Screen X - The worst experience EVER!
Just had the misfortune of watching Quiet Place - Day One at Cineworld Basildon on their Screen X. This is not a review of the film but of the whole Screen X experience. For starters it just doesn't work as a concept, the film is obviously designed for a 2.41:1 ratio and it appears that all they do is reduce the ratio of the front projection then when they decide to show the sides, the front resolution seems to be reduced and the sides get stretched out of proportion making the whole thing just look weird, mushy and low res. Characters that move into screen from the sides get stretched and distorted then as they move onto the front projection they seem to merge into more normal proportions. On top of that the side projections are of a different light intensity to the front, in this case they were brighter but washed out and light from the sides spilled over to the front again just ruining everything. What made it even worse was that the side screens were not even aligned to the front screen. Also as only some scenes use the side projections your eyes are constantly trying to adapt to the change in brightness, I actually started to dread the scenes that were projected on the sides. I will never book Screen X again for any movie, such a poor concept and I wouldn't pay anything for the experience, let alone the premium they charge for this. As for the movie it's hard to review as I can't say I could even watch it properly. Very disappointed.
30 June 2024
Unprompted review