IMAX 3D vs 2D: When the Extra Glasses Are Worth It
An Engadget writer compares IMAX 3D and 2D screenings and concludes that 3D is worth choosing only for films that use depth purposefully. Screen brightness, viewing comfort, theater equipment and price also matter.
Moviegoers often have to decide whether to pick the 2D or 3D version of an IMAX screening, which offers a giant screen and enhanced sound. A writer for the technology site Engadget, who has seen both formats, argues that 3D is not an automatic upgrade: it "has to earn the glasses." The most recent experience was watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day in IMAX 3D.
What IMAX 3D offers
IMAX and 3D are not rival formats. An IMAX screening can be either 2D or 3D, while systems such as RealD can deliver 3D in conventional auditoriums. Choosing IMAX 2D can still bring the huge screen, strong sound and, depending on the film and theater, an expanded aspect ratio.
Theatrical 3D relies on two slightly different images of the same scene, one per eye. The glasses keep them separate, and the brain fuses them into a picture with depth. In the author's view, the best 3D does not throw objects at the viewer's face but creates distance between foreground, characters and background. For a film built around speed, height and objects flying through the frame, the added depth suited the material.
Image quality also depends on the auditorium. IMAX's GT Laser system uses dual projectors, while CoLa and XT installations use a single projector and are less bright and sharp. RealD says its platform is installed on more than 22,000 screens in 72 countries.
Why 2D can win
The author found the 3D image darker. Brightness and stereo contrast are key to good 3D, and a decade ago Engadget's testing found IMAX's laser system could offset some of the brightness lost to 3D. On comfort, the IMAX glasses were manageable over prescription glasses, but no more than that.
For some viewers the problem goes further. In a 2013 study of 497 healthy adults, 54.8 percent reported some simulator sickness after a 3D movie, compared with 14.1 percent after a 2D movie. The study did not focus on IMAX, so the figures should not be read as IMAX-specific.
The author would pay for IMAX 3D for a film that makes good use of depth, shown in a good laser auditorium. When 3D is an afterthought, a brighter 2D picture is preferable. Price varies by theater and membership; AMC A-List covers IMAX and RealD 3D screenings with no extra premium-format charge.
