A Cinematic Odyssey: How 70MM IMAX Elevates Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' to a Cinematic Triumph

 

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer hits theatres on July 21, and is set to bring to life the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist known by many as the father of the atomic bomb. He played a key role in the Trinity Tests in the USA back in the 1940s, which led to the creation of the first nuclear bomb. This weapon would later go on to end World War II and change how humanity looks at weapons of mass destruction. The movie will show the story of the man himself, and will explore the dichotomy of building the world’s most powerful weapon, considered both history’s biggest shield, and its sharpest sword. Director Nolan has been the maestro behind many blockbusters like Tenet, Dunkirk, and Interstellar. His latest project however, is a culmination of many firsts, for both himself and for Hollywood. Oppenheimer is Nolan’s first non-fiction project. It also marks the first time, actor Cillian Murphy (whom you may know from Peaky Blinders) is playing a lead role in a Nolan movie, despite the pair having worked together on half a dozen movies. 

But that’s not all. Oppenheimer also has a fresh take on how movies are made. It is one of the few that will be shot entirely on either 70mm IMAX film or 65mm Large Format film (more on that later), and also brings to life an entirely new black–and–white format. 

What is IMAX?

While many may associate IMAX with larger screens and more expensive tickets, there’s a lot more to the format. IMAX stands for ‘Image MAXimum’, and is a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the IMAX Corporation, a Canadian company.  

IMAX refers to a taller aspect ratio than normal cinema screens. This means not just wider screens but also a taller picture, allowing the audience to grab more data visually from the same scene in a movie.

Behind the scenes, IMAX is also a widescreen motion picture film format that movies are shot in. All live-action movies that feature the ‘Shot for IMAX’ or ‘Filmed in IMAX’ tag are shot with either IMAX digital cameras (Avengers: Infinity War) or IMAX film cameras (Oppenheimer).  

Movies like Oppenheimer, which are shot completely on film, and partially on IMAX film, are also far more superior in resolution. This allows theatres to project these movies on much larger screens, sometimes also in a curved (dome) format.  

The IMAX experience also includes an overall superior audio experience. As industry expert and movie critic Abhijit Mhamunkar puts it, “The immersive-ness of an IMAX experience is defined not just by video, but also the audio.” IMAX screens have a richer volume output, which means everything from soft dialogue to hard-hitting soundtracks are heard and felt better. Yes, it’s louder than regular movie screens, but also crisper and bassy when it needs to be. In a nutshell, IMAX screens offer higher-resolution video and richer, better sound.

Why Oppenheimer is a must-watch in IMAX?

As a movie shot entirely on 70mm film or 70mm IMAX film, Oppenheimer is available in a much higher resolution than others. A movie like Avengers: Infinity War, shot on IMAX Digital cameras, maxes out at 2K or 4K resolutions. But anything shot on 70mm film has a digital equivalent of 6K. In fact, the IMAX 70mm film scenes will have a digital equivalent resolution of up to 18K.

Additionally, Nolan’s latest project also uses a new black-and-white IMAX film format that was developed specially for this movie by Kodak. It is used in certain scenes, and promises a true high-res black-and-white experience. As you might have guessed, this is far superior to scenes shot in colour and then digitally converted to black and white.  

For movie fans like us, watching Oppenheimer on a regular movie screen would mean missing out on most of the resolution. So do the right thing, and watch this masterpiece in IMAX. 

Which type of IMAX screen and seat to choose?

So, you’ve decided to shell out the extra bucks for an IMAX ticket. Good call. Now, you must decide which kind of IMAX screen to pick. Don’t worry, here’s the classification made easier.  

IMAX 70mm screens: This is the best format to watch Oppenheimer. These theatres have very large, and sometimes curved screens, allowing viewers to fully immerse themselves. This is powered by a large non-digital, film reel-operated projection mechanism that gives viewers super high-resolution outputs. It also adds a ‘grainy’ film effect that gives such period movies an authentic World-War era look and feel.  

70mm IMAX projectors also require two people to run it, and a lot of resources to maintain. This is precisely why you don’t see IMAX 70mm theatres everywhere. Today, only about 30 theatres in the world host this format. Unfortunately, none of them are in India, so we fans must settle for the next best thing. 

IMAX Laser screens: These theatres offer the tall aspect ratio IMAX is known for, but use digital laser projections instead of the conventional film reel setup. What this means for the viewer is a brighter, sharper IMAX experience at up to 4K resolution. While not everyone will prefer this screen, it is the best option for when you can’t find an IMAX 70mm screen around. 

IMAX Digital screens: The digital IMAX screens are the most common IMAX formats. These offer the IMAX aspect ratio and sound, but are capped at up to 2K resolution. While this is the lowest resolution you can watch an IMAX movie in, it is still a superior experience in video and audio compared to regular cinema screens.