Dendy brings IMAX to Canberra
By Peter Searles
The Launch
Dendy Canberra celebrated the launch of its new IMAX theatre with a VIP event and preview screening of the film Mufasa: The Lion King. Following Sydney and Melbourne, the launch makes Canberra only the third Australian city to make IMAX technology accessible to its cinema-going public.
Showing up early for the screening, I spent some time enjoying drinks and canapes with the other guests that crowded the foyer. There was an energy of excitement. People stopped to snap pictures on the red carpet and queued for snacks. I was excited too. Not having made it to Sydney since opening of its refurbished IMAX theatre, it had been years since I’d enjoyed a film on a scale as grand as that system offers. I had memories of seeing Avatar for the first time and having to turn my head to see the edges of the massive screen. For some films, ultimate immersion is a must. I was glad to finally have easy access to the pinnacle of cinematic technology.
As we filed in, it came as a surprise (to me at least) that the new set up occupies the space previously used for one of Dendy’s regular cinema screens. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a small screen. Stretching from floor to ceiling and wall to wall, it’s as large as Dendy could possibly house without undergoing extensive re-construction. But it’s not the 7-story-stadium-seating purpose-built auditorium I remembered from previous IMAX experiences. Clearly I had to reformulate my understanding and discover what IMAX represents besides screen size. Lucky for me, Dendy were ready to explain.
After a brief introduction from an enthusiastic MC who successfully boosted the energy of the crowd, we were shown a 17-minute demo reel. Alongside excerpts from the films Dunkirk and The Greatest Showman, it featured interview snippets from famous filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and JJ Abrams, who praised the unparalleled scale and scope that IMAX can deliver. Most usefully, a series of split screens demonstrated the improvements in visual quality this new laser system offers even when compared to previous IMAX systems.
I now understand that what Dendy has acquired is one of the 4K laser projector systems IMAX Corporation began rolling out in 2014 which it calls "IMAX with Laser". The laser system replaces the xenon arc lamp of traditional digital projectors and results in improvements in every aspect of visual quality. As the demo reel explained, the new system provides a wider colour spectrum, deeper contrast, increased brightness, darker blacks and overall sharper images. The system also improves on sound, with additional side and overhead speakers. When the reel switched to closely captured footage of a space shuttle launch, it became clear why the MC had advised the many parents of small children in attendance to consider an additional trip to the candy bar during the demo. The entire theatre shook with the intensity of the bass, while on screen the pristine blue sky turned to a blistering red and we were engulfed in rocket exhaust. There could no longer be any doubt – this theatre offers something that Canberran audiences have not seen before. When it comes to blockbusters with epic visuals, this is the new place to be.
After a little googling, I’ve caught up on some basic facts. As well as building their own, IMAX has been partnering with existing theatres since 2004. So while this is not a new thing, Dendy Canberra is the first independent cinema circuit in Australia to partner with IMAX. This was explained by Dendy CEO Sharon Strickland during her talk, in which she thanked all those who have collaborated to bring about the partnership. As an added bonus, the audience heard a live performance from Canberra based singer/songwriter Calvin Orosa. Calvin’s vocals and keyboard playing brought a medley of songs from the original Lion King film into a new and pretty arrangement, getting us in the mood for the exclusive preview of the latest film in the franchise.
Mufasa: The Lion King
I can fully understand why Dendy would choose this as the film to launch their new IMAX theatre. Being a community event, a family friendly choice is the way to go. The film is also an example of cutting-edge animation, shown off best with IMAX’s ultra-high picture quality. But if you’re looking to experience this new theatre, or even if you’re seeking to entertain young family members, I’d recommend going for one of the many other films Dendy has planned for IMAX release this summer.
I’m the first to recognise the excellence of the 1994 hand drawn animated feature The Lion King. It came during what I consider the peak period of Disney films which spanned from the late 1980’s to mid-1990’s. Is it a coincidence that I occupied the target age group during those years? Possibly. But The Lion King did everything right. It had strong characters, good songs, humour, a gripping plot and a hero’s journey that captured some universal truths about growing up. In fact, the ethical life lessons found in the film mean that it potentially resonates even more with adults than with children.
There were other Lion King films, a musical, a TV series, games and more that followed. But the next product I consumed was the computer animated remake of 2019. That film offered only one potentially praiseworthy thing beyond what it copied from the original film - its achievements in CGI animation. And ironically, depicting the animals and their habitat in lifelike HD realness ruined any sense of cohesion by establishing an aesthetic in which the cartoonish characters and their antics sat awkwardly. Mufasa falls into this same trap while also committing other, greater sins.
Following the blueprint laid out by the original, Mufasa starts with its hero receiving some wise guidance from his parents. Instead of the ‘circle of life’, it has to do with a ‘journey to the light’ – some ephemeral, utopic paradise to spend one’s life seeking, a place called Milele (meaning ‘eternity’ in Swahili) which may ultimately be reachable only via an inward journey and a realising of your truest, best self. But in this film, the sentiment has been promoted from thematic background to become the driving force of the story. Where characters and plot should take over, we are given only further layers of sentiment, to do with dealing with ‘outsiders’, finding a ‘moment of courage’ and a revival of the tried and true circle of life concept.
Unlike characters that have agency and make decisions, sentiments don’t give rise to sequences of causal events that become plot. So for the filmmakers, there is no option but to rely on a series of clumsily concocted sequences to fill out the runtime. Mufasa is suddenly swept away in a flash flood, he is challenged to a race, there is a musical number, a stampede, and so on. It is not until the second half of the film that a love triangle provides some character conflict we can get invested in. Besides this, there is an overreliance on action, and several recreated shots from the original film that are forced and unexciting. Until finally, (spoiler incoming) the film destroys its own founding spiritual concept by making Milele an actual real-life place that the characters can reach and physically inhabit.
With all that said, there are some positives. Like the 2019 remake, Mufasa features some truly stunning animation. In several key moments, the gorgeously composed colour palettes are overwhelming, made even more sumptuous when delivered via IMAX laser technology. The songs are very good, and then there’s Rafiki. This time around, the filmmakers are careful to specify he is a mandrill, and not a baboon, as most of us have been ignorant enough to believe all this time. Rafiki returns to the reclaim the title of most memorable and loveable character (not a close contest this time), with the shamanic abilities he always uses for good that force him into the position of perpetual outsider.
IMAX with laser is now open to the Canberra public. Its exclusive home is Dendy. Please go and enjoy the best visual and sonic quality currently possible, by catching a screening of Interstellar.
