Well...I knew something would pull me out of retirement and back to this blog. Turns out, it would be IMAX doing a total bait-and-switch for the upcoming "Incredibles II," another sequel in Pixar's continuing quest to franchise all of their original creations ("A Bug's Life" is the only pre-Disney owned era film to avoid this fate). Unlike most of their recent outputs though, people actually wanted a sequel to "The Incredibles," and the fact that original Oscar-winning writer/director Brad Bird ("Ratatouille," "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol") is back at the helm makes it one of the studios more anticipated films. Also being one of the films best theater experiences (one that I saw three times in theaters upon the initial release) meant that when IMAX struck a deal to project it, they decided to go big with it!
The theater trailer was shown months ago in full-blown 3D! As we got closer to the release date, IMAX went all out by advertising an "Incredibles Double Feature" for not just the opening day, but TWO full days before the sequel comes out! With that event means the first movie will be shown in IMAX for the first time. Anticipation only got higher as IMAX promised free goodies at the event. Fan events have been highly anticipated as it makes fans feel like they are getting their own version of a world-wide premier. To my knowledge, this is one of the first major fan events I've seen for an animated film, giving you an idea as to how anticipated the release it. That is a big deal, and IMAX continued to push it as such. That's why when the full trailer came out, IMAX projected it fully in 3D. This was a big deal because modern 3D movie trailers aren't shown in the format unless it was filmed with the format in mind during early stages This is because it doesn't make a lot of sense to upconvert trailer footage, because that same footage would have to be re-upconverted again at a later date.
The fact that ALL the "Incredibles II" trailers are being shown in fully 3D states shows that the 3D is not only integral to the movie, it was MADE to be shown in 3D from the ground up! And really, a computer animated superhero movie is the very thing you would expect to build a 3D experience around. Because I was with family members when I saw "Avengers: Infinity War" in IMAX 3D a second time, I ended up sticking around for the previews and loved every second of the trailer for "Incredibles II." It was a reminder that animation was woefully underused in the IMAX format, and it was nice to see the company embracing it again after they (incorrectly) assumed that no one wanted to see these types of movies in the format. However (and you know this was coming if I'm writing about this) it appears that all of these previews, all of these promises, and all of these claims of a great IMAX 3D experience were all false advertising because NONE of the "Incredibles II" listings I've seen ANYWHERE are showing the movie in 3D!
That is so disappointing I knew I had to come back to this blog and vent my anger like the Comic Book Guy from "The Simpsons" does.
This is wrong on two levels. First of all, this is EXTREMELY dishonest! I mean, extremely so. By advertising this as a full blown IMAX 3D experience in all your trailers, posters, and advertisements, only to do a 2D only release is one of the worst kinds of false advertising I've seen. It is a classic bait-and-switch if ever I've seen. On the other hand, IMAX is not doing themselves (or their shareholders) any favors by denying the public of the 3D version as it looks like the kind of immersive experience that only IMAX can offer. By stripping of the 3D the theater chain has purposefully gimped the experience, and I suspect people who see it on a standard 3D screen are going to walk away much, much happier. On a third note, since this IS the premier of the first 'Incredibles' in IMAX, it would be a perfect time to premier a new 3D version that was exclusive to IMAX theaters, and would certainly drive ticket sales to see the classic movie in "a whole new way." IMAX has screwed EVERYONE with this release!
And, look, I'm not saying there should be no 2D showings. While I would prefer IMAX deal exclusively in 3D for certain movies, having some showtimes be 2D and some be 3D seems to have worked very well for several major movies. But just like they were cutting out a certain audience when they were only doing 3D movies, so to are they cutting out certain audience members when they only show 2D. IMAX claims that this is the direction their shareholders want them to go. Well, as an IMAX shareholder myself, I would like to throw in my own opinion on the direction the company is going with 2D only releases: This plan sucks and they need to rethink it as soon as possible.
Brad Bird on 3D and IMAX: « I have some technical issues with 3D, and I feel that people are forgetting the power that really big, bright, sharp images on a massive screen have. Simply seeing movies presented the way they used to be presented, in the top theatres, is an unbelievably powerful experience. But most people see them in multiplexes now with small auditoriums and small screens with dim projectors. Part of what I liked about IMAX is that people are forced to sit forward, the screens are huge, the bulbs are turned all the way up, the sound systems are good and they're getting the experience we intend them to get rather than the one they often get. »
When I saw movies in IMAX, they were always projecting the trailer for Incredibles 2 in 2D. Brad Bird has come out publicly and said that he isn't a fan of 3D. Get your facts right before writing whatever and publish it online.