It has been heavily promoted for IMAX, but the F1 movie is available to watch in 4DX as well. Which one is better?
If you don’t know, 4DX is a multi-sensory movie theater experience that adds motion, lighting, and kicks, as well as environmental effects like water, wind, and even scents.
IMAX is one of the largest screens available, and although the movie wasn’t filmed with IMAX cameras, it is presented in an expanded 1:1.90 aspect ratio.
There are two Formula 1 fans on the PetaPixel staff who have both been to see the movie already — one in 4DX and one in IMAX — so we’re going to compare notes.
4DX — Matt Growcoot
Admittedly, I wanted to see this movie in IMAX but I was coerced into watching it in 4DX. I’m glad I was.
The fun starts in the trailers, and it’s surprising just how powerful the seats’ motions are; it’s a bit like riding a rollercoaster.
The F1 movie is all about the racing sequences and Brad Pitt’s charisma. For the former, the chairs are great fun to ride along in. When there’s a fender bender, you get kicked in the back. It’s fun.
While some of the chair movements are exaggerated (I can’t imagine F1 drivers are getting thrown around that badly), sometimes it gets the movement just right; such as when the car is braking and shifting down through the gears and the chair falls down each time the gear changes.
Then there’s the wind and rain. Getting rained on inside a movie theater is an interesting experience. There is an option to turn that particular feature off but don’t worry, you won’t need to bring a spare pair of clothes.
I found the scent aspect disappointing, as I was really hoping to get a whiff of burning motor oil. But smoke rising from behind the screen after a car crashed was pretty cool.
I found myself preparing for each race sequence, making sure I was sitting correctly in my chair since I knew I was about to get thrown around like a rag doll. It was great fun and everyone I was with enjoyed it a lot and came out of the theater quite literally buzzing with excitement.
I did notice the picture was a little soft for my liking and the audio was also sub-optimal compared to an IMAX theater. But then you can’t see the picture that clearly anyway when you’re being tossed around like a ship on the high seas.
IMAX — Jeremy Gray
While Matt was getting thrashed about across the pond in Birmingham, England, I settled into a standard IMAX theater stateside, prepared to have my eyes melted by the glory of large-screen cinema. I was not disappointed.
Although the seating felt a bit cramped, and a few of my neighbors somehow managed to be louder than the screaming engine of a Formula 1 car, it was a raucous and enthralling experience from start to finish. I have watched most F1 races of the past decade-plus on an iPad tablet or standard home television set, and even caught a couple of races in person at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal and the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. However, nothing has quite matched the experience of seeing an F1 car scream around world-famous circuits on a massive screen in crystal-clear resolution. At the same time, a sophisticated sound system blasted my eardrums with every engine roar, every tire squeal, and tire screech. If you love F1, you owe it to yourself to see nearly-real F1 racing action in the movie theater.
The bombastic nature of the F1 movie and its exhilarating filmmaking not only appeal to me, a seasoned F1 fan but the movie’s thrills and stars help give F1 widespread appeal. After its first weekend in theaters, F1 looks like a hit. It’s Apple’s biggest movie success yet and is Brad Pitt’s largest global opening to date, a big accomplishment for a Hollywood star like him.
My girlfriend, who enjoyed seeing F1 in person in Texas but does not tune into any of the races, was hooked by F1 in theaters. I won’t spoil anything, but during the film’s final act, she was shaking with nerves about its outcome. It takes a special kind of movie to captivate a viewer, especially one with little connection to the source material, and make them that invested in the story. I think a big part of that immersion comes down to the IMAX experience. When the on-screen action is practically inescapable and really damn good in and of itself, it’s much easier to become sucked into the movie.
Apple’s head of worldwide video, Jamie Erlicht, credited F1‘s opening weekend success to the team, including director Joseph Kosinski of Top Gun: Maverick fame, Jerry Bruckheimer, Brad Pitt, and real-life seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who lent his expertise to the film and served as Executive Producer.
“Together with Formula 1, they created an inspiring cinematic journey that captures the energy and spirit of the sport,” Erlicht says.
The movie definitely achieves that, and IMAX takes all that hard work across the finish line in a big way.
Conclusion
If you’re unfussed by ultimate picture quality and want to feel like you’re on an F1 rollercoaster ride, then head to a 4DX theater.
However, cinematography aficionados will find the ultimate audio-visual feast of IMAX more satisfying.
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