“Oppenheimer” inspired me, as you can see in my 4.5 star review here at FILMSTARTS.de. For me it is perhaps the best film of Christopher Nolan – a director who has not always convinced me in the past. After seeing the film for the first time and being impressed by it, I knew I had to see Oppenheimer again in the best way possible.
But as many of you have already noticed, it is not that simple. Although in Berlin I have the ultimate offer with small indie cinemas, large screens, analogue 70mm screenings, etc., that does not work here. It is not possible throughout Germany to see “Oppenheimer” in the best possible version. Only 30 cinemas around the world show “Oppenheimer” the way Christopher Nolan actually wants his film to be experienced: in IMAX 70mm!
There is only one place in the entire European Union where this is possible: in Prague! In Europe, there are also three cinemas in London. But since Prague is easy to get to from Berlin by train, my wife and I made the trip to the Czech capital. We So they traveled a distance of more than 350 kilometers there and back to see “Oppenheimer” (again).
“Oppenheimer” in IMAX 70mm: what else can it do?
Before I report on my personal experiences and reveal whether the weekend trip was worth it to see Christopher Nolan’s drama about the inventor of the atomic bomb in the best possible version, I want to get some more technical details out of the way: What’s actually different when you see “Oppenheimer” in IMAX 70mm?
Christopher Nolan is known as an IMAX proponent. In fact, his 2008 The Dark Knight is the first Hollywood movie to be shot with IMAX cameras for individual scenes. In these scenes, in a corresponding IMAX theater with a suitable screen, the picture expands to fill the entire, much higher screen. So you only get more images at the top and bottom in the corresponding IMAX cinemas. Christopher Nolan already took this into account during the writing process of “Oppenheimer” and designed the scenes for maximum effect with this image format.
To substantiate the screen size with figures: A very good multiplex cinema has a screen of 15.6 meters wide and 6.6 meters high. Great places like Hall 1 in the Zoo Palast in Berlin are even bigger at 21 x 8.8 meters. The screen of the IMAX cinema in Prague is 25 meters wide and especially 20 (!) meters high. During “Oppenheimer” this canvas is completely filled. There are no black bars at the top or bottom.
The cameras used for a presentation in IMAX 70mm also have the advantage that the image has almost ten times the resolution of normal 35 mm film. But enough about the technical foreword…
Did “Oppenheimer” inspire me in IMAX 70mm?
Christopher Nolan previously explained that IMAX 70mm is the best way to see his new film because it “disappears from the screen” and “gives the feeling of seeing 3D without 3D glasses.” The fact that the screen completely fills the audience’s field of view makes us “sink into the world of cinema”. And I must say: this is not advertising blah blah. He couldn’t have put it more aptly.
From the first second ‘Oppenheimer’ was an audiovisual stunner, which once again far surpassed my first viewing in the already excellent Hall 1 of the Zoo Palast cinema in Berlin. The floor-to-ceiling image drew me into the film. Although I can’t wait to see the drama with Cillian Murphy and Co. already knew it, I was even more enchanted than when I first saw it. The pulsating soundtrack combined with the beautiful images gave me goosebumps every time. I was floored in a good way after that…
I had imagined a lot beforehand what this “Oppenheimer” experience would be like and it far exceeded my highest expectations. Without an ounce of exaggeration, it was by far the best cinema experience for me, who has already been able to visit special cinemas on different continents. If you like “Oppenheimer”, you have the time and financial resources and you are a cinema fan, then I can only recommend the trip to Prague.
By the way, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Here, screenwriter Aaron Stewart-Ahn (Mandy, The Witcher: Blood Origin, etc.) beautifully illustrates what a special and unique experience IMAX 70mm is – and that you have to experience it to know that others really can’t overhype:
The cinema is doing everything it can to show “Oppenheimer” (further).
It is still possible to see Christopher Nolan’s new film in Prague. After my visit I spoke to the people in charge of Cinema City Flora in Prague (unfortunately located in a somewhat uncharming shopping centre). They are currently trying everything there to continue to offer “Oppenheimer” in IMAX 70mm.
Was there only an evaluation scheduled for three weeks, the presale for the 5th week from 17 to 23 August 2023 is already underway. On the cinema’s website By the way, you can find out more about the screenings and reserve tickets if you want to follow me.
It is hoped that the demonstrations will continue after that. Because even as other films force their way onto the IMAX screens, “Oppenheimer” is the only theatrical release in all of 2023 to be explicitly shot on real IMAX cameras for the giant wide format – and as an analogue 70mm projection, only one cinema on the European mainland can show it.
By the way, I am far from the only person who has embarked on this journey. The audience at my performance was very international. According to the cinema, people from more than 15 different countries have already traveled to see “Oppenheimer” in Prague in IMAX 70mm. Those responsible rightly celebrate it as a coup that they got the film in this best possible version.
The negotiations for this were not easy and would have taken more than half a year. After that, some work was also needed so that the cinema can now show “Oppenheimer” according to Christopher Nolan’s requirements. The cinema’s protectionists also received training to ensure that everything would run smoothly. I think it was totally worth it…
If you’re even more interested in the technical procedure behind IMAX 70mm demonstrations, I can recommend the following YouTube video:
Even if you can’t or don’t want to travel to Prague, if you already have, I recommend seeing “Oppenheimer” in the cinema. In his own words, Christopher Nolan has ensured that the film is an experience even with regular digital projections on a regular cinema screen.
“Oppenheimer” (as described in the beginning) also inspired me beforehand. The IMAX 70MM experience is just “even better” (so I wouldn’t advise anyone who isn’t getting their hands on “Oppenheimer” to go to Prague or London in the hope that they’ll suddenly enjoy the film).
If you meanwhile”Oppenheimerand are interested in my (though quite devastating) interpretation of the ending, you’ll find what you’re looking for in the following text: