Agreed haha. Watched this is Velocity IMAX. This is the best movie of the year for me so far and my god, it's been a dry year for films hahaha. I like the use of the aspect ratio here where the longer 2.71:1 scenes are used for intimate and dramatic moments for characters, then into the tall 1.9:1 scenes for the spectacle. I'm hoping to watch this film one more time before it's removed from IMAX for Thunderbolts. This film is seriously so much fun to watch haha; stylish, charming and basically a celebration of cultures.

Amazing. The 1.9:1 scenes were sublime and smartly used. The wider aspect ratio scenes weren't really big of a distraction and mainly serve to focus the scenes' mood and tone. The 2.71 scenes are still large on the Velocity screen. In many ways, because of how good the acting and scene directions are, you'll be invested in the scene which the shorter aspect ratio will help in terms of focus.

Since its theme is about music, the audio shines a lot with the extra speakers hahaha. I was vibing and enjoying myself. I will say some of the spoken dialogues can be a bit hard to comprehend considering the accents of the characters in the film, which is made slightly worse with the bassier IMAX speakers (not speaker problem, it's the film's own audio mixing issue)

I would say take the chance and go for Velocity's. The taller aspect ratio on that screen helps a lot for taller image. For me, the other IMAX halls are only in consideration if their aspect ratio are longer (2.39:1 and above) and won't have any 1.9:1 scenes. Even then, Velocity is still fantastic for those films without taller scenes.

Row K, personally best spot for 1.9:1 films

Oh nice, from your sentence, sounds like you're watching it in Velocity? I just finished the last IMAX screening of Sinners there. Felt it was right for me hahaha, wanted to experience its greatness one more timd. I'll probably wait a week before watching Thunderbolts. Heard it's receiving good reviews.

The film was filmed for IMAX, so it's fully in 1.9:1 (2.39:1 in other halls), it would be recommended to watch in IMAX but honestly, for Marvel, you can get away with BigScreen/Onyx Dolby haha.

Hope yall give your thoughts on the film here. Would be more encouragement (or discouragement) to watch it in cinemas.

This post has been edited by Katharsis: Apr 30 2025, 10:22 PM

Good list. How was Thunderbolts btw? Also, anyone watched films recently in IOI City Mall's 2 IMAX hall? Wondering if GSC has fixed the muffled audio problem from the middle of the screen.

It's the smallest IMAX screen in Malaysia. Only reason you could consider it is cause of the laser projector and 12 channel audio. Then again, when you're visiting IMAX, you're there for a very large screen. Not saying you shouldn't visit KLCC's, hell, take some pictures for us hahaha.

I'd watched Thunderbolts in Velocity's IMAX and man, it's been some time where Marvel has made a (sorta) non-gimmick film which is actually good... very good in fact hahaha. It just felt so fresh and interesting and somewhat original? Yeah okay, it took ideas from Suicide Squad but it narratively goes in different directions and its awesome. The cliche Marvel jokes still are present where they feel out of place and cringely pivoting an otherwise engaging scene, though I think most of the jokes do hit somewhat, especially from Red Guardian considering his layered personality. Action was also great (that 1 long, no-cut scene on the tower, holy crap). I do the climax/resolution scene for the main villain was kinda meh, could have been more satisfying considering the theme of this film tackles a massive, contemporary problem plaguing many youths right now. Lastly, just feels so nice where a Marvel film is mostly self-contain and do not have blatant scenes showing a build-up towards the overarching mcu story. There are some major ones but they fit perfectly with the plot and do not distract from the main story (nor are set-up for possible future IPs. Looking at Black Panther 2 ala Ironheart. Had to search her name up cause I forgot it lol). A solid 8/10 for me.

Honestly, this film made me very optimistic for Fantastic Four. They still could mess it up but hey, step in the right direction for now.

... Oh yeah, IMAX review. The 1.9:1 scenes were plentiful and well used. I really liked the car chase sequences as the crashes looked quite practical? Might check on that. The IMAX teaser for Fantastic Four with the suttering motion is an artstyle choice (like the lower framerate animation of Miles in Into The Spider-Verse). Fantastic Four has a 1960s period-style, so the stuttery animation does fit that era of animation. After the IMAX logo where they reveal the Fantastic Four title, the framerate smoothed out, so it rules out an error in the video, very much an artistic choice.

Lastly about Thunderbolts. They mentioned Malaysia quite a few times (it is a main plot location) which I found quite amusing. Wonder if there's any sponsor deal from our side to make our country slightly more prominent in this movie.

@blaqkthespian I agree, I watched this yesterday at Velocity IMAX and boyyyy was it an event... The stunts were heart pounding and intense and definitely earns that value for an IMAX phenomenon... Unfortunately, I got a few things to say about the film overall.

I rewatched the whole franchise before this film (minus 2 and 3 because i find them boring and somewhat bad) and no, imo, it's not as good as DR. Honestly, aside from the action sequences, amazing cinematography and how good looking the film can be, the movie falters hard when it comes to story, character development, pacing, awkward editing, unwarranted retcons and just an self-indulging ego trip for Tom to show how he's the saviour of old-school, blockbuster cinema to the detriment of other key aspects of the film.

Look, most of the MI films glaze Ethan (and in a way, Tom) and portrays him to be this more than a human type of character. While yes, Tom has done a lot amazing things and I'm grateful for his contribution to cinema, but it does get cringe-worthy and eye rolling. It makes Ethan unrelatable as a character and, while he's supposed to be a humble and selfless hero, the glaze and his presentation ironically showcase the opposite tone, making it cringe to go through. This film especially goes out of its way to glaze him, and his character suffers drastically. He's too serious, too selfless and too absorbed with himself being the only one (and his team, but let's be real, he's begging his team to trust him and his way) to stop the evils at hand without major negative consequences.

Ethan's character also overshadows a lot of the remaining cast's potential. Grace's character imo got neutered quite a bit compared to her presentation in DR, reducing her to another (although still nervous) yes-man instead of the unwilling and inexperienced passenger who has to grow along with the pains and emotional stress from the job. Degas while set as a conflicted character from the first film and now just become another yes-man. Paris too though she was somewhat a one-note from DR. Hell, Briggs got a very out of place backstortly and retcon to serve as another personal attachment to Ethan all to point that all the MI films have significance to the plot of this film.

Hell, the villains. I personally liked the idea of a rogue, sentient AI being the ultimate enemy. Imagine how fast it can mess the a digital world up in a matter of seconds through fast calculations and data study (basically like Ultron and Skynet), but now is sidelines to be a tool for others to serve cause, and all attention is given to Gabriel, a poor villain in the first place and retcon in to again, serve as a personal attachment to Ethan's backstory from DR. Even then, his motivation is shallow as hell.

The dialogue also suffers, like everything is taken so seriously and made overly complex for something honestly simple: "world is screwed, Ethan only one who can save it but no trust him but alternative is ahhhh." This also btw hurts pacing because it's just back and forth on how everything is on Ethan's hands and just very little depth in conversations. Oh, the amount of flashback edits too makes certain scenes awkward and often are recontextualization of their meaning to serve as another attachment to this film when it isn't necessary or even logical.

I say all of this because I really like the franchise, and honestly, some of the flashbacks and editing choices were a nice homage and appreciative nods fo the previous films. The nostalgia was a nice gesture, but it's overdone and overcomplicated for a plot that is made very basic despite having the potential to be extremely dire and smart. The previous films were serious but never this over-the-top serious. They had leeway to be awesome popcorn action flicks reminiscent of old-school spy action films like James Bond. They had believable, fun, intriguing plots about espionage and good build up for amazing set-pieces. Here, it just lacks that charm. While yes, the situation of this film is very dire, it just goes about it uncreatively and it's sad to see the series potentially ending like this

To me, it's the most disappointing MI film from Ghost Protocol onwards as GP and subsequent sequels imo got better and better through each installments, culminating in Fallout being imo not only the best in the franchise, but one of the best action films of all time that also balances the other key aspects of what "should" make good films. DR was fantastic but coming from Fallout, it didn't hit as hard and is actually more comparable to Rogue Nation but slightly better.

I still recommend people to watch this in the best hall you can find, ideally IMAX Laser and 12-channel audio as despite my complaints, the action and sound design here warrants that experience in an IMAX hall. Hollywood and possibly the film industry will likely not make this type of practical action-stunt film again so it's good to cherish what this film has accomplished which is top tier action and stuntwork in bonkers scenario. However, as an overall film, it's a let down for me.

I'll probably be in the minority but man... Well, JeremyJahns also feel the same way hahaha so I feel somewhat validated (watched his review after I gathered my thoughts about this film and was surprised).

This post has been edited by Katharsis: May 18 2025, 09:32 AM

Awesome! GSC's Big uses laser projector, so it should be better than IMAX Xenon. I've never tried dbox but guess it wouls be similar to 4dx's chair in terms of movement.

That was one of the rumours, but an user here who visited Lalaport's GSC when it originally opened said that the staff there denied an IMAX hall being planned there, only Big. The Lalaport Big hall is also disappointing considering the screen is really small. The speakers were amazing when I visited the hall, but that's the only redeeming factor.

I don't know whether it was a good business decision for the Aurum IMAX hall since it blocks out a majority of movie-goers considering the tickets are twice the price of a regular IMAX hall (and the fact that it is majority twin-seats).

@skylinelover depends. Imo DA is better than 12-channel IMAX audio, but I do prefer a bigger screen. If the film has 1.9:1 scenes or is exclusive to IMAX, then IMAX is preferred (anti-consumer practice though, since Dolby halls' screen are 1.9:1 too). Big DA for anything else for me haha, especially since the tickets are cheaper (early bird promo too). Aurum IMAX isn't anything special other than the luxury factor for the rich/couples. The screen is smaller than TGV's offerings, and the speakers are still 12 channel like the other TGV IMAX laser halls.

For us common folk, go Velocity or 1U instead. Pav BJ a good choice too. Shout-out to I-City, hoping it gets the Laser + more speakers upgrade too.

Yo, cool for you to experience Velocity's IMAX and great that you had a good time. The screen is indeed 1.43:1 (1.33:1 to be exact) but the projector is still single laser, thus the max aspect ratio it can produce is 1.9:1. The Superman trailer was in 1.9:1 as there was letterboxing at the top and bottom. I have visited that hall many-a times and watched that trailer too. I wished it was 1.43:1 but alas, it's up to TGV to upgrade to it if or eventually.

If it was 1.43:1, we would have gushed about it here, particularly with Dune part 2 and this year surprisingly, Sinners which has true IMAX scenes. Still, it has the biggest screen in Malaysia so it's still the "best" hall our country has to offer.

Looks like Sunway Pyramid IMAX hall is getting a upgrade to laser and 12 speakers. Cool I guess but not worth the trip considering the screen size being small. TGV also mentioned Central I-City for IMAX recommendation among the other IMAX Laser locations. Wonder if they're hinting an upgrade there too.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fb...100064671010471

Quick tip for movie-goers for Superman, the film's aspect ratio is 1.85:1 for all hall formats. IMAX is 1.9:1 so technically it's shorter, but it doesn't really matter. I watched Superman in GSC MyTown Big DA today and yep, the whole screen was filled with the movie. Honestly good too since IMAX ticket prices been sucking me dry HAHAHA.

That aside, just wanna rave about F1 then talk about Superman a bit.

F1 The Movie - Sunway Velocity TGV IMAX 3x

F1 was so much fun like dayum though IMO, not as good as Top Gun Maverick. Top Gun, I watched this many times in cinema (those here during the older posts in 2022 know I raved a lot about this film haha) so I was very excited for F1. The story just wasn't as gripping as Maverick; it's just another sports drama film, albeit still done good enough to keep me invested and sympathetic to the characters' arcs. Cliche, but still hooked me well enough. The races however, like holy crap. Half the film is racing and it's awesome. I love how strategic the film is about the races, and where they have to take steps to gain leads, which is realistic. The film is also produced and heavily supervised by Lewis Hamilton, so the garuantee of the technicals is there (mostly I guess, from what I'v read, real life F1 fans are nickpicking the film lol). I've watched F1 3 times in IMAX Velocity and now every screen real estate mattered, along with the audio which I think since I never attended F1 or any races live, made you feel like you're actually there experiencing a live race, with the commentators and engine, tire noises and all.

Kinda sad this film only got 2 weeks in IMAX because GOD DAMN, yall are booking all the seats for this film. I guess that is the standard considering this few months have a lot of big films coming out which directly leads to...

Superman 2025 - MyTown GSC Big DA

As a fan of Superman and DC animation from Cartoon Network... Man... this film was a bit of a let down. It's still a good Superman movie, but quite messy and a lot of missed potential. TLDR, too many subplots and characters with limited development, some of the CGI are very noticeably bad and just very poor focus on, well, Superman. Idk. There's a lot I like about the film, but there's a lot of things I find puzzled and just frustrated with the film. The James Gunn's comedy has some misses here and there, and quite a bit of the dialogue feels too forced and over-exaggerated. The pacing is too fast which leaves some very impactful scenes feel anti-climatic as they need to move on to the next scene and there's just too many characters in the film which even though are 1 dimensional but still served a good purpose for driving the film, overshadows Superman's/Clark's character arc and the superhero's themes. Sigh... I really wanted this film to be given the great attention to detail and character exploration which Gunn does understand that. However, I just think he tried to do too much in this film which makes it very messy. What he understood and cared about Superman he done a great job here, but just overshadowed by other malarkey and again, the scenes that I love just end abruptly, not giving enough time for an emotional absorption.

I still think it's a good enough film, just could have been greater like a known rival of Superman back in 2022 *cough* *cough* The Batman *cough* *cough.* Oh yeah, BIG DA experience in MyTown. The rattling noise from the AC vent is still there. Love to see GSC still not improving their halls... for YEARS NOW. The image quality isn't as bright as IMAX laser, and looks a bit dull in comparison, but it's still a clearer, slightly sharper image than normal/MAXX halls. I still love Big DA halls, mainly cause the DA speakers are awesome and it shines here with the surround sound and all. Comfortably loud and punchy unlike IMAX which can be overbearing. Yeah, this hall is still good... Could be great if GSC fixes the rattling noise.

Now I'm looking forward to Fantastic Four and pray that film is good. After Thunderbolts, I have a bit of hope but knowing superhero films right now... just... give back more hall spots back to F1, please? Wanna try this film in 4dx hahaha. There's still sessions of F1 in 4dx, but all sold out. Us Malaysians really like race films, huh?

This post has been edited by Katharsis: Jul 10 2025, 08:53 PM

The film's aspect ratio is 2.39:1 anyway, so any hall would be fine. Big DA would be the safe bet since the film's audio is optimized for Dolby Atmos and the Laser projector of these halls will improve image quliaty for you.

Personally, I really like Starling's Big hall and the cinema itself. While outside, it's kinda this open area and pretty meh, once you pass the ticket check-in, the place becomes very chill and comfy due to its blue-ish aesthetic and shaggy rugs for floor surfaces. Once you also enter the hall, you're greeted with a big ass screen and dark yet sleek hall with comfy chairs and good legroom.

Honestly, the PJ's GSCs of Starling and IOI Damansara (tropicana gardens formally) have great vibes. I really love them but too bad they're very far for me to visit commonly.

The other one which I've only been to once is Central I-City's TGV. That one is luxurious as hell with white pillars and all. You have to walk up this spiral stairs I think? And ya, the atmosphere and architecture of the cinema was so prestige. The IMAX hall itself was dark, greenish and just mostly dark. One of the best experiences as a cinema explorer hahaha.

Lastly, Pavilion Bukit Jalil TGV is luxurious as well. Really red, bright and the premier halls themselves of the DA and IMAX hall look like those live-theater hall for performing arts. The hallway before the entrance to the halls is sleek and modern.

Ya, I think I-City is my favourite out of these just for the luxurious atmosphere. Really a great spot for movie going. Unfortunately ya, it's far af in Shah Alam haha.

Kinda feels like you've already explained it yourself lol. I'm in the mood of IDK how the sausage is made, just want to have the taller aspect ratio that we are not getting likely cause of money + up cost reasons. On another note congrats on getting tickets fo your first IMAX viewing. Demon Slayer sold out quick but then again, anime in Malaysia and this series in particular is super popular here.

I think the movie aspect ratio should be 1.78:1 (16x9 actually hahaha, common tv and monitor aspect) like the previous films, so the image will be tall. Again, our IMAX halls can only display up to 1.9:1 so I'll assume yhr left and right side of the screen will be letterboxed (have minor blakl bars) for the image to fully fit. Anyway, I'm sure itnaill be an awesome experience for you at Velocity.

I've never tried 1U's Big hall, I think it recently opened there like a month ago. I may actually visit it for review hahaha. While you're there, you could do us a solid by taking and posting photos of the hall + screen here.

Anyway, Big halls use 4k laser projectors that displays clearer, brighter and higher detail images than traditional halls. Like it's name sake, you also get a bigger screen though the size varies in the different locations (Starling has the biggest Big screen that GSC offers, while Lalaport as far as I know is the smallest). The hall is also typically equipped with Dolby Atmos speakers, usually many of them which provides better audio quality and surround sound.

Tech wise, Big halls' image quality is slightly weaker than IMAX Laser. I would say it's slightly better than IMAX Xenon, but it's very hard to notice between these two. IMO they're not as bright vs IMAX Laser but they are still high definition and better than other large format halls. Dolby Atmos is definitely better than what IMAX can offer, 12 Channel/speakers or what not. DA halls have way more speakers than IMAX as it can go up to 64 in a hall, meaning more direction sounds can come from. My personal opinion too is that DA is comfortably loud whereas IMAX can be deafening at times depending on a film's audio mix.

I hope this answers your question and have a good time with the hall.

I kinda want to watch F1 in 4dx but kinda sian with the film since I watch it 4x in IMAX hahaha. It should be very fun since it's high octane, thus the seats will move more. That and the wind velocity etc to add in the mix.

I think it may get a few more IMAX slots on the 7th Aug to 13th, that week, since F1 returned to IMAX halls after a week of Superman. 7th Aug would be the 3rd week for Fantastic Four and it's losing steam right now in terms of ticket booking. I think IMAX Corp decides which films would return to the halls than TGV/GSC, and considering how popular F1 is even now, it could return.

Otherwise, bro, it's a film by the Top Gun Maverick director and 4dx with that film was top tier (I watched top gun in 4dx back in 2022, shit was fire). This film is also fantastic action/racing wise, I'm sure it will be a blast.

Hahaha, if you go back to the previous pages from 2023, you'll know how many times I watched Oppenheimer in IMAX... not my proudest moment honestly.

Nah but for real, in a span of 6 weeks, we had 3 big blockbusters all competiting for premium halls. I'm sure IMAX Corp, studios and the distributors discussed about allocating slots. I searched online on IMAX's website and they had F1 listed for 7th Aug onwards in the USA. TGV/GSC and the cinema chains worldwide I think don't have much say to which film gets IMAX slots. If IMAX Corp say this film, then that film gets the slot. I mean, demand also plays a big part la, so F1 definitely has high demand, so get the tickets in the week while you can.

Maybe. It could comeback. All 3 blockbusters of F1, Superman and Fantastic 4 could get equal IMAX slots, just gotta wait for announcement. I did watch Superman in BIG DA and it's good. TLDR the film has tall aspect ratio in all halls since it's actually 1.85:1. You'll notice minor letterboxes on the left and right side of the film instead of the usual top and bottom.

Agreed. I really really want a new IMAX hall with a big screen, especially with dual laser. I honestly wouldn't mind going back and forth with Velocity and I-City's IMAX but at last, distant is a problem. However what new mall wanna open with IMAX hall planned hahaha. Malaysia already have so many malls and many are dead.

This post has been edited by Katharsis: Aug 2 2025, 07:52 PM

Animations tend fare better on better image quality screens to allow the colours and visuals to spark more, thus Onyx is the better fit for it. Though, good laser projectors are close second, so IMAX Laser can help here. The difference comes to your preference of larger image, better image quality, sound design and ticket price.

No right or wrong answers for IMAX, Big or Onyx, comes down to youe preferences haha. Although a Dolby Cinema with Dolby Vision and Atmos would give a great all-rounder experience... Something to consider, TGV, GSC and hopefully any employees of respective cinema chains whom peruse this Lowyat forum :wink:.

Speaking of animation Princess Mononoke is having an IMAX re-run as it got a 4k remaster or something. I've never watched any Studio Ghibli film so gonna take this opportunity hahaha. Aspect ratio is 1.85:1 so screen real estate may be enticing. Will share my experience after I watched it in Velocity.

Yeah, aspect ratio will be 1.9:1 only. It's how it is :shrug:

Then 1Utama is the best for you. That one is the 2nd biggest Laser IMAX screen in Malaysia (1st being Velocity). It's a great hall.

One Battle After Another - IOI City Mall 2 GSC IMAX Laser

I was at IOI and had time so eh, just try the hall again after a long time and it's good. They fixed the middle screen audio output to not be muffled like last time. One thing is I miss the bigger legroom provided in this hall haha.

The movie itself fully takes up the whole screen as expected of its aspect ratio, but I definitely noticed that this film should be watched in its intended aspect ratio of 1.43:1 as some shots in the film were not filmed to be protected, meaning some scenes look awkward and improperly framed since the image is cut off from the top and bottom, missing the bigger details.

Usually films despite having a taller aspect ratio are filmed to have their scenes still proper to watch despite its aspect ratio is cut shorter, mainly to reserve scene integrity. Not all scenes are unprotected, just a few I'd noticed.

Sound design is great though imo too loud at times. I feel like maybe the volume of IOI City Mall's IMAX hall is uncomfortably louder than TGVs, again, could just be this movie and may be the same at TGVs. Gun shots for example feel so loud and deafening, and despite my praise of the sound design later below, it did make me slightly nauseated.

I believe this film should also be a1.9:1 aspect ratio in other halls, so I would recommend watching it at BIG halls for better value. I also believe atmos speakers would be better for the audio here as they are typically comfortably loud enough with pristine detail.

Overall, the film is good. A little bit too long for my liking. It is a drag in some parts and imo, the story didn't grip me that much. I wasn't hooked with the story since I've seen these types of stories before in other films/media that do this story in a more engafing way. However, what carried me through is mainly the cinephile stuff.

The acting is phenomenal, cinematography is great (there's a riot sequence and the last few drive chase scenes were shot very interestingly), the vibrant personalities of the characters . The music and sound design really stand out with the piano keys just making it tense and stressful.

More on the cinematography, there are a lot of long shots where the camera follows the character and a lot things are happening in the background without cuts and man, I miss this type of cinematography. All the shots are interesting and the cuts between different shots don't feel disruptive and jarring like some modern day films (MCU mostly).

As a cinephile film, it rocks. However, if you want a more engaging plot, this one isn't really it. It's a relatively simple story to follow and is more of character drama of how one's actions may lead a larger consequence for another... Hence the name One Battle After Another. It's the mixture of vibes and artistic liberties that shine here.

Princess Mononoke - Sunway Velocity TGV IMAX Laser w/ 12 speakers

Yeah... This shit rocks so hard. It really made me nostalgic for old school anime with the artstyle (reminds me of time younger self watching the first dragon ball anime... Those were the times). What's more, the sound design is actually great as the nature environmental sounds like leaves shaking and flies fluttering encompassing your hearing via the surround speakers.

What's more, the big image projected on Velocity's screen made the landscape shots look breathtaking like damn. I really feel like I missed out on the peak of Studio Ghibli, hence now my mission is to watch their films in order.

This film at least to me was way ahead of its time of 1997. The spread and cycle of hatred and revenge, a blind quest for power and status over humility and responsibility, the tragedy of natives (in this case, through the different specie of animals), dealing with the side effects of colonisation, industrialization and warfare like DAMN... Is this really a child's film?

From discussions with my friends, Hayao Miyazaki films tend to be chill and slice of life-like, yet this one made me feel like I just played Red Dead Redemption 2 and watched Killers of the Flower Moon, only this time, the male protagonist is a strong mediator who has the physical power to overcome the odds.

Like dayuuuuum. Ok I'm sorry for the long post analysing films in a thread that's actually about our cinema halls' tech feat but... Damn, the movies really got me passionate haha.