CyberWorld

Cyberworld is truly unique in the sense that it not only provides the animation content in 3D, but it also provides the movie experience in 3D thanks to IMAX's incredible technology.

Here's a brief synopsis of the movie: You enter into a surrealistic 3D gallery where the host guides you through several unreal samples of 3D animation. Unfortunately, the gallery is being destroyed by computer bugs and it is up to the host to stop them before the entire gallery collapses.

From the technological point of view, this movie is astounding. The animation is realistic and in some cases, surrealistic. The artists who helped to compose this movie have really pushed the limits of the software and hardware capacities available to create a movie that is stunning to the eye.

From the creative point of view, this movie has a few flaws. The galleria bridge between each sequence was very well thought out, but the transition between some of the sequences seemed a little abrupt at times. Not to mention that there was a rather heavy emphasis on the theme of bugs.

Overall though, this is a truly unique experience in movies that is well worth discovering. Never been to an IMAX movie before? Maybe it's time you find out what IMAX is all about by seeing this movie...

"CyberWorld" is one of the most impressive 3D movies I've seen because the special effects are outstanding. The animation was incredible to see because it is new and fresh. I didn't know what to expect from a movie that was playing at an IMAX theater; however, upon leaving the movie I was smiling because it was an out of this world experience that I will treasure for many years to come.

Watching "CyberWorld" was like taking a trip down memory lane because I remember watching each of the movies and television shows. I can only say you do not know what you are missing from a true movie experience if you don't try the IMAX experience. The IMAX experience is among the best I've ever seen and nothing has or will come close to the experience I had. To the credit of the animators and director, they made me feel like I was inside the film as part of the cast.

I always look for a plot in every movie I see because I feel that is the crux of everything. While "CyberWorld" lacked story, it made up for it with the effects and the host voiced by Jenna Elfman. I urge everyone to see "CyberWorld" because it appeals to all ages and contains incredible special effects.

March 2004: I'm in Melbourne by myself, having seen the Grand Prix the day before, exploring this new museum complex in the city that had an IMAX theatre. An IMAX movie was definitely on my itinerary as I loved the IMAX films I saw back in America a decade ago on a family holiday. Thought I couldn't go wrong with whatever I chose to see, the poster for Cyberworld 3D had Antz and Simpsons characters on it, a winner no doubt I thought.

I came back an hour later when the session started, collected the well-used 3D LCD-flicker goggles and took my seat. The sequences tying the assorted 3D clips together were OK, and the clips of Antz and the bit from the Simpsons where Homer discovers the 3rd dimension behind the bookcase were great. The rest was boring, somewhat depressing filler, I thought Cyberworld 3D must have been made in the mid 90s as the rest of the clips had pretty basic and unevolved computer animation. The clip with Pet Shop Boys music was the sort of thing I would expect from a computer animation demonstration circa 1990 ("why am I seeing this up on an IMAX screen?" I was thinking to myself at this point).

Overall Cyberworld 3D is a pretty lazy effort using yesteryear's computer graphics, sucking in customers through prominently displaying Simpsons and Antz characters on their posters (when together they only make up about 10 minutes of the total runtime). Only recommended for kids age 10 and down who have never seen a 3D film before.

Cyberworld is an average movie. Its essentially a series of 3d computer animated sequences (many of them just surreal without any underlying narrative), linked by some corny backstory of the animation "gallery" - in which the sequences are being displayed - being invaded by computer bugs.Forget about the whole gallery idea. Its slow, dull and afetr a while quite irritating. Its the short films that make cyberworld something just about worth seeing. The only problem is that the best sequences are taken from Antz and an old simpsons halloween special, so there's not much new to look forward to. Furthermore there's absolutley no flow or common theme linking the films. Yes they are all computer animated, but so what. There's a little bit of the Simpsons, then there's something about a flying ballet dancer, the pet shop boys flying through a pyramid snow world etc. Overall this serves to break up the film and make it seem much longer than it really is.Don't get me wrong some of these pieces are beautiful to look at, but when your watching a movie (rather than an art installation) you need some sort of story structure to keep you intersted in the images - however cool eye-catching they are. To be honest, all this would be forgivable if the whole IMAX/ 3d effect had real impact (lets be honest, when you see an imax movie you should never expect Shindler's List), but it doesn't. These short animations were not originally designed for a 3d or imax experince. Yes, they do look cool in big and in 3d, but none of the pieces (excpet for the opening credits) utilise 3d imax to its full slam-bang-in-your-face effect. Essentially then Cyberworld is pretty, its slightly 'cool' to watch, but there's no flow, and as an imax experience it just doesn't pack a punch. If you can, you should try and catch Encounters in 3D (also imax - see my review) which ultimatley proves to be a much more satisfying experince.

It is not necessary to use a lot of words when analyzing a film you really like. This is the case with "CyberWorld," one of the most impressive 3D movies I've seen. "CyberWorld" has some of the best special effects I've seen a movie has used. The animation was incredible to see because it is new and fresh. I didn't know what to expect from a movie that was playing at an IMAX theater; however, upon leaving the movie I was smiling because it was an out of this world experience that I will treasure for many years to come.

Watching "CyberWorld" was like taking a trip down memory lane because I remember watching each of the movies and television shows. I can only say you do not know what you are missing from a true movie experience if you don't try the IMAX experience. The IMAX experience is among the best I've ever seen and nothing has or will come close to the experience I had. To the credit of the animators and director, they made me feel like I was inside the film as part of the cast.

I always look for a plot in every movie I see because I feel that is the crux of everything. While "CyberWorld" lacked story, it made up for it with the effects and the host voiced by Jenna Elfman. I urge everyone to see "CyberWorld" because it appeals to all ages and contains incredible special effects.

"CyberWorld" is a 40 minute adventure nobody should miss.