Earlier, we reported that in celebration of the upcoming Blu-ray release of the Indiana Jones series, Raiders of the Lost Ark would be making its way to IMAX theaters next month. Steven Spielberg told the New York Times:
“For me, it’s always been the bigger the screen, the better. It’s the only marked contrast we have to the generations that are seeing our movies on phones and hand-held platforms. It’s a complete relief to be able to see a film that many people have just experienced on a palm-sized platform technology, suddenly hurled at that them on an Imax-sized screen.”
A great platform for tentpole actioners and other epics, IMAX’s 72-foot screen and immersive environment makes it a stunning and exciting way to transform older film favorites, allowing audiences to appreciate their craft and consideration once more. The horizontal IMAX 70mm standard is about nine times larger than 35mm and three times bigger than normal 70mm. Keep in mind, we’re not talking about the retrofitted multiplexes where the digital projection is pretty pathetic by comparison. We’re only interested in a true IMAX experience. Since seeing a remastered movie on IMAX’s large-scale canvas conveys a tremendous sense of scope, enhances details and sound, and can be a hell of a lot of fun, we made a list of other movies we want to see. Click through to check out a few of our picks, then head to the comments to share yours.
It could be because of Shark Week and the buzz of Universal’s 100th anniversary Blu-ray rollout, but we’d pay big money to see Jaws in IMAX. The recent Raiders news and next year’s exciting IMAX 3D Jurassic Park event also inspire Spielbergian thoughts of chilling seascapes and gripping oceanic terror. Just imagining how the overwhelming horror of a thrashing Chrissie during her last swim would look large-scale is enough to send us reeling.
Can you picture how amazing Koyaanisqatsi’s grid sequence would look on an IMAX screen? The 1982 experimental documentary is a breathtaking journey on its own, and the impressive film format could only add to the visually stunning experience. We can’t think of a better way to become absorbed in the exhilarating spectacle and Philip Glass’ haunting score. In 2008, fans of the film were petitioning to bring it to IMAX, and it’s time to rekindle the effort. While we’re at it, let’s add the rest of the trilogy (Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi) and 1992’s Baraka to our wish list.
Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 silent, rapid-paced montages with a plethora of other short shots would keep us distracted from any nitpicking about the IMAX blow-up, while still allowing us to appreciate its powerful imagery. Eisenstein’s handling of the ships, soldiers, and the Odessa Steps sequence would find its tragic, fervid urgency magnified.
A garish, brassy, Technicolor spectacle would be eye-popping on an IMAX screen — and there’s no one we’d like to see more than Marilyn Monroe. The iconic starlet’s musical tale, co-starring the always sassy Jane Russell, would be a feast for the eyes. Monroe’s legendary “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” number is a wonderfully stagy scene that deserves the extra room. We could also see a hot mess of a musical like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers being fun for an IMAX evening.
Hopefully we don’t have to explain at length why one of the greatest action films of all time needs an IMAX release. This is the quintessential candidate for the expansive platform. The pyrotechnics, tense battles, and elaborate action sequences would look fantastic through the larger film frame. Many Die Hard clones have basked in their IMAX moment, but the original is a masterpiece and would undoubtedly blow us all away.
George Miller’s 1981 action masterpiece boasts minimal dialogue and maximum, neck-breaking action. What a perfect match for IMAX where all the sound we’ll need comes from exhilarating car chases and striking carnage. The film’s vast desert landscape would be gorgeous on the colossal format, and the incredible camerawork would be a dizzying, thrilling display.
We prefer Alien over Aliens in terms of horror, but the second installment in the space series is terrifying in its own right and a great action movie. The Oscar-winning visual and sound effects would be chilling in IMAX. The ambitious movie’s tension-filled stalk and chase scenes would be epic — especially Ripley’s celebrated showdown with the enormous Alien Queen.
We watch 1960’s classic The Dirty Dozen for its stellar lineup of screen heavies, including: Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland, Telly Savalas, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, and Robert Ryan. We’d also watch it in IMAX where its action-packed combat scenes and antihero cast would have an expansive war zone to launch their World War II mission. While we’re on the subject of war epics again, let’s add to our wish list The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, and Apocalypse Now (which seems to have had an IMAX cineplex makeover, but not a 70mm transformation).
Yeah, the jungle setting and all the creepy hide-and-seek games the extraterrestrial Predators play would be awesome to see in IMAX, but we’re really thinking about how terrifying the surround sound on a remastered version of the 1987 movie would be. Close your eyes, press play on the above video, and imagine the howls and clackety-clack in a gargantuan theater.
In 2007 Warner Bros. told IMAX executives about a 2001 70mm conversion: “Forget it. We wouldn’t make back the money we’d spend on properly transferring the 70mm interpositive to IMAX. The world has moved on. Under 30s don’t know from Stanley Kubrick or monoliths or Johann Strauss. Releasing an IMAX version of the The Last Samurai, however, might work.” When asked about Kubrick’s film in 2010, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond said, “We have to figure out a way to do that!” We’re still crossing our fingers that the 1968 film might make it to a 72-foot screen. We’d pay triple to see it.