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Go See Tron the Right Way

I’ll make this quick and to the point. Tron: Legacy has “vertically extended” footage. Over 40 minutes of it; composed of over 7 sequences, according to the latest intel.

That means you need to see it at a REAL IMAX, not some digital multiplex mini-Imax, or Liemax, as some like to call them.

Find the real deal near you, using optical technologies comprised of 15-perf 70mm film. No, the film isn’t actually shot on IMAX cameras, it was shot digitally, using the “2.0” version of James Cameron’s camera system developed for Avatar. But, the sequences are digital creations from the get-go, which means they can render them to whatever aspect ratio they want. They apparently wanted to render them in the IMAX ratio. Most of the film will be in the 2.35-1 ratio, like you would see on your hi-def 16:9 TV screen. The “grid” sequences, however, are rendered at the IMAX aspect of 1:44-1, which, obviously is “more square”. That means you have to find a traditional IMAX screen if you want the most bang for your buck.

Why? Because the film will grow taller in those parts. The aspect ratio literally changes. If you are in a multiplex IMAX that means it will get bigger by like a foot or two. (Yes, for those paying attention that means most of the film will be letterboxed). If you are at a real IMAX theatre, it will get much bigger! Think ten feet not one foot.

How do you find a real Imax theatre? Well, you could type real imax into google and it will bring up a map, probably. There’s a good one floating around. Or, you could click here to bring up a really cool Google Earth map (assuming you have Google Earth installed) that will show them to you. In order of size they are GT, SR, MPX and digital. Try to find a GT near you, or an SR. Screw the rest. Vote with your wallets and let the execs know that you are a discerning viewer and want to see real, giant-screen movies.

Of course, Real-D 3d is also awesome, if you can’t find a big ol’ Imax nearby. I’d choose that over a mini-max. But, the vertically-extended scenes are apparently only going to be at Imax locations…so its up to you.

Update – Just came from Tron, and the vertically extended scenes are awesome. Totally worth the trip to Tempe to see the screen grow massively. Not as revolutionary as Avatar, but superb graphics for sure. Look for some VFX oscars on this one.