Disclaimer: This post was in the works before the TGV IMAX renovation announcement. Thus, it is mainly for the current state of IMAX in Klang Valley as of and prior to 29/09/2023. Fun fact, I love how TGV saw GSC pulled a fast one with IMAX Laser, and their response was a "the hell you say?!" and announces Bukit Jalil's Laser with 12-channel surround set up and 3 laser upgrades to existing halls. Nice to see competition among our country's cinema chain.

Review of Klang Valley's IMAX halls (except I-City)

Hey guys, so Oppenheimer got a choke-hold on me and had me visiting IMAX halls in the past 2 months just to experience it as much as I can before it got off screening. This is currently my favourite movie of 2023 and is one of my favourite movies of all time. The narrative structure of this film both creatively and effectively kept my interest while balancing suspense. The acting is also phenomenal and the practical effects of the whole film is so surreal. Of course, because it is an IMAX film, there's a great ton of scenes with tall aspect ratios, just further pushing the levels of engagement from my viewing perspective (I just wish I could have experienced this film at 1.43:1 aspect ratio, but sadly, Malaysia's IMAX max height is 1.9:1 for now).

That description said, I have watched Oppenheimer in all of Klang Valley's IMAX halls except for Central I-City's TGV (though I have visited this hall before for Top Gun 2 last year, I don't feel comfortable reviewing it without having a recent refresh of it, thus it's excluded. I have a first impression post of this hall many pages back), and I will be reviewing them all below starting chronologically via their opening date

Sunway Pyramid TGV IMAX (Opening date: 13th Dec 2011)



Positives:
- Still a IMAX hall I guess, meaning the experience will be better than normal halls

Negatives:
- Very Small screen (major problem)
- Narrow legroom in seat rows
- Seats not that comfortable, and cup holders are lower than the arm-rest, so it's awkward to place and take drinks from

Personal notes:
- Far to visit, no easy public transport there
- Not very audio savvy, but felt the speakers here aren't as strong compared to the other halls
- Preferred seat rows: F & G

Okay, so I just want to pre-face that this hall isn't bad at all, it's just outdated and out-classed by the newer IMAX halls. I believed this is the first digital IMAX hall to be released back in late 2011, and maybe at that time, it was a great. Now? Well, Oppenheimer here felt off. The wide (2.39:1) aspect ratio scenes took up like 90% of the screen, leaving thin letterboxes at the top and bottom. However, in the tall aspect ratio scenes, the screen fills up completely, but that difference is barely noticeable. It becomes a visually different experience compared to the other IMAX halls here, where you will notice the shift between image height when the scenes change between aspect ratio (to Oppenheimer's art direction, exudes more variety on screen and heightens the specific scene's tone and mood).

It felt no different from watching films in other budget Premium Large Format (PLF) halls, specifically IOI City's Maxx in terms of image to screen usage.

Overall, visit here if you live in Subang Jaya and can't afford to go further for PLF halls. However, if you can, the closest of PJ's Starling Big and 1U IMAX are great improvements. Both house very large screens with great surround audio. They have more value than Pyramid in terms of cinematic enjoyment.

Update: This hall might be hinted to be renovated for laser. I don't know if that would include a screen size upgrade, I doubt so because it requires rebuilding the hall. Honestly, even with Laser, the screen size will be the limiting factor, so it's not worth it.

1Utama TGV IMAX 2K Xenon (Opening date: 23rd Dec 2012)



Positives:
- 3rd largest IMAX screen in Klang Valley, 2nd largest 1.9:1 screen just behind I-City
- Still holds up very well despite opening in 2012
- Seats rumbles to the audio's base; strong speakers

Negatives:
- People's heads in front can block the screen, a problem not experienced by me in other IMAX halls (can be a positive too if you consider the cinema/theater experience wise)
- Narrow legroom in seat rows
- Seats not that comfortable, and cup holders are lower than the arm-rest, so it's awkward to place and take drinks from (essentially the same as Pyramid's)

Personal notes:
- Far to visit, but convenient to travel to via MRT, just time consuming
- The keluar sign is distracting during screening (though safety purposes, it makes sense)
- Preferred seat rows: J, K then G

Ah, 1U. This was my go-to for the past 2 years now. Velocity had the BS couple seat issues, and IOI City Mall 2's GSC IMAX wasn't announced and opened yet, thus this was the most normal and fair IMAX experience I can get while convenient to travel to. For a hall that opened a year later after Pyramid's (surprised me to see Pyramid and 1U IMAX have the same hall aesthetic design, but checking the dates, that made sense), man, this must have felt like a major upgrade. The screen is massive, and films that is able to use it's 1.9:1 size looks enormous. I have very fond memories of Top Gun: Maverick here and Oppenheimer is no exemption as both are able to reach that height.

While yes, I-City is like a 30 minute drive from 1U that has the larger screen and aesthetically high tier design, this hall is still a great choice if you live nearby (yall movie fans living in PJ sure got so many options: 1U IMAX, Tropicana Gardens and Starling Big, further a bit got I-City IMAX, walan weh).

Update: if this hall and I-City get's that laser upgrade, boi... you Petaling Jayan's living the life xd.

Sunway Velocity TGV IMAX 2K Xenon (Opening date: 8th Dec 2016)


(couldn't fit the whole screen on my phone despite being at the highest row taking the shot)

Positives:
- Largest IMAX screen in Malaysia while being the only 1.43:1 (technically 1.33:1) aspect ratio IMAX screen in Malaysia
- Comfortable seats with okay legroom (couple seats are more comfortable and they better be for that extra cost)
- Hall is sleek designed, very dark-blueish. Not much visual distractions when screening in the dark
- Speakers are loud and powerful, can feel the seats rumble

Negatives:
- Couple seats takes the best middle spot (complained a lot about this here already, sorry for repeating)
- Due to 2k xenon projector, it can't utilize the whole screen, maxing out at 1.9:1 in size, so letterboxing is inevitable (may be resolved soon if upgraded to Laser GT)

Personal Notes:
- 2nd closest IMAX hall to my residence, quite easy to travel to via MRT and even car
- Sitting at the side seats closest to the middle of the hall is actually pretty decent if can't afford couple seats cause no partner (rip)
- Currently my favourite IMAX hall to visit but not necessarily my go-to
- Preferred seat rows: K then J

Despite my prior complaints about this hall, this surprisingly became my favourite hall to visit despite its seating issues. While yes, I still am sulking over the couple seat arrangement, this hall grew on me mainly because of the screen size. While IOI City Mall 2's Laser IMAX has the better, more detailed image quality, I just cannot deny my change of preferring larger images being on display over image fidelity. It sucks that there is letterboxing because of the Xenon 2k projectors, but the image that they can fit on this big size of a screen still makes it a great viewing experience (fun fact, there is minor letterboxing to the sides of the film. I distinctly noticed this during my Oppenheimer viewings here. All the more reason to upgrade to Laser GT, please TGV).

I definitely felt like this was the most optimal viewing of Oppenheimer out of the IMAX halls I have visited, mainly because the film was marketed for it's large image size ala 70mm/1.43:1 aspect ratio, and this is the closest I could get in Malaysia. Sitting at my preferred row of K, I definitely can feel the size encompassing my entire vision without discomfort or missing out in details. This then make it my go-to IMAX hall during skeleton hours/low bookings, mainly so I can book a normal seat and then move to the couple seat for the better viewing angle.

IOI City Mall 2 GSC IMAX Single Laser (Opening date: 23rd Jan 2023)

 

Positives:
- Crisp image, high detailed colours, darker blacks, better contrast... just beautiful to watch films with
- Seats are cushioned and comfortable with great leg room
- Audio is very strong here, though not much seat rumble

Negatives:
- Small screen for an IMAX, smaller than 1U's by a biT, a pretty major letdown considering single laser can still do a lot with a larger screen.

Personal Notes:
- Closest IMAX hall to my residence, easy 10-20 minute drive.
- Preferred seat rows: C for 1.9:1 films, D for 2.39:1 films
- Obligatory winner of go-to IMAX hall lol

This halls wins the obligatory go-to hall for me cause of how close it is for me, and the fact that it is currently the only Laser IMAX in Malaysia. However, that luster has fallen off a bit, mainly because I want to experience movies at their best, and typically, size trounces image fidelity in that factor as of right now. I mean, I will still go here even if Bukit Jalil's IMAX screen is bigger and better purely because of convenience, but as a movie-buff, it just feels disappointing with the screen size we've gotten.

Alright, it feels like I'm downplaying this hall here. The screen size is no where as egregious as Pyramid's, as this hall's screen is comparable to 1U's, just slightly smaller. It is also still a Laser IMAX projector where the image quality is leagues better compared to the IMAX Xenon 2k halls in Malaysia, it even beats out Big's 4k Barco Laser in terms of colour vibrancy, brightness and deep blacks. This hall is the best image quality with a large screen size you can get right now in Malaysia. It can only be beaten by Bukit Jalil in that category if the latter has a larger screen.

Oppenheimer here was astounding because of the image quality. While I still prefer watching Oppenheimer in Velocity because of the larger screen size, I cannot deny the image here was more visually stunning. I can still remember how great the opening scene was with Oppie gazing at water on the ground, and the colours, deep blacks, everything was just so mesmerizing.

Overall, this is my 2nd favourite hall because of that fact. However, I would still choose this hall over Velocity's mainly because of convenience and better seat booking during peak hours/first few weeks of an IMAX film.

Closing Notes

Damn, another long post. Apologies again, but I hope this is informative in helping you pick your go-to IMAX halls. This has been a very fun, yet expensive endeavor and I'm glad there's not many tall movies releasing soon. My wallet needs a rest. Majority of movies coming out, mainly right now The Creator I plan to view in Big during early-bird hours. However, despite the cost of watching IMAX, Oppenheimer has been peak cinema for me. The fact that the people in my IMAX hall viewing clapped at the end of the film, and how silent all of them were during the film goes to show how this movie is very gripping with its narrative, practical effects and elite acting.

I have watched this film in IMAX 7 times now (the most re-watched of a film from me in the cinemas, let alone IMAX) and honestly, I want to watch it again in that format. It's stupid and honestly monetarily reckless on my end but man, in the current landscape of movie making in regards to cgi, green screens, franchise building over cohesive artistry and etc., this movie really becomes "something, uh... more important."