Whats The Best Film Format To See Black Widow?
Its been a long time coming, but the latest Marvel film Black Widow is due to be released in the U.S. on 9 July (but will be available on U.K screens from 7 July). Its incredible to think that it was originally meant to come out on 1 May 2020, but if youre a Marvel fan youll be delighted that were finally able to kick off Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). As befits a major release there are a plethora of formats to choose from. All of them will be digital projection, though. The film was shot digitally with Phantom Flex4K and Sony CineAlta digital cameras with a mixture of 4K and even 8K, but slightly disappointingly, the digital intermediate was only struck at 2K. Black Widow - in white. Marvel Studios  Your standard fare then will be a digital projection at 2K in your local  which, hopefully, is decent,  but seasoned Marvel fans will probably want to seek out something better for that opening weekend experience. You could look for something alternative such as 4DX, the format where the seats move, you feel every punch and kick in the back of your seat and every bullet is marked with jets of air and even water. It can be a lot of fun: case in point  Jumanji: the Next Level but it wont on its own make a bad film any better, case two  Fast & Furious 9. Id have high hope for Black Widow, though, so Id shortlist that if the theme park experience appeals. Then theres ScreenX, where certain scenes have extra picture information that goes beyond the frame of the screen thats shown on the left and right walls, creating a 270-degree viewing experience. Its arguably the most leftfield (and also rightfield I guess) of your viewing choices, though I wasnt completely convinced when I tried it. Bigger, brighter, better  We then move on to the premium formats. In the U.K., Cineworld offers Superscreen, which is essentially a larger than average screen format, with 4K projection, plusher seating with extra legroom, and Dolby Atmos audio  which is the best sounding format you can find. Empire cinemas has a format thats essentially the same thing, dubbed, Impact. Both are technically high quality and Id highly recommend either. The Vue in Leicester Square in London also offers a combination of Dolby Amos and Sony FINITY projectors, so thats another option if you can get there. Taking this one step further are Dolby Cinema screens, which combine all of the above with Dolby Vision projection, which offers the best image quality youll find in a commercial cinema, with rich colors and the darkest blacks. A Dolby Vision version of Black Widow has been prepared, as you would expect and if you can get to one its truly worth doing so. In the U.K. we have Dolby Cinemas screen in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, and London  and you can read my review of the superb Leeds Dolby Cinema screen if youre thinking of travelling. Its main rival though for your Black Widow ticket will be IMAX which has an ace up its sleeve. This is because the movie will be offered with EAR  or expanded aspect ratio. This means it will be taller than the regular cinemascope widescreen image, giving an aspect ratio of 1.90:1. Black Widow has 22 minutes of footage that makes use of the expanded IMAX aspect ratio. IMAX Corporation  This works out to an image that contains 26% more picture. This isnt as impressive as the full-frame 1.43 images possible with IMAX 70mm film cameras, but it still makes for an amazing experience that makes the most of the large format IMAX screen. of course the fact that it's only 22 minutes, and not the whole film, might make your feel it's not worth the effort, but you'll have to make your own call on that. To make the most of this youll want to see it in an IMAX theatre with laser projection, which produces a noticeably brighter, more vibrant image than IMAX theatres that use Xenon bulbs. The best way to find your nearest one is to go to the IMAX website and search  look for theatres that have the IMAX with laser icon  it will be worth travelling for. 3D falling flat  Sadly, the one format that appears to be missing from U.K. schedules is IMAX 3D. IMAX was one of the last holdouts of the 3D format  and with good reason  it is the best way to see it, particularly in an IMAX with laser theatre, where the extra brightness paid dividends and helped to ensure that 3D picture didnt suffer from noticeable light loss. While many are perpetually negative about stereoscopic images  I feel that IMAX 3D with laser is the best possible way to see a blockbuster (although arguably Dolby Cinema 3D was also superb, and I saw Alita: Battle Angel in this format), and its a real shame its not being shown this way on U.K. shores. If you are a true 3D devotee, you can see Black Widow in this format in the U.K.  but only in standard 2D screens with conventional projection, which in my opinion dont have the brightness or size chops to do it justice. If you are determined to see it in 3D then there is one option: the IMAX theatre in Melbourne, Australia though what with it being the other side of the world and with pandemic restrictions in place, its possibly not the most practical option. In an interesting sign of these changing times, there is one final format you can see the movie in, on the week of release - and thats your TV at home, via Disney+ Premier Access. Youll pay cinema-like money to see it straight away ($29.99/19.99/21.99) but it offers all the benefits of watching a movie at home  being able to fit in with your schedule, pause to go to the loo, bring your snacks from the cupboard. But also youll be able to be distracted by your siblings, the shopping arriving at the front door, your mother-in-law turning up, and that sudden need to find out where youve seen that actor is and check your phone to do it. Then theres the fact that your TV is not a 15 meter-high 1.90:1 aspect ratio screen and your sound system probably isnt that great. So dont do it. Do yourself, and the movie industry a favor and go and see Black Widow in a cinema.