Hello - I
guess this'll be the right place for this topic.
Anyhoo; I went to a preview of the new IMAX film; Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag at the Science Center in Toronto last night. It's scheduled - apparently - to be the new IMAX film at Wright-Patterson; among other places.
This is an Omnimax film - where the 70mm film is loaded horizontally instead ov vertically allowing for amazing clarity. It's also displayed on a huge curved screen that wraps around the audience.
Well; I love IMAX - love it, love it, love it.
I was REALLY looking forward to this. Lucky we got the preview tickets - the night came complete with a talk and question period with the director of the film and 2 fighter pilots: the American F-15C pilot who was the focus of the film and a Canadian CF-18 pilot who has attended Red Flag as well.
I like the pilots - who wouldn't?
Both were very nice, modest, very likeable. The
film on the other hand....
To be honest; FP: ORF was alright. Good enough for what it is, I suppose - something to show to tourists at the aviation museum. Unfortunately about half way through I found myself wondering just when the Hell the thing would be over.
First of all IMAX really likes promoting itself; so while we're waiting to go into the theatre we were treated to short videos on small TVs about the IMAX and OMNIMAX process. The projection room was visible as well; separated from the waiting area by glass walls. Quite interesting.
After going in and sitting down; there was a brief waiting period while they went through the usual 'Grand Opening' hoo-hah; identifying groups, asking 'who here is a pilot?' etc. (There were quite a number of us; I saw - around 10-15% of the audience.)
Then the film began.
Well, actually it didn't. Hey - I've no problem with IMAX wanting to promote itself; that's business. But it gets slightly annoying when the first 15 minutes is a sound show yabbering on about how great IMAX, the theatre and the sound system is.
And to be honest; that theatre isn't a patch on some of the IMAX theatres I've seen. The magnificent Cinesphere at Ontario Place for instance - a truly superb IMAX venue.
Oh - but this screen was concave - they made a big deal of that. How the perforated aluminum panels fit together seamlessly and invisibly...
Bull. The whole thing looked an enormous dartboard; the separate panels painfully clear. Not only when the screen was clear; but all the way through the film the seams were terribly obvious. (Hell in some spots they even
reflected.) The sound system wasn't that hot either - there was some serious distortion in the lower bands.
That screen.... well; I very quickly found myself wondering if the film really was made for a curved screen. The whole thing was terribly distorted - only a small area right in front formed a true image. Very big images - like a C-17 that filled the entire line of sight - were so bad the entire craft looked U-shaped.
The distortion really killed the film. I mean - it's really cool to see an F-15 blasting in from overhead; but I'm pretty sure fighter wings aren't supposed to flap. They
really looked like they were flapping - as the aircraft bounced around on the screen their wings bent upwards and downwards like birds' wings - halfway into the film I was getting a bit nauseous.
The film itself was...alright. Some cool flying scenes; neat graphics. A few fighter pilots in key positions; but other central figures too obviously actors - and not great ones at that - that made me oh-so-thankful that we're being protected by such dashing young men with nice haircuts.
I was
very glad it didn't take the form so many flight documentaries do nowadays:
(Strong Alabama accent):"The Ayff FiftEEEN Ey-us the Grawyteyst Fahter in the Werld T'Day! The Muurkin Ahr Fahrce the most parfal fahtin' fahrce awn Arth!"
Quite the opposite - the pilot (or rather, the narrator; which I found odd because the actual pilot was a very engaging, well spoken young man) in the film was quite modest and self-effacing; expressing the pleasure and interest at meeting and working with allies from around the world, etc. There were Canadians as well as Brits, Germans and a few others quite well-represented.
It
did show quite well that aerial combat is
not an ultra-cool; hot-ass dogfight-fest a la 'Top Gun'; but rather an intricate, compex ballet of aircraft, ground systems, support and logistics. It did quite well for the ground crews as well. (IMO you can never say enough about ground crews - one of the most unrecognized but important jobs in the military.)
Cool as the flying scenes were though I started to get a little tired at seeing the same things - S-turn, poop of a bunch of flares. S-turn, poop off a bunch of flares. 3 airplanes S-turning and pooping off a bunch of flares. Over and over and over and over and over and over.......
The flight sequences really had little to do with what was supposed to be happening; just a whole bunch of air- and ground-filmed flybys with lots and lots and lots of flares.
My summary for Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag is therefore:
Film: OK. Worth seein if you're visiting a museum. Better if you've no flight experience.
Theatre: Sucked rocks. Should provide Excedrin with every ticket.
Cheers!
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