I see, thank you for sharing the link, you make me less worried about the 2K projector.

Thank you for convincing me

You're welcome. Plus, IMAX is the only cinema screen in Malaysia, where the Chief Quality Officer's email (based in US/Canada) is displayed at the end of every email.
He replies whenever you provide feedback. I once complained about dirty screen in GSC IMAX JB, and it was solved within 1-2 weeks.
When I complain about 4DX to GSC/4DX owners, no action taken.

Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse peeps where you at XD. I just watched the film a few hours ago in IOI City Mall 2 GSC IMAX Laser and it was spectacular. The film is... God man, we Spidey fans eating good!

It is recommended to watch this film in halls specialized with great surround speakers, as the sound direction of this film is phenomenal. This means Dolby Atmos (preferably the ones with THX certification) or IMAX. For a large screen experience, there are 3 options: IMAX, Big and MAXX

While yes, IMAX Laser is dope for this film, it won't use all of the 1.91:1 aspect ratio of the screens, as the film is 2.35:1, which means it is wider and there will be letterboxing (black bars at the top and bottom of the screen). While you will benefit from the IMAX surround speakers, RM35.50 doesn't really feel justified as you can get an equally great viewing experience in other specialized cinema halls.

Best value large screen Spider-Verse 2: BIG DA > IMAX Laser > IMAX > MAXX DA.

I said in my previous post but BIG DA is the best value choice for big budget films whose aspect ratio is wide. Unless the film is stated to be filmed in IMAX, you'll lose very little going for BIG DA vs IMAX, even IOI's Laser IMAX as BIG uses 4K Laser tech too. A ticket in this hall cost around RM 25-27, but you can get a good discount (RM17-18) if you are an early bird (before 12pm) or visit during Wednesdays.

Unfortunately, out of the 3 GSC chains that hosts BIG DA as of right now, only one is airing Spider-Verse 2 in BIG DA: Starling Mall. This is due to Polis Evo 3 taking up those BIG air times at Tropicana Gardens and MyTown.

If you can't find a GSC chain that has BIG DA but you still want a large screen, then by all means go for IMAX, especially IOI's Laser IMAX for that crisp 4k and brighter image. IMAX will still be a fantastic experience, but the cost of RM35 per ticket is way too expensive especially when the screen isn't fully utilized. There is no discount btw, only the Maybank RM5 off at TGV which limits a lot of people. However if you can swallow that price, then it's a guaranteed great time.

I would only visit MAXX DA if that is your only option. The projector is really outdated as the last time I viewed MAXX DA was back in April for John Wick 4 and D&D. The image looked blurry and unclear. The DA speakers still are top notch though. They are THX certified, an audio quality certification and they are a banger. The price of this hall is similar to Big's around RM 25-27ish, but does go down in Wednesday or early bird.

There is ONYX too. The biggest screen belongs to the ONYX DA at Tropicana Gardens. While the image is superior to projectors, the screen size is smaller. However, considering Spider-Verse 2 is an animated film, the film will look way sharper and brighter in this hall. The downsides are the screen is small, though Tropicana's is actually quite large in size, and the audio isn't as good as DA or IMAX. While yes, Tropicana Gardens has Dolby Atmos, I feel it isn't well optimized as the last time I was there for John Wick 4, the audio was quite subdued and I barely noticed the surround imaging that DA is known for. Maybe this is fixed, I am not sure, but yeah, don't expect to go into Onyx halls and be amazed by audio; it is purely an visual fidelity experience.

Overall... Yeah, just screens aside, this past few years have been great for films. from No Way Home to Spider-Verse 2 and all the other blockbuster film in-between. Hope you guys have a good one!

I have 2 IMAX destinations in the south which is like 20km away from home each

This post has been edited by skylinelover: Jun 2 2023, 09:51 AM

Great review as usual from the MVP here!

Oppenheimer and Mission Impossible coming out next month!

As both are shot with IMAX camera, definitely going to IMAX theatres for these 2. Question is which one to go?
a) IMAX Laser at IOI City East (better picture quality but screen is smallest)
b) IMAX at Sunway Velocity (might be able to showcase the taller aspect ratio of IMAX better than the one in i-City, as shared by @Katharsis previously)
c) IMAX at Central i-City

This post has been edited by ericling: Jun 3 2023, 06:15 PM

Why not watch 3 times for both movies? You can't replicate the same setup at home.

Not kaki Oppenheimer but for Mission Is Laser IMAX all the way haha

Velocity should be better for Oppenheimer cause of the taller screen. For Mission Impossible, IOI or I-City. I remembered you said you prefer bigger screens so I-City suits you best.

Pokai lo boss haha. Rm 35 per ticket and travel cost (petrol, tolls etc.)

Wednesday 4DX RM31 hahahaha vs RM42 normal days

Deng weih

This post has been edited by skylinelover: Jun 7 2023, 07:30 PM

Mission Impossible has tall aspect ratio scenes too right?

LOL! Imagine watching the same movie 50+ times in the cinema (IMAX / 4DX / maybe Screen-X too...)

Isnt that beautiful being the cinephile

Hi all sifu, first time asking here.

May I know which cinema and hall type to watch transformer? Or any best value price for the suggested cinema.

Thank you

Normal ba hahahaha

Morning for cheaper or Wednesday for whole day cheaper

According to IMDB, MI7's tallest aspect ratio scenes are 1.9:1 aspect ratio, which majority of the IMAX halls in Malaysia mostly follows in dimension (IOI City Mall Laser IMAX is exactly 1.9:1, I-City is super close at 1.77:1, slightly taller so will have some letterboxing), no taller scenes ala 1.43:1 like Oppenheimer and Dune 2.

The only 2 very tall IMAX screens in Malaysia (that supports 1:43 films very well) are TGV Sunway Velocity in KL and TGV Vivacity Mall in Kuching. These are the two locations I would visit for Oppenheimer.

Screen size and dimensions can be found in LFExaminer (though ceased operations, haven't updated since late 2021).

Got it! Thanks as always!

Haha my nearest cinema got 4DX only but i aint complaining

I got 2 choices for IMAX but bloody hell its 20km away each from my house

Hey I was doing a bit more research, and found out that IMAX Xenon (the non-laser version) can only project 1:9:1 aspect ratio even if the screen is 1:43:1.

That means Oppenheimer will still be projected in 1:9:1 aspect ratio in Sunway Velocity despite the venue has 1:43:1. That's a bummer

Hey man. Back early 2022, I'd watched Dune 1 (which had 1.43:1 scenes) in Velocity IMAX and I distinctly remembered few scenes of the film stretched taller, using almost the entire screen. Velocity's aspect ratio is taller than 1.43:1 at 1.33:1. Velocity uses dual 2k Xenon projectors which help compensate for the higher aspect ratio (there were older posts here that mentioned Velocity's IMAX uses dual 2k Xenon projectors, which should help achieve that 1.43:1 size. This is also why I saw Dune 1 stretch as tall as it did). I could be wrong but it wouldn't hurt to try. Also if I'm right, I'm be so sad cause I usually watch movies at cinema alone and I can't find a partner to justify for that stupid couple seat which are also the best positioned seats there.

Also an update, a few days ago, news broke out that Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 will only be 2.39:1. Chilaka, I booked IMAX tickets already before hearing this news. Anyway, upon doing a bit of research and reading articles, IMDB's info can be edited by anyone, so previously, it mentioned 1.9:1 alsong with the usual 2.39:1. I assume this was written as speculation as there wasn't any concrete info about MI7's aspect ratio. However, the film heavily marketed to be an IMAX film so the expectation for tall height was promised. Anyway, pretty bumped out right now as I could have saved money opting for BIG DA instead. Maybe the MI7 vs Oppenheimer IMAX screening slots and having Oppenheimer won out in the end may have influenced this change, I'm not sure. Anyway ooof.