I’d wanted to see a movie on IMAX for quite some time. I’d heard great things about the format. I’d seen an IMAX movie in Columbus Ohio, (see this blog entry) but it wasn’t a MMP (major motion picture). As Superman Returns posters started going up around town last month I noticed at the bottom “see it in IMAX 3D.” So, plans were made to see the movie in IMAX 3D with Aaron. We tried for a few days but tickets would always end up selling out a day in advance. So, Sunday we bought tickets for the Monday night show.

We opted to walk up the hill instead of paying $11 to park in the T-Rex garage at Universal Studios. Once inside we made our way to the theater only to find out we had to wait in one line to get tickets to get in the real line. Apparently the Fandango.com ticket print outs weren’t good enough for Loews. So, we had to wait in line at guest services (which was manned by only one employee that night) before getting in the long line for the IMAX screening. Once we were admitted to the theater things didn’t get better. Apparently Loews had been slamming as many showings of the 157 minute movie into each day as possible – and not bothering to hose down the floor in between shows. As soon as we started walking down the thinner than usual rows we heard the terrible “sticky-shoe” noise. Walking out after the film I counted no less than three pieces of gum on my shoe bottoms.

I must say I don’t understand the draw of watching a MMP on an IMAX screen. They letterboxed it and so I don’t think it was that much bigger than it would have been on any other screen in the theater. However, IMAX seats are pushed much closer to the screen (so you’re “in” the action). Unfortunately with a MMP this just results in you getting a really good look at the film grain.

There was about 20 minutes of “3D” action in the film – but none of it worked as well as the CG movie trailers shown before the film.

The film itself was rather dull. Superman returns. Why was he gone? Nobody cares. How Lois can continually not notice that Clark and Superman are the same person must make her the dumbest reporter alive (aren’t reporters supposed to pick up on things like that?). Brandon Routh has signed a contract for two more films, I hope they aren’t as “mommy-centric” as this one. Nobody cares about the problems in Lois Lane’s relationship with her new guy. Nobody cares. Yeah, we know that kid is Superman’s son. Why didn’t you? If he has super hearing, super strength, etc. you’d think the needle would have broken when the doctor tried to give him a shot (this phenomenon is even demonstrated on his father in a later scene)….thus giving away who his father is. And how are we supposed to feel about Mr. White? He seems like a nice guy, yet he’s being led to believe that this kid is his when Lois probably knows it isn’t. We usually want to root for Superman – but in this case I can’t really root for a guy that disappears from a relationship for five years and comes back and expects his old girl’s new guy to just move along. I suppose this was Singer’s attempt at introducing a “human” aspect to Superman. The problem is that Superman isn’t supposed to be human, he’s Super.