I MAXimised My Time In IMAX (BFI London Imax Cinema)

Member Name: susan1967

Product:	BFI London Imax Cinema
Date:	21/08/06 (2829 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fabulous experience

Disadvantages: Hard coconut mushrooms

Earlier this year I took a sightseeing trip to London with my mum and my then twelve year old daughter Becca. Scandalized by the prices demanded for West End theatre we opted for the cinema instead. It's sometimes difficult to choose an attraction which will appeal to all age groups and I hoped that a film would appeal to all three of us. Nothing at the conventional cinemas seemed suitable, I quite fancied Brokeback Mountain but it had a 15 certificate which meant age-wise Becca wouldn't get in and mental age-wise I wouldn't. I also wanted to see the March of the Penguins but would have felt guilty as my nine year old son was not with us and he's obsessive about penguins.

We compromised on the IMAX cinema on the South Bank, basically because it sounded interesting and different. I had heard it was rather large and the films shown were in 3D so off we toddled.

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Where is it?

Its address is:
Bfi London IMAX Cinema
1 Charlie Chaplin Walk
South Bank
Waterloo
London SE1 8XR

It's quite easy to find as it's massive and well signposted from Waterloo rail and tube station. The multi-storey, glass-enclosed cylinder is illuminated by coloured lighting effects, and lights up the South Bank area at night. According to the website its exterior wall features an 'extraordinary mural by distinguished British artist Howard Hodgkin'. Well it's definitely different and Hodgkin is so distinguished I have never heard of him, but it is very striking nonetheless.

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What's there?

The bfi London IMAX Cinema has 477 seats, and is a state-of-the-art, large-format cinema. It was opened in 1999 and was made possible thanks to £15 million from the Arts Council of England's Lottery Fund. Nice to know that my hard earned weekly pound to the Lotto isn't totally wasted, still would prefer to win the lottery with it though. The cinema is fully disabled-accessible, with eight wheelchair spaces and an induction loop for the hard-of-hearing.

The massive auditorium features 14 tiered rows of seats that enable all viewers to enjoy full, unobstructed views of the picture. You are allocated your seat when you pay for your tickets and each time we went we were given middle aisle seats which give the best experience of the effects. On our first visit my mother (who is getting on a bit) found the stairs extremely steep and had to be prodded a few times to get to our seats. I anticipated moaning about the climb from my daughter by running ahead with the pic 'n mix so she had to follow me to get to it. She knows how fast I can eat it. We could have gone to the next floor by lift and went down the stairs if we'd realised.

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What is it?

The screen at the bfi London IMAX Cinema is the largest screen in Britain. The screen is 20m high and 26m wide. It's the equivalent of five double-decker buses high and so wide that it encompasses your peripheral vision. The cinema boasts a 11,600-watt digital surround-sound system (very loud) and an IMAX projection system (the most sophisticated motion-picture projection system in the world). This means that altogether these features immerse viewers in larger-than-life images and ultra-realistic digital sounds, making them feel as if they are not just watching the film but taking part in it. IMAX means 'Image Maximum' and it really does feel like you are encompassed by the images on screen.

An IMAX 3D film consists of two films being shown simultaneously. The 3D camera has two lenses set the same distance apart as our eyes (well, most peoples hopefully), and films both the left and right eye images at the same time. The two pictures are then projected through polarised glass, each eye differently so that the left eye does not see the image of the right eye and vice versa. The viewer wears polarised glasses to help keep the two images separate. Your brain then merges the two images and it receives a complete three dimensional image.

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My impressions

We found that there weren't that many people there, probably because it was only late afternoon each time we went and the age ranges of the viewers was varied. Each film we saw was only about 45 minutes long, but to be honest the effect is so overwhelming that any longer may have been too much to take. As each film is screened in 3D, 45 minutes is as long as I can stand wearing those strange 3D glasses. The glasses looked like those in the latest Willy Wonka film, not flattering at all. Becca said we should have gone to Specsavers. Luckily the 3D glasses fit ok over your own specs as we wouldn't have been able to see anything at all 3D or otherwise.

Before the feature presentation an IMAX employee explains the concept and introduces the screen and sound system. The second time we went the presenter was a little strange and sounded like someone pretending to be American and not succeeding. I found him a little scary but Becca looked after me and fed me more pic 'n mix.

The first time we went we saw a film about a space station and it had a documentary type feel to it but was very entertaining. The 3D effects coupled with the sound system took our breaths away at times. You do honestly feel like you are participating in the film's events. There were times when I ducked as I thought objects were flying towards me; luckily I wasn't alone in this, as everyone else did the same. The second time we went we saw a safari, which wasn't as good as the first presentation but enjoyable nonetheless. It just seemed a little older than the space one. Also showing was a Haunted House film which I would have like to have seen if we had stayed longer.

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How much?

Standard prices:
• Adult: £7.90
• Child (4-14): £4.95
• Concessions: £6.50
• Children under 3: FREE
There are discounts available if a second film is viewed on the same day.

Feature presentations cost slightly more. At the moment Polar Express 3D is showing and the prices for that are:
• Adult: £12.00
• Child (4-14 years): £6.00
• Concessions: £10.00
There are no discounts for this film.

Tickets for bfi London IMAX Cinema can be booked by telephone through the Box Office on 0870 787 2525. National call rate applies, online at tickets.imax.bfi.org.uk, where there may be a booking fee or by calling in. The website also gives details of future presentations and information about the cinema including all the technical details that I didn't include or understand.

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Anything else?

The London IMAX also has a little café on its ground floor which provided snacks at normal London prices (expensive) but the coffee is good and the cakes looked delicious (I managed to resist as I wanted the pic 'n mix). There was a notice on the wall asking customers not to use the electrical sockets as they were for staff use only which set me wondering what customers had been doing. I had visions of someone getting their electric shaver or hairdryer out of their pockets just to use in the IMAX café. A bit strange.

The drinks and sweets kiosk as you enter the auditorium seemed pretty well stocked with all the usual cinema goodies and as the pic 'n mix was only 99p per 100g we managed to gorge ourselves on a fair bit before the film actually started. Beware the coconut mushrooms as they were a little hard and I did worry about my mums dentures at one point. After about four quid's worth of sweeties I did feel a little sick.

The toilet facilities seemed adequate, there were quite a few dotted around and the ones we tried (can't go anywhere without using the facilities) were clean and smell free. The disabled toilets are located next to the lift and everything is well sign posted.

I can honestly say that visiting the IMAX definitely was an interesting experience. It was so enjoyable we returned the next day. Although it was a little more expensive to see a film than I am used to, it was a lot less than it would have been to take in a show for the three of us. It's a shame there isn't an IMAX closer to me as I think it is something my whole family would enjoy.

Summary: 3D cinema