BFI IMAX - London (BFI London Imax Cinema)

Member Name: dyllymoo

Product:	BFI London Imax Cinema
Date:	13/10/08 (326 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Massive screen!

Disadvantages: Seats arent that comfy

The London IMAX is situated on the South Bank near Waterloo Station and is operated by the British Film Institute.

The screen at the London IMAX is approximately 22 metres (72 ft) wide and 16.1 metres (53 ft) high.

I had worked near the London IMAX for over 5 years but had never actually seen a film there. That was until The Dark Knight was realeased. Having already seen The Dark Knight at a "normal" cinema I was told that special scenes were shot for the London IMAX, and that it was the first feature film to have ever done this. With this in mind, I felt it was a must to go and see the film again, but at the IMAX.

**Booking & Ticket Prices**

Booking was very very easy. I did it through the BFI website and found that I could pick the seats that I wanted. However, not really knowing (or understanding!) the layout of the cinema and knowing justg how big the screen was I booked quite close to the front. This, I realised later, was a bit of a mistake, and I think being nearer the back would have been the best place to sit.

The ticket prices are slightly more than an average cinema at £12.50 for an adult ticket and £8.00 for a child ticket. However you are getting more screen for your money!

Due to the high demand for The Dark Knight I had to book over 1 month in advance, but because I had already seen the film I didn't really mind. I do think that with other films the wait wouldn't be so long either.

**The Cinema**

Once we had arrived at the cinema to see the film, I was taken aback at just how small the lobby etc. was. It wasn't like your usual cinema with the large lobby full of snacks and film posters. In fact it didn't look like a cinema at all, but this really didn't matter at the time.

We walked up to the "bar area" which is where you enter the cinema. I was very dissapointed with this area as there were around 5 chairs for people to sit on and it was really badly decorated. It wasn't luxrious or anything how I imagined it.

After waiting for a while we were allowed into the cinema and my God the first thing that hits you is most definitely the size of the screen! It is massive. We went to our seats and found then quite easily, but I must say they are the most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in. They were extremely close to the row in front, I was had a small amount of trouble with my legs, so I dread to think what taller people thought of them.

They were also low backed, which didn't really support me very well, especially when looking up at the screen for over 2 hours. This was something that I was really dissapointed in as it felt like they (the designers) were just trying to fit as many people into the cinema as possible, without any real thought to comfort.

I was also quite glad that I had seen the film before as it was quite hard to watch the entire film from so close, as it honestly felt like you could only focus on one part of the film at a time. There were also "special scenes" shot for the film, that were not shown in the "normal cinemas". However I coudlnt tell you which ones they were! Which made me feel a bit dissapointed, but it could just be that I had forgotten the one I had seen over a month previously.

All in all I do feel that the hype surrounding IMAX built me up a tad more than needed, and so left me feeling a bit deflated after I had been.

The screen is amazing, but the choice of seat is key (i.e. near the very back!). The seats are not that comfortable and the general atmosphere and look of the cinema is also less than expected. The price is probably average, especially as cinema tickets elsewhere are around £8.00.

I would definitely go and see a film again there, but it would have to be one that has something extra, i.e. the new Harry Potter film which will be shown in 3D.

Summary: A good experience, not one to be done all the time though!