I havent been to the Imax in a while but I love it when I do go. The last thing I went to see there was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ( the last one to be released) and it was amazing!
I went to the Imax in Waterloo and it is massive. It is located on the South Bank and is about 5 minutes walk from Waterloo station. You cannot miss the building due to its sheer size and colour effects.
It seats around 500 people in each screen and the seats are well positioned to give you a good view and plenty of leg room which is a nice change. They also boast about having a screen that is 20 metres high and 26 metres wide and have an 11,600-watt sound system.
Ticket prices are quite high (unsurprisingly). An adult ticket costs about £12 and children have to pay
£8. The box office is located on the ground floor as soon as you enter the building and there is a little coffee shop behind it if you want a drink. When you buy your ticket you are also given the choice of where to sit. I personally prefer to sit in the middle of a row towards the back of the cinema.
Once you get your ticket you have to make your way up some stairs to the lobby area where you need to wait until the doors open to let you in. This is where they sell the usual over priced and under taste popcorn as well as the usual sweets and drinks. The doors normally open about 30 minutes before the film starts. As you enter the screen you have your ticket checked and 3D glasses given to you if required (more about that later). You then need to make your own way upto your seat.
The seats are very comfortable. They have enough room so the majority of people wont be too cramped (compared to the local cinema) in and are wide enough so that you're not squashed in. Viewing angles are very good as well. It is not like a normal cinema where the row in front of you is slightly lower and if you get someone tall then they will block your view, in the Imax each row is significantly lower than the one above it so even if a child is sat behind a 7ft adult there shouldn't be any viewing problems.
Before the film starts the lights darken and one of the staff give a small presentation of the Imax in order to show its capabilities and basically blow its own trumpet. The first time you go you will be a bit blown away but the high amounts of power on it. Once you have been a few times though you just want to get it over with and watch the film!
As with any cinema you are shown some trailers before you go in. These are just your bog standard trailers that you would expect to see in any cinema. The first point at which you get amazed by the Imax is when they show a trailer for one of their 3D productions. The one that will always stick in my mind is one for Sea Monsters 3D where it seems like a massive crocodile / alligator thing is swimming right above you. An actual child started crying in the cinema because he thought it was real when he saw it. You are always told when to put on your 3D glasses by a little sign in the corner of the screen. It is hard to miss and even if you do you will see that most people around you are putting them on.
The first 3D film I went to see was Deep Sea 3D which is more of a documentary about the ocean and all its inhabitants. The difference is that it is 3D so it feels like you are much more in the thick of things. I also wanted to see a safari film they had. From what I saw from the trailers it was shot from the angle of you being in a 4x4 and everything happening around you. It is worth mentioning that the special 3D films do only last 45 minutes but are a bit cheaper than the fully blown films.
As I said I also went to see Harry Potter there and, to be honest, this wasn't as good as expected. The main reason I saw it in the Imax and not in the local cinema is that they advertise it as normal but the last 20 minutes of film are in 3D. When it came to it I was a bit disappointed. It was 3D and it was good but I was expecting something more special. The 3D effects weren't the same as the specific 3D films and looked a bit more like a cheap attempt to make a few extra quid over anything else. That said, it was still a good experience.
The main problem with the Imax is the fact that it only has 1 screen and if you want to go see a popular film there then you will definitely need to book but as long as you plan ahead then this isn't too much of a problem.
I would definitely recommend the Imax. Yes the prices are high but even if you don't see a 3D film, its still worth going for the experience. I will certainly be returning sometime soon.
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Jul 7th, 2008
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