by mrandish | 2025-04-12 23:43:29+00:00
> The last film I've seen in an ultra-wide like this was the original 3-wide version of How The West Was Won, which I actually really enjoyed.

I definitely agree. I saw Lawrence of Arabia in Hollywood presented in the original Super Panavision 70 (2.76:1) and it was sensational. However, the Sphere format is far wider than even that. Plus the Sphere format is both wide and tall and the horizontal curvature yields a wrap-around that's nearly 180. And the shape of Sphere's internal screen is weird, sort of like sitting inside an empty, cavernous NFL football helmet (note: the internal screen shape is very different than the shape of the Sphere exterior dome). The internal screen is made out of multiple complex compound curves. This inconsistency makes rectilinear-esque projection mapping even more obviously wrong, especially with any camera motion. So don't confuse your appreciation for "How the West Was Won" in wide format with the theatrical abomination that is the Vegas Sphere.

I think there's lots of reason for optimism around Extra-Wide formats like IMAX and Panavision Super 70. However, I struggle to find anything positive in the trade-offs baked into the much more extreme Sphere format. All engineering in this area is full of trade-offs but with the Sphere it's clear they optimized almost exclusively for huge capacity (up to 20,000 people), the highest possible "First 90-seconds 'Wow!' impact on naive audiences", and the most impressive external and internal conceptual 'curb-appeal'. They wanted to be obviously, overwhelmingly "biggest, roundest, tallest, widest screen EVAH!" And to over-achieve on that dimension they intentionally chose to reject all aspects of technical balance which might mitigate the worst quality trade-offs. In the design brief they went all-in on FUCK the contrast, brightness, parallax and any hope of cinematic storytelling. Just make the screen BIGGER, WIDER, TALLER (and cram MOAR seats under it).

In that sense, I guess they understood their market, because it fits the worst aspects of the traditional Vegas low-brow, aesthetic of big, garrish, tasteless, attention-seeking spectacle focused on exterior curb-appeal and shallow initial impact yet ultimately delivering low-quality disappointment. And it looks like it's working because they're clearly making money. They're even talking about replicating the Sphere in other major cities around the world, although I suspect the format may not have staying power outside the unique context and aesthetic of Vegas. And to be fair, the Sphere may be a fine concert and event arena (I didn't see it in that form and the reviews are mixed). I only consider the Sphere an abject failure in trying to be a theatrical venue for high-quality visual presentation of cinematic storytelling.

I remain open-minded and even hopeful regarding other potential advances in wider-format and alternative-format theatrical exhibition. I'm also open-minded about new storytelling potential that might be enabled by immersive head-mounted stereo VR. But I simply love the medium of cinematic storytelling too much to remain silent when the Sphere markets itself to the naive masses as being the ultimate in high-quality theatrical presentation when in reality the format chose to be so over-the-top extreme, it's literally broken for the purposes of high-quality theatrical presentation of cinematic storytelling. And I went to the Sphere sincerely hoping to be blown away by an unexpected miracle of modern day engineering overcoming the challenges of the format, but alas...