NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience

First of all I am not a fan of Nascar, I do follow the odd Formula One race, but living in Europe, Nascar is something I may happen to see playing at five in the morning on one of the sport shows, or is a sport I prefer to play on the Playstation. As a cultural phenomenon, a thrill sport, or a symbol of national prestige (as so many American sports tend to be) it goes entirely over my head.

Now Nascar IMAX was something I was looking forward to, yes I actually thought that the promise of seeing these races in 3D would make me appreciate some of the dynamics of the sport. Alas no, or at least this is not the movie that will achieve this end. The movie is slow, with very few action scenes, doesn't look that great in 3D and is heavily dependant on dialogue. These should be basic no,no's for an IMAX movie, and yet some bright spark continues to invest heavily in such banal material.

I do long for the day when IMAX equipment will be put into the hands of a true master of cinema, I remember watching Nascar thinking, "with all this technology, all this money, the best they can do is deliver a weak documentary about racing cars?". I guess IMAX could be the next frontier of cinema, and with the way cinema is heading, this can not come any sooner. Alas, Nascar IMAX is not the one that's gonna take IMAX to the edge. So I guess the IMAX gauntlet remains unraised. Any takers??

We saw the NASCAR 3D IMAX movie in Nyack, NY. I was somewhat disappointed in that much of the live racing action was not in 3D, but was super-imposed as a window. The movie itself was about an hour long, not much for 10 bucks. Basically, it's a historical review of NASCAR. I'd think you really have to be into NASCAR to entirely enjoy it. However, those that haven't seen a 3D IMAX movie will be impressed. There was a positive too. With the admission ticket you could take a free "ride" on the NASCAR silicon raceway. This normally retails for $8.50. They don't advertise it though. So, if you're at the Palisades Mall, or have a virtual NASCAR facility in your area you may want to check it out.

I kept wanting to touch the images, especially in the opening sequence. This movie just has to be seen to be believed. It literally picks you up and sets you right down onto the track. I thought I was sitting on that banked oval!. The sound was excellent also as I kept turning to tell some patrons to be quiet. Then I quickly found out the voices were part of the 'surround' dialog. Ear-blowing as well. The sound could have been a bit louder, but you can't have it all. And Keifer Sutherland's narration was, well--Keifer Sutherland. You can't go wrong with him in any role. I could sum this film in 5 words or less, but IMDB needs 10 lines for my review. What can I say? I give N3D a perfect 10 as a 'documentary' movie. Now I want the IMAX 3D experience at home...dang!

As a die hard NASCAR fan, this movie was unbelievable! The images look so crystal clear, you could almost feel the the texture of the asphalt as you ride along. Great 3D effect, though towards the end I had a slight headache due to eye strain. The sound was the most authentic reproduction of a NASCAR race I've ever heard. The engines roar as loud and beefy as being at the track. Certainly a must see. Even the non-NASCAR fans will enjoy it and perhaps become interested in the greatest sport in the world. Only one thing that bothered me about the film was the fact that there are certain things that you wanted to see in focus... that weren't (hence the eye strain headache). If you can get a seat in the back of the theater...perhaps the eye strain would be less. Other than that... it's the best IMAX movie out there now. A must see, and I'm buying a copy when it hits the shelves on DVD. Not just 2 thumbs up... all ten digits up!

There would be no point in denying that "NASCAR: The IMAX Experience" loses a little something in its transference to the small screen. However, it's still an eye-popping documentary for both die-hard racing fans and those viewers who know little or nothing about the sport - although the hardcore aficionados might wish there had been a little less talk on the soundtrack and a little more action on the racetrack to make the experience a more compelling and complete one.

This comes as a bit of a surprise, especially considering the fact that the film was originally shot in the 3-D IMAX format. One might reasonably expect that the movie would be little more than a succession of speeding cars and hurtling objects aimed directly at the stunned eyes of the audience. Not so, for the movie actually spends far more time on the nuts-and-bolts, behind-the-scenes aspects of NASCAR than on the racing itself. The film provides a brief background on the organization's less-than-savory moonshine roots, then proceeds to fill us in on various aspects of the sport itself, including the construction, specifications and testing of the cars, the training of the pit crews, the loyalty of the fans, etc. It also takes time out to honor the memory of the late racing great Dale Earnhardt, although due to the film's rather meager 49 minute running time, the tribute, like virtually everything else in the movie, comes across as a little more halfhearted and perfunctory than, perhaps, in all good conscience, it should.

To get most of the racing shots, director Simon Wincer strapped his camera crew into vehicles of their own in order to provide audiences with an experience as close to the real thing as possible. The majority of these sequences come in the last ten minutes or so of the film. As with all IMAX productions, the clarity and beauty of the picture is, indeed, a wonder to behold, with the colors literally leaping off the screen in many-hued splendor. Even without 3-D glasses and a two-story sized screen, this is a great visual experience. Now if they could have just shown a little more racing