THE ODYSSEY IN LIEMAX WITH XENON PROJECTION

Today I went to see The Odyssey for the second time, attending the 10:10am screening. It was a very busy screening, and I was interested to see how the presentation compared with my first viewing on the opening morning.

A few things surprised me this morning.

LIEMAX theatres show the adverts across the full 1.90:1 screen, which I have never quite understood. Going back to the 1960s, with 70mm roadshow presentations, adverts and trailers would normally be shown in a flat ratio, such as 1.85:1, or 1.75:1 at an Odeon. The curtains would then close at the end of the trailers.

With a roadshow presentation, there was often a real sense of occasion. A play-in might be played with the tabs closed and the houselights down. Once the play-in had finished, the tabs would open to reveal the enormous 70mm 2.20:1 masked screen. That, to me, was real showmanship.

Anyway, back to today's presentation.

The adverts started, and I was genuinely surprised by how good the quality of some of them looked. The focus was beautiful and sharp, and the 5.1 sound was warm, rich and very impressive. I found myself wondering whether the auditorium had finally been properly EQ'd, as I have experienced less impressive sound quality in this room on previous occasions.

There were six or more trailers, although none of them were presented in IMAX and only of of the films trailed was advertised as filme for IMAX IMAX, so I was surprised that Doomsday, and even Dune 3 never featured in the reel. They all filled the full 1.90:1 screen unless the film had a different aspect ratio. One example was the trailer for Digger, which appeared to me to be around 1.37:1. Interestingly, IMDb lists Digger as 2.39:1, so I am not quite sure what was happening with that particular trailer.

For me, LIEMAX has never really been about the physical size of the image; it is primarily about the aspect ratio and how much of the available screen is being used.

There were two IMAX logos: one during the trailer reel and another at the beginning of the feature. Both were beautifully in focus and, importantly, sounded really good. At this point I was becoming quite excited, as I have never previously heard this auditorium reproduce IMAX sound to this standard.

Then the film started, with two projectors running in sync using Xenon light sources.

I had previously seen The Odyssey on the first morning of its opening. On that occasion, I was very impressed with the Dolby 5.1 presentation. However, today's IMAX 6-track sound was, quite simply, FANTASTIC.

The subwoofers were definitely working — I will say no more about that! The EQ sounded excellent, and everything felt very well balanced. I could even hear the surround channels being used when voices echoed inside a cave and during the thunder sequence. That for me really added to the atmosphere.

It is unusual, in my experience, to hear the surround channels used so effectively in a cinema these days, so this was a real pleasure.

So, what about the image?

I'm afraid this was less impressive.

I am assuming that the auditorium is using two older 2K projectors with Xenon lamps, although I would be very happy to be corrected if that is not the case.

Considering that the film was photographed on 65mm, I had expected the image to be exceptionally sharp. Unfortunately, I didn't find it noticeably sharper than the 2.39:1 presentation I had previously seen.

Of course, the film was edited digitally, so the connection with the original negative ends at the point of scanning and digitisation. That may explain some of what I was seeing.

For roughly the first hour or so, the image appeared quite diffused to me — almost to the point of looking slightly out of focus. It did improve as the film progressed and, by the end, I found it perfectly watchable. However, it was never what I would describe as a reference-quality image.

Interestingly, this was very similar to what I experienced with the 2.39:1 presentation. So, for me, the larger IMAX aspect ratio did not translate into a significant improvement in image sharpness.

The film did, however, fill the 1.90:1 screen perfectly.

I had heard from a reliable source that they saw The Odyssey in another LIEMAX auditorium where there were black bars down either side of the image. I would be interested to hear whether anyone else has experienced this.

Today's cinema IMAX screen measures:

Width: 18.5m / 60.7ft

Height: 10.3m / 33.8ft

Putting all of the technical observations aside, The Odyssey itself is a masterpiece of filmmaking.

The Director, Editor and Music Composer were all at the very top of their game. The music, in particular, contributes enormously to the atmosphere and emotional impact of the film. It is one of those scores that becomes an integral part of the experience rather than simply accompanying the picture.

I would now place The Odyssey among my list of the greatest films ever made.

And finally, a special mention to Brian, who cued the houselights beautifully at the end of the credits. A small detail, perhaps, but those details really do make a difference to the overall presentation.

Scores

Advert focus and sound quality: 9/10

Trailer quality overall: 3/10

IMAX 6-track sound: 10/10 — absolutely FANTASTIC

Image quality compared with expectations: 1/10

Director: 10/10

Editor: 10/10

Music Composer: 10/10

Brian: 10/10

Overall, the IMAX sound presentation was the real star for me today. The picture didn't quite live up to my expectations, but the sound, music and film itself made for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.