Everest is showing in 2D and 3D and also in 3D at IMAX where I saw it. Films shot in the massive IMAX format are a brilliant way to experience and understand the capabilities and possibilities of filmmaking. A few years ago I saw Space Station 3D at IMAX and walked out feeling like I’d walked in space.
But for other films, 3D or not, IMAX adds nothing. 3D effects are not better just because a screen is bigger. And while the sound quality at IMAX is great, it’s great at most other large cinemas too. So it’s difficult to justify the $33.50 to watch a film that’s on everywhere.
Similarly with 3D, unless a film is shot in 3D (Avatar and the LOTR/Hobbit series are the best recent examples) then the special effects are not substantially improved. And then there is the hit to your wallet.
Everest is not a documentary but not really an eco human vs mountain thriller either. As a result it is torn between the human-scale drama of trapped and dying mountaineers and the scale of the mountain itself.
Contemporary films such as 127 Hours (man cuts off arm to free himself) and Touching the Void (man trapped in a glacier crevasse) didn’t need 3D to be gripping and dramatic. Everest doesn’t need 3D, or IMAX, either.
film@ssh.com.au
