The Dark Knight (SPOILERS)

[Variety of Cells]

I talked a lot about IMAX before it came out but haven't said anything about it since.  Well I finally got around to seeing it again at a regular theater, so here are my thoughts.

It does make a difference.  A pretty big one too.  Though strangely the biggest difference didn't have anything to do with the picture.  It was the sound.  To fully appreciate Alfred's quip "Do you think it's loud enough?" you should see it in IMAX.  Those speakers can really belt it out without distorting at all.  It really draws you into the film, and makes it so much more immersive.  You really are surrounded in sound.  I think part of that is thanks to only having one screen, so they don't have to worry about sound bleeding into the other theaters.  The sound alone is almost worth the extra price.

But the picture, as expected, is also superior.  Though once again, not exactly how I expected.  Yes, there is a little difference in sharpness between the 70mm portions and the 35, but if you have decent seats and you're not sitting right next to the screen you aren't going to notice it a whole lot.  However, if you see it in a regular theater the 70mm portions are cropped, and they couldn't always fit everything on the 35mm screen; one example being when the batmobile runs straight into the garbage truck.  In 70mm you see everything, but in 35 the bottom portion is cut off and you can't really see the batmobile. 

So cropping is an issue, but the biggest difference is actually the brightness and color.  The picture seemed drab and a little desaturated compared to the 70mm projection that just seemed to glow, and was so much more vibrant.  That's the first thing I noticed when I saw it again today.  Everything was so rich and clean in the IMAX theater.  I'm guessing the bulb in the 70mm projector is much higher quality and maintenanced more often. 

My conclusion: the IMAX version is definitely worth the price.  If you aren't terribly sensitive to photography then the visual portion might not make a big difference to you, but anyone can tell the difference between amazing sound and the mediocre audio experience you get from a normal theater.  And that's my two cents.

[Thom_Serveaux]

Aside from all that's been mentioned, and I may be repeating myself, I was surprised that the 'batpod', was in fact part of the batmobile that survived after that horrendous crash. That is to say it was a good surprise, no offense, but I hated that batmobile, I mean really HATED it...

[Hebs]

Haha, not that it had to be, but it certainly wasn't sexy   

[Doctor Who?]

I haven't told people about Two face becouse i didn't know he was in this movie and his showing up was the high point for me.

Most of the people i talked too know that Dent is in the movie but they think that means two face isn't showing up until the next movie.

[RoninFox]

I haven't told people about Two face becouse i didn't know he was in this movie and his showing up was the high point for me.

Most of the people i talked too know that Dent is in the movie but they think that means two face isn't showing up until the next movie.

That was the impression I had when I first started seeing the "I Believe in Harvey Dent" stickers and everything, but it got spoiled for me when i saw the moment of Harvey face down in the gasoline during one of the trailers.

[kodiakthejuggler]

So cropping is an issue, but the biggest difference is actually the brightness and color.  The picture seemed drab and a little desaturated compared to the 70mm projection that just seemed to glow, and was so much more vibrant.  That's the first thing I noticed when I saw it again today.  Everything was so rich and clean in the IMAX theater.  I'm guessing the bulb in the 70mm projector is much higher quality and maintenanced more often. 

Plus you're getting so much more resolution with the IMAX camera. It's bigger and better!

[Doctor Who?]

I hate spoilers to the point that i try to avoid trailers whenever I can.

So i had no idea.

[stansimpson]

Did your friend know Batman characters at all? 

Y'see, I thought my friend DID know Batman characters.  He's fairly prescient about nerdy things, so I was kinda taken back that he didn't know who Harvey Dent was.  And it's not like I don't agree that Two-Face *could* be a spoiler, but I think the thing that irks me most is that my friend didn't consider the magic pencil trick a spoiler.  Then again, how can he understand how much the impact of surprise will be lost until he sees the Joker burying that pencil into the table.  Harvey Dent = Two-Face is practically public domain for cryin' out loud!  I should just tell him that neither ship blows up in the end just to spite him.  Well nah... I couldn't do that.  And ya wanna know how he found out?  "Dude, my favorite part of the movie is..." is how it began.  Maybe if I said "Dude, my favorite part of the movie is when Two-Face shows up."  Maybe THEN it wouldn't be a spoiler.  Ugh.

Punch him in the face and show him a magic trick.

AWESOME response 

Btw, sorry if I'm a little perturbed.  I have some FEMA-like beuracracy shit going on at work.  Is it *my* problem that I don't harrass my supervisors about a problem?  Shouldn't a "Hey, I got a real problem here" suffice?  Maybe next time I'll just take a shit in the hallway.  That seemed to work for Katrina.

[RoninFox]

Prefacing anything with "dude" automatically makes it not a spoiler.

"Dude, you know who that Kaiser Soze is?  Well it turns out it's..."

[Thom_Serveaux]

Hey I'm still holding out for the next Batman movie to be in 3-D...


...


What?  It works for Lucas, so it must be a good idea....

[Petey Wheatstraw]

I think he has taken Issac's place as biggest jerk on the internet.

I was NEVER a jerk. You, on the other hand, are a fucking putz.

[Hebs]

I like you, Isaac

[Doctor Who?]

I think he has taken Issac's place as biggest jerk on the internet.

I was NEVER a jerk. You, on the other hand, are a fucking putz.

Yeah there is nothing jerkish about calling someone a Fucking Putz.

Gee just when i think i'm out he pulls me back in.

[RVR II]

I like you, Isaac

clever girl...

[Fortis]

Gee just when i think i'm out he pulls me back in.

...you can check out, but you can never leave.