Review : BFI IMAX London
Before I flew back to Kuwait I decided to catch the new Transformers movie and when I found out that they were showing it at the BFI IMAX in London , I thought what better movie to watch on the IMAX cinema ! As its been years since I was last in an IMAX theatre I forgot how enormous the screen is, when I walked in I was like WOW ! Considering it was an afternoon performance during the week, I was surprised how packed it was. Before the movie started we were treated to the trailer of the new Harry Potter movie which looks a lot of fun and looks stunning in IMAX (it opens on 15 July).
When the main movie started the film did not cover the entire screen, there was a bar on the top and bottom of the picture (a bit like when you watch a DVD in 16:9 mode), but the screen is so huge it really doesn’t make a difference. But the director Michael Bay filmed a major battle scene specifically for IMAX which meant that it covered the entire screen from top to bottom for about 10 minutes. And yeah, that made it even more amazing.
The sound is great and the picture crystal clear. You do definitely enjoy the experience more. The cost of the ticket is £13.50 which is around KD 6. When you consider that’s how much we pay here in Kuwait for the “VIP” cinema, its well worth the money.
My Top 5 Tips for the IMAX in London
1. Book your tickets EARLY on-line ! You get to choose your seats ahead of time and pick your tickets up as you would do here by inserting the credit card you booked with into a machine. I noticed that for the shows at the weekend almost all seats were taken…and this is with performances showing more than a week ahead ! So book early especially if you are in a group larger than 2 ! There is a £1.50 booking fee, but its worth paying.
2. Pick a seat in the last 2 rows. I was in the last but one (Row N) and you get to see the whole screen without having to lean back. Yes the screen is that big !
3. To get there by Tube get off at Waterloo and look for the exit which is marked BFI IMAX. Waterloo station is very big and if you leave the station at wrong end it could take you a while to walk all the way around.
4. They have tried to max the number of seats in the cinema so leg room isn’t the best. People with long legs maybe better off with a seat on the aisle. Also if you sit in the middle row it’s a nightmare to get out if you need to use the bathroom ! So maybe it worth giving that giant Coke a miss :)
5. There is a decent a café on the ground floor which has a good selection of sandwiches, good coffee and even wine ! The pop corn is served upstairs but the lines can put you off, so don’t leave it to the last minute !
For more info on performances of the IMAX in London and to book tickets, visit the BFI website by clicking [here]
I’ll be writing a review of the Transformers 2 in my next post.
