Star Wars:Clones to get IMAX release!? (1 Viewer)

[Jason Seaver]

Are you guys really going pay inflated IMAX prices to watch an edited down, cropped version of this movie? I don't get it.

Yes. If the DMR does as good a job on it as it did on Apollo 13, it should be spectacular to see. I wouldn't buy this version as my home copy, but as a special event, it's easily worth the $9.

But we went through this a couple of months ago with Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience; no real need to rehash the argument.

 

[Chauncey_G]

Steve,

Edited down? Yes.

Cropped? We don't know yet. There's no point in making assumptions on this, we'll find out for sure soon enough. As was stated earlier, the trailers are in OAR, which is a hopeful sign.

I don't know if there are any other IMAX projectionists out there that can tell us sooner, but I'll post whether it's OAR or not either tonight or tomorrow.

 

[chung_sotheby]

Wow, I always wondered what crap would look like under a magnifying glass, and now, for only $13 and a trip to my nearest IMAX theater, I can find out. Yippee!

 

[Scott_MacD]

Thanks for the totally unneccessary thread fart..

 

[Sean Laughter]

I've been sitting here watching the Star Wars print being spliced together. It is letterboxed, but as was said earlier it's a bigger bar at the top and a much smaller bar at the bottom of the image. In a flat-screen theaer this would no doubt lessen neck strain, and in a domed theater (like the one here) this keeps the movie flush with the bottom of the screen. However, as I said, it looks like there actually might still be a slight bar on the bottom and so that may show up as curvature and a black "spot" in the bottom center of the image on a domed theater screen.

I've just been looking at the print and haven't actually seen it projected yet so I'm not sure if there is a problem with the black bar at the bottom yet (again, this would only be a problem in a dome theater).

 

[Tim Glover]

Anyone know where to find the trailer online? Have seen the AOTC Imax poster but not the trailer. Thanks!

 

[Sean Laughter]

OK, just watched the first few minutes of the film. Up until the middle of the first scene when Obi-Wan and Anakin meet Padme in her room in the beginning (where Obi-
Wan and Anakin argue over whether they're going to investigate or not).

This film was definately NOT printed for a dome theater. The bar on the bottom becomes a black hump in the center of the bottom of the image and the curvature is pretty severe. The first shot of Anakin and Obi-Wan in the elevator with them standing side-by-side having a conversation places their heads practically on the ceiling. The sound is really nice though. Perhaps sitting through the whole movie you'd get used to it after a while and would just watch the huge image. I dunno though. I also could see what I can only describe as "pixels" on some of the straight lines on some of the backgrounds, so I'm not sure if that's a digital video thing or a CGI thing.

Anyway, I wish Lucasfilm (or whoever was responsible for bringing this to IMAX) had made a separate print for domed IMAX theaters. They may have had to matte out a bit of image information to cut out some of the excessive curvature, but they should have at least made one with the bottom of the image flush against the bottom of the frame so that the domes don't have a black hump in the middle of the picture.

 

[Chauncey_G]

It looks great in a flat-screen IMAX, though. I'm in the middle of my initial screening of the film and so far it looks great and sounds incredible! I'd be willing to bet that IMAX has some of the best sound anywhere, and they use it well in this film. So far, the edits are not all that obtrusive.

As stated earlier by Sean, it is letterboxed into it's OAR, so that's a non-issue. The only thing that you'll have to decide is if you mind having it edited for time.

 

[ThomasC]

theforce.net has gotten ahold of a good description of what you'll be looking at if you see it:
http://www.theforce.net/episode2/
go down to "AOTC IMAX Cuts and Deletions"

 

[Chauncey_G]

OK, I just got finished watching the IMAX Attack of the Clones. Like I said before, it looks and sounds fantastic, and it is presented in it's OAR.
I have to admit that I really liked this edit. While I am glad that I will be having the original release on DVD, I think that this edit is superior in some respects to the theatrical release. It's tighter and has better pacing than the original, in my opinion. It conveys the plot just as well as the original but in a more engaging way, thanks to the improved pacing. I would say that it's more involving. Part of that certainly has to do with the size of the image and the superb sound, but it also has to do with the movie itself and I think this edit works very, very well.
I definately recommend checking it out.

 

[Scott_MacD]

Sounds interesting.. I was convinced Attack of the Clones was poorly paced, and I'd be interested in seeing this new version, especially since it's been confirmed that it's letterboxed.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

I really, really wish that this shortened cut were on the DVD.
My strongest criticism of eps I and II is that the pacing is terrible compared to the earlier films.
My opinion, of course.
Sometimes a constraint of running time can be a good thing...some longer "director's cuts" suffer compared to the shorter theatrical version (often studio-constrained).
This instance is unusual in that the shorter version was created afterwards, and strictly because of technical limitations.
Once you are George Lucas (circa 2002), the studio isn't going to tell you how long your film can be. Of course in this case Fox is really just the distributor.
Alas, what might work well in this case will not in general. Apollo 13 needs no shortening (or editing for content, which they did as well!)...

 

[Tim Glover]

Hey Michael,
What happened to your signature that had the slightly tongue in cheek poking fun at the Imax Clones release..."coming soon to a very tall screen near you" or something like that?

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Tim,
Actually, I wrote that specifically based on the confirmed news of Apollo 13 being both pan-and-scan and edited for content.
After a while, it feels like beating a dead horse. I do change my sig from time to time.
I still feel the same way. I don't really think that films should be modififed to make a few more bucks pandering to the IMAX crowd. My wish that the original theatrical version of AotC were shorter than it was stems from before the IMAX release. I am particularly glad they decided to do it in OAR and I think Apollo 13 should have done the same thing.

 

[ThomasC]

I am particularly glad they decided to do it in OAR and I think Apollo 13 should have done the same thing.

huh? aotc imax isn't in oar, is it?

 

[Steve Phillips]

Glad to hear at least the film isn't cropped. However, I saw the film once (digital projection) and that is enough. I might have gone if it was uncut, but since it is edited, I'll pass.
To those who are going, have fun.

 

[Chris Harvey]

I wonder at Lucas here: if some of the scenes cut (the waterfall meadow scene, for example) were considered so expendable, why bother to include them in the theatrical release, given some of the dodgy CGI and acting?

 

[Tim Glover]

I was just poking fun Michael. I really did think your former sig was funny though. If you do go see the Imax of Clones I hope you enjoy it. I can't go until Monday.

 

[CraigL]

Hey guys...

just came back from the 7:30 screening.

Want the short version??

Rent the full screen version...turn the bass up REAL high...and sit real close to the screen. Plus fast forward a couple of parts that you find boring. Welcome.

You've just experienced AOTC in IMAX.

As someone who is a HUGE star wars fan and saw AOTC 5 times this summer (4 of which were digital, the first being a regular film print...it was a sneak preview), this was kinda a waste to me. I was REALLY excited before the movie started...and then the previews started, and it went downhill from there. I was hoping MAYBE it'd be in it's OAR but nope...full screen.

Some of the scenes cut:

Original meeting with Palpatine right after assassination
Meeting Jar-Jar at the elevator
Small cuts right before Coruscant chase
Anakin levitating the orb and some dialogue in Amidala's chamber
Obi, Mace and Yoda discussing Anakin
Padme saying goodbye to her handmaiden
Library Scene
Padme and Anakin meeting with Queen on Naboo
The Meadow scene (entire thing)
Part of fireplace scene (quick and painless)
Boba turning Slave 1 to fire at Obi
Anakin's Nipple Scene
Meeting Owen and Beru and Cliegg (right into story scene)
Part of meeting with Dooku and Obi
Any discussion after Obi's transmission and attack (Bail Organa)
Small cuts in factory scene
Credits are EXTREMELY short

That's all I can remember at the moment. There was a lot of important dialogue missing and Palpatine is barely in the movie now.

As far as the presentation...again...cannot get over watching this movie in Pan&Scan. Horrible. The bass was up WAYYYYY too high and the ending (Imperial March) was barely discernable under the heavy bass. The print was too dark and shadows made everything too dark. There was some pixelization/macroblocking in some scenes.

It was also VERY close to the actors faces. I was close to the back of the theater and it was just too big. You could see all of Hayden's make-up (tanning lotion anyone?) as well as Ian's.

Brings me to the picture quality. Full movies should NOT be in IMAX. There's too much going on. Too much fast motion. It's really made for slow pans and interesting "worlds" but not for a movie that you're supposed to listen to and experience. After a while it just gave me a headache. Alot of the fast scenes just became one big blur.

So that's that. I'm glad I went to say I experienced it...but not thrilled with what I saw.
But one things for sure...i can't WAIT for the DVD...to see it the way it SHOULD be seen.

 

[Sean Laughter]

I'm sorry, but the film is not full-screen IMAX, I've looked at the print and seen it projected. It has black bars. It may not be OAR (I couldn't tell) but it certainly isn't full-screen.