Sunday Afternoon at the IMAX

Spent another lovely couple of hours at the Navy Pier IMAX today, catching Alice in Wonderland with my friend Joy. I have to admit, it was nothing compared to Avatar, but I suppose it’s just a losing situation to even try and compare another 3D movie to Avatar. Frankly, I loved that movie. My friend Imran and I went to see it a couple weeks ago (bless you, Imran, for seeing it a fifth time with me!) and while I agree that, yes, the plot was lacking, the visual effects were stunning. I surprise myself by saying that I love something lacking a great plot, being the literature lover that I am, but the way the foliage popped off the screen and the action just jumped at you--it was downright enthralling. The time flew by, and I felt my emotions being tugged in a variety of directions throughout the film.

So, I went in with expectations that were a bit too high for Alice in Wonderland. About halfway through the movie I remembered I was wearing 3D glasses and wondered where in the world the 3D effects were. Here and there something popped out, but, honestly, the trailers preceding the movie were more visually exciting than the movie itself. There was so much potential for 3D throughout Alice, but so little of it was exploited. Additionally, part of what made Avatar’s 3D effects so spectacular was the wide palate of colors that just jumped off the screen at you. Not surprisingly, Alice being a Tim Burton film, it was rather dark. So, in addition to the toned-down 3D effects, you had muted colors, and the film came off a bit flatter than I was hoping for. I’m not suggesting that you don’t go see it-—it’s fun. But it may not be worth the cost of the IMAX.

Even so, I find myself falling in love with the IMAX. I think I’d only been to one IMAX film prior to moving to Chicago, and usually I just can’t justify the cost, but all this 3-dimension film making is just so exciting (well, when they do it right)! So, even though it seems to take me fifteen minutes to find the IMAX every time I go to Navy Pier (yes, I got lost for the second time), when I do find it, it’s always a great time. Next time there’s a great 3D film out, I'll be at Navy Pier wearing my big plastic glasses.