze in a question about how the 4DX effects are
encoded. I wanted to know if the filmmakers had any involvement
in the process. The rep told me that they have 20 engineers in
Korea who work with a lab in L.A., and the motion coding is
decided between them. However, the rep claimed that the
filmmakers are shown the final product to "quality check" it.
Take that as you will.
We then watched a demo that featured a car chase with and
without 4DX. It mostly utilized the motion-controlled aspect of
the technology, with the seats tilting and rising along with the
action on the screen. The chairs moved and shook pretty
violently, enough so that it made eating or drinking during a
chase sequence a dicey affair.
The Film
The film itself was pretty good, mainly because it featured the
great Robert Redford. It was also action-packed, giving the 4DX
people plenty of opportunities to impress. I only wish I was
able to relax and enjoy it...
Normally I like going to see a big action movie with a packed
house. But with 4DX you get about ten times the amount of
audience noise that you normally would. People constantly
"ooohhh-ed" and "ahhhhh-ed" and screamed and squawked every time
the effects kicked in. I expected it would die down as the movie
progressed, but it didn't.
The most used effect by far was the motion-controlled seating.
Given that the film has copious amount of action scenes and even
a pretty good car chase, the seats had plenty of opportunities
to rock, roll, and rumble. One thing I didn't like was that the
motion often upset the 3D effect, making images blur and double.
I would have preferred the 2D version of the film, but from what
I can tell all 4DX movies are in 3D. Overall, the moving seat
was novel for about 10 minutes, then I wished it would stop so
that I could just settle in and watch the movie.
Another effect I saw a lot of was the "gunshot" effect caused by
bright lights on the edges of the ceiling quickly flashing in
sync with any onscreen gunfire, of which Captain America had a
lot. The lights were harsh, and based on the color temperature,
I would guess they were mercury-based. This had the effect of
briefly lighting up the theater with every gunshot, and it was
very distracting. I started to wish Cap would use his fists more
often.
The wind effects were also used quite a bit. From a gentle
breeze in an outdoor dialogue scene to a blast of air in the
face during a car crash, the wind effects were probably the
least distracting and most welcome. That is, except for the
puffs of air that come from behind and hit you across the ear.
They were largely used to simulate the feeling of a bullet
whizzing past your head. Each time a puff went off, it was
accompanied by a loud "pssssshhh!" sound right next to my ear.
It did not feel like a bullet whizzing past; it felt like
someone blasted me in the ear with computer duster.
I was looking forward to the smoke effects, as I thought they
would be less intrusive and more immersive than the other
effects. Unfortunately, I only got to see them twice: a brief
cloud of smoke after an explosion, then another, smaller cloud
after another explosion. There was really only smoke on one side
of the theater, and it dissipated quickly, so I felt rather let
down.
One concern I had about 4DX was the use of water effects. I had
read that they were very annoying - either you got blasted in
the face from the railing in front of you, or water would "rain"
down on you from above. Recently, the 4DX people began adding a
button on the armrest that turns the water on or off. I set mine
to "on" to get the full effect, but I might as well not have
bothered. The "rain" effect never happened, despite obvious
scenes in the movie where it could have been used. The "water
blast" only happened once, when a large piece of debris crashed
into the ocean. (This seemed odd because there were several
instances of debris falling into the ocean.) But the water was
so diffused (like a fine mist), it really wasn't much different
than the plain old air blasts I had already felt.
As for the scents? I couldn't tell you. Either the scent machine
wasn't working or Captain America's world smells just like a
movie theater.
[IMG]
HTML http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/Chiprocks1/Smilies/0%20All%20Smilies/RollingOnTheFloor.gif[/img]<br
/>After a large explosion, I thought I smelled root beer
(honestly), but it may have just been the smell of the smoke
that accompanied it. In any event, I know that 4DX is limited to
about eight scents, but at least some of them (coffee,
gunpowder, flowers) were present in the movie. Either they
weren't working at all or just weren't working well. The same
goes for the bubbles . . . not that there was really any reason
to utilize the bubble effect in Captain America (or very many
movies at all, I should think), but it would have been nice to
experience all that 4DX has to offer.
My biggest issue with 4DX might seem like a small one to some
people, but it's an important part of the moviegoing experience
for me. I always load up on soda and candy at the movies. The
cup holders for 4DX theaters are built into the armrest of the
chairs, as they are in most movie theaters. This means that your
soda is going to be tumbling around like it's in a clothes
dryer. The result? Within about five minutes, you have a flat
soda. You can't put it between the seats because the seats are
connected, and you can't put it on the floor in front of you
because you will kick it over when the seat starts moving (trust
me).
Is 4DX the Next Big Thing?
I'll be honest, I was ready to walk out well before the halfway
point of Captain America. Even macho action movies can be
relaxing to watch when you're able to get comfy, grab your
favorite drink or snack, and get absorbed in the film. But in
this case, I found myself dreading each action sequence, with
the violent pitching of the seats and the loud puffs of air, all
the while waiting (I thought) to get rained on. At certain
points in the film, usually during quiet dialogue scenes, the
4DX effects were absent. This made it all the more jarring when
they suddenly kicked in. Immersion? No. The opposite. I was
constantly reminded that I was watching 24 still images per
second on a big, flat screen instead of getting wrapped up in
the story or at least entertained by the action.
The 4DX experience comes at a premium, as well. Right now
tickets for Transformers 4 cost $26.75 versus $14.75 for a
normal 2D showing. I can see the 4DX technology being effective
at a theme park, mall, or fair in a smaller, self-contained
"simulator" that features all of these effects (and films
designed especially for them). It's a neat idea . . . just
slightly misplaced in the movie theater. What's cool for five
minutes is not necessarily cool for two hours. I would love to
have Led Zeppelin play a set in my bedroom, but not for a month
straight. That would just be too much of a good thing . . . and
4DX is a good thing. It's innovative, and it's trying to take
moviegoing in a new direction. I love the idea, but the
execution needs some work.[/quote]
#Post#: 29648--------------------------------------------------
Re: 4DX
By: Chiprocks1 Date: July 15, 2014, 8:35 am
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Either this is technology that just came out or I've literally
had my head in the sand for far too long. I've never heard of
4DX till this thread popped up.
#Post#: 29654--------------------------------------------------
Re: 4DX
By: Mac Date: July 15, 2014, 9:15 am
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Same here
Except...
It was over 15 years ago at Disney World, the 'Alien' ride was
all about this.
Yea, it was about 10-15 minutes long... that's enough.
#Post#: 29656--------------------------------------------------
Re: 4DX
By: Chiprocks1 Date: July 15, 2014, 9:26 am
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Disney World had an Alien ride? Man, my head is really deep in
the sand!
#Post#: 29657--------------------------------------------------
Re: 4DX
By: Mac Date: July 15, 2014, 9:33 am
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Not a ride. People file into this big room that sort of emulated
the Nostromo flight deck. You essentially sat in (stationary)
chairs while things went on around you.
My daughter was soooo scared, she didn't even try it. Mom and
her stayed outside.
Uh, it was a little more intense than this video captures.
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2XkRn_pAQI
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