Dinosaurs are big. Very big. Of course, they can be small as well, but we don’t go to the cinema to see the small ones come to life. Oh no. We go to see the big ones. The new movie, is, of course, Jurassic World Rebirth, which is chomping its way through theaters from July 2nd.
Wot No IMAX?
As the biggest cinema format out there, it’s a surprise, therefore that the movie will not be getting an IMAX release. Some have suggested that this is because the director, Gareth Edwards, chose to shoot on 35mm film, and while this doesn’t lend itself to an IMAX expanded aspect ratio, it wouldn’t have precluded it from getting an IMAX DMR pass, so it could be shown on the largest screens. More likely, it’s simply down to IMAX congestion, with the F1: The Movie blocking its path, in a maneuver presumably deemed legal by the stewards. There are rumors of an IMAX 3D release in China, however, presumably to cater for the popularity of 3D in that region and the availability of local IMAX screens.
While the lack of IMAX for the rest of us is something of a disappointment it does open the path for the other premium formats. At the top of the technical tree in terms of image quality is the HDR by Barco format and this is listed as a ‘Coming Soon’ on the format’s website. However, while there may be 30 to choose from by the year’s end, there are only a handful of screens that support this format at the moment, so for most, it won’t be an option.
Dolby Lights The Way
That leaves Dolby Cinema as the premium format to seek out for Jurassic World Rebirth. This offers a brightness level of 108 nits, which is very high for a cinema. This leaves plenty of space for the extended dynamic range images, with Dolby Vision creating truly deep blacks and bright whites, along with a wide color gamut. Essentially, it will allow for the beauty and texture of the film stock that the movie was shot on to come through.
Excitedly for stereoscopic fans, the film is even getting a Dolby Vision 3D release, (48 nits if you were wondering about the comparative light loss — which I know you were), and having not seen this since the release of Avatar: The Way of Water – and it happens to be the ticket I have pre-booked.
Dolby Cinema is also known for its immaculate, modern theaters, complete with comfy seats and optimized layout. The Dolby Atmos audio is also a treat for the ears, which, along with serious bass slam, offers the ability to place sounds precisely in the 3D space to heighten the immersion. I’m looking forward to it already.
If you can’t get to a Dolby Cinema, then try to find a premium larger format (PLF) screen. These offer an experience that’s close to that of Dolby, with a floor-to-ceiling 4K laser projection, which means a bright, clear and sharp picture, albeit without the dynamic range goodness of Dolby. You do get Dolby Atmos audio, though, and the seating is normally better than standard so it will be worth the outlay. PLFs all have different brand names according to the cinema chain, so in the USA, look out for names such as Prime at AMC, Regal RPX, Cineplex UltraAVX, and Cinemark XD, while in the UK they are called Cineworld Superscreen, Odeon iSense, or OmniplexMAXX.
Shake It Up In 4DX
Those are your premium formats taken care of, but if you want a format that will put a smile on your face, then try 4DX, which, for Jurassic World Rebirth, is combined with RealD 3D. The screen will likely be a 2K Xenon and the audio will be a conventional ‘flat’ surround sound format, but you’ll likely be hanging onto your seat too much to notice – quite literally. 4DX has chairs that move, throwing you around in sync with the action on screen, along with thumbs in the back for bangs and crashes, splashes or water, blasts of air, and flashes of light. I’d expect it to be a great fit for Jurassic World Rebirth.
I’d be less inclined to choose ScreenX. This offers additional images down the sides of the theater. While much of this extra-wide footage is especially created for the movie, I’d prefer a larger screen and better sound mix of the other formats. The screens down the side can be more distracting than immersive, and theaters are not always well optimized for the format: I’ve even seen an Exit sign in the middle of the side screen.
Finally, you could go to a regular screen showing it in 3D. If you know the screen has a laser projector, this might be acceptable, but unless you can be sure, it’s a risk: many screens still have projectors that use old Xenon lamps, which lose brightness as they age, which will be exacerbated by the 3D glasses.
If you don’t want to risk it or don’t enjoy 3D motion blur (oh, where art thou’ TrueCut Motion) for Jurassic World Rebirth, then a standard 2D screen will be a safer option. Or at least as safe as things can be. After all, you know how slack those ‘Dinosaur Supervisors can be. (Only kidding Phil, we love ya…).
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