Just got back from Episode II on IMAX!

It was definitely a unique venue...Star Wars on such a large screen! Though still not digital, the picture was very clear and I was able to make out a lot more detail in this version.

The only downside was that the sound didn't seem to be cranked up all that high...but perhaps it was where we were sitting. Unfortunate, especially for the asteroid field scene. It also seemed to be edited for length...not sure why...but several scenes and bits were deleted. Very strange...like the scene with Obi-wan in the library--not shown.

But all in all it was a pleasure...and for once Windu's lightsaber was a truly purple.

Man... that is strange about the sound.

IMAX theaters have MONSTROUS sound systems in them. Strange stuff...

The film being cut is odd too... IMAX film is the largest film in the world, by the way... and it runs sideways instead of up and down and at a very high rate of speed... I just don't know why they would cut scenes.

What did Yoda look like when he was jumping around like a monkey on crack?

IceNine said:

Large...very large...

Imax film is limited to 2hrs, so 20 mins were trimmed.

dayum! no library scene? i didnt know that they were gonaa jack the movie...now i dont think i wanna see it as bad anymore
[This message was edited Sat Nov 9 8:52:52 PST 2002 by purpleMAN]

PrimeTime said:

I wonder why that limitation exists?

Not sure what the reasoning is for the running time limitation, but that is the official reason the film was trimmed. We just got it here in SA, so I'm going this week!

Did you feel that the film was adversly affected by the cuts, or did it actually help the pace? Just curious.

JediMaster said:

Eh...not adversely. Just a little jarring if you're expecting a certain scene and then it doesn't happen. The film was paced about the same.

I believe that the reason for trimming the film down to 2 hours is that due to the size & weight of the film the spools that hold the film can only 1hr per spool.

BobGeorge67 said:

Just found out that this is, indeed, the reason!

I saw AOTC last night at the Imax. While some of the deletions annoyed me, on the whole it was still quite awesome to see it on that large a screen! Sure, the aspect ratio had to be altered, but I guess that's the trade-off. The sound was simply incredible, and the picture blew me away. The digital screenings never made it to San Antonio, so this is probably the clearest I'll see it on the large screen.

The chase through Coruscant was simply breathtaking, and even made me a little sick from the motion! This never happened all of the previous times I saw the film, so that tells you something about the power of IMAX.

Of course, the battle at the end was completely incredible, with the exploding ships actually vibrating your seat. If you are, even slightly, a Star Wars fan, then you must check this out if its showing near you!