Alex tells us what we can expect from an IMAX Film Fest at Cineworld this weekend.
It's the ultimate nightmare when writing a film column...I haven't actually been to the cinema in the last seven days to watch anything!
I did pop into Cineworld Ashton to meet up with Deputy Manager Alex and find out about their IMAX Film Fest, which is happening on Saturday (22 April).
This offers the chance to see four popular films on the biggest screen in the cinema for just £3 each. Beginning the day is James Cameron's epic Avatar : The Way Of Water. It may have recently hit Amazon Prime Video, but this is surely made for the big screen. Incredibly, it's one I haven't managed to catch yet, but much like Cameron's previous films Terminator 2, Aliens, and the original Avatar of course, it has smashed it out of the park at the box office. The story picks up with Jake Sully and Neytiri a decade after the events of the first film. I must admit I can't remember much about the plot of that one, so perhaps I'll wait and do a double bill.
The other three films showing in IMAX this weekend all come highly recommended by me. The Batman has powerful storytelling, stunning cinematography, and a really great lead performance from Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader. Clocking in at almost three hours, you'll definitely need plenty of snacks, but I'd rank it as one of the best of the Batman films, and certainly DC's best effort in recent years, given a couple of recent flops (the Shazam sequel springs to mind!).
Next up, Everything Everywhere All At Once. On the surface, Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn is an exhausted woman working in a launderette who can't seem to get round to finishing her tax return. The film is much, much more than that though. It's original, it's visually incredible, and I can't think of a movie that lends itself better to the big screen. If you're eating a hot dog, watch out for the memorable hot dog fingers scene! Winner of Best Picture at the Oscars, and certainly one of the finest I've seen at the cinema in recent years.
And rounding off the quartet of IMAX treats is Top Gun: Maverick. I can imagine this will be a busy one on Saturday night. The movie surpassed all expectations, and has been a handy shot in the arm for cinemas still recovering from the ravages of the pandemic and wobbly balance books, plus the challenge of multiple streaming services offering films pretty soon after their big screen release date. If you haven't seen this one, I can massively recommend booking a ticket.
The balance between nods to the original and new characters is perfect, and whilst the story isn't the most original, the stunts more than make up for that. The Chicago Reader said this sets "a new standard in the era of reboots", whilst Metro said "strap in for the thrillingly real aerial dog fights". Tom Cruise is like a fine wine, and I can't wait to see him return to the Mission Impossible franchise later this year!
