A night at the movies

Saw Beowulf: an IMAX 3D experience last Friday. My only previous IMAX experiences were in Sydney (rugby tour – too exhausted to stay awake in a warm dark room), and watching the movie 300 more recently, but that wasn’t in 3D.

Had big expectations, and spent a long time convincing Madeline that she was going to be blown away. Not sure blown away was accurate, but it was relatively painless. Cons: The plot was horrible, the king’s wife was plain Jane, the computer generated ocean effects on the beach were not realistic, Beowulf's accent is just weird. Pros: Angelina Jolie was inspirational, the 3D was not over used, and when it was, it was used to great effect (lots of ducking and Madeline squeezing my hand too tight when dragons plunged towards us), the CGI was very good with a couple of glitches, the dragon fight was brilliant, the group of guys sat behind us kept making amusing comments, the audience cheered when Beowulf kicked some ass.

If we hadn’t experienced the “IMAX 3D experience”, I’d be pissed – horrible movie saved by some technology. It was technology Madeline could appreciate which wins it extra points. Worth $15 each? We’ve paid more for less.