NASCAR: The IMAX Experience

VVVRRRRRrrroooommm! The thunderous sounds at a typical NASCAR race should be unforgettable for anybody that has seen a race on TV or live at the stadium.

The excitement of watching cars drive around at almost 200 mph is lost on some, but for some people it's become almost a religion.

NASCAR, an acronym for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, is the subject of the latest IMAX phenomenon, "NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience." However, the film seems to be made primarily for educating the general public.

Not that that's a bad thing. The film deals with all possible aspects of NASCAR racing, so even NASCAR enthusiasts might learn something. Director Simon Wincer, the man that brought us the "Lonesome Dove" miniseries, brings us a film that makes us almost all of us care about the sport, NASCAR fan or not.

The script, written by Sports Illustrated NASCAR correspondent Mark Bechtel, is typical documentary fare, with interviews, stock footage, and a lot of factual information.

The first half of the movie deals largely with the history of NASCAR. The movie opens with a dramatized chase through the North Carolina wilderness, thus setting up the evolution of the sport that would eventually become NASCAR.

Following the discussion of the 1947 conference that laid the foundations of NASCAR, the film goes on to talk about some of the (relatively) early NASCAR greats: Junior Johnson, Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and of course, Dale Earnhardt.

Yes, they do have footage from the 2001 race that killed NASCAR's greatest star. Though they don't actually show the crash, they do make reference to it. Anybody watching the film with a more-than-mild interest in NASCAR had better expect an emotional reaction. The crash serves as a bridge linking the first half to the second half: How NASCAR Works.

This film goes through everything you can think of, from the engineers in garages building car frames and engines to the pit crews training 38 out of the 52 weeks a year.

The film discusses the importance of teams, how a typical race works, and even what the fans are like. People that know nothing about NASCAR would learn a lot from this film.

Okay, so there¡¦s nothing really special about the script, but that's not where this film excels. "NASCAR 3D" makes the most of the IMAX technology, and the filmmakers know it. "NASCAR 3D" is one of the few IMAX movies that have the IMAX specs right on the poster.

The film's remarkable cinematography puts you right into the action. Cars zoom past camera placed on the track. Cameras inside the car allow you to see what the driver sees. Aerial shots show exactly what a mob of 120,000 people looks like. The list goes on.

The editing job is top notch. Rapid editing gives viewers the impression that there is a lot more going on in the race than cars racing around a racecourse. An impressive sequence where stock footage of a crash is repeated all over the screen can best be described as awe-inspiring.

The IMAX sound technology is put to good use. The sound of roaring engines is strong enough to rumble the seats. Good luck in finding that same effect in movie theaters.

However, there is a surprisingly large amount of relatively quiet moments present in the film, so the rumble effect isn't used that often. This isn't actually that bad. After all, there is probably a limit to how much a person can stand to be vibrated.

The technological strengths of this movie make up for the blandness of the screenplay, making "NASCAR 3D" one of those rare documentaries that can keep viewers interested the whole way through.

If you're already a NASCAR fan, then "NASCAR 3D" is probably near the top on your must-see list. Well, I'm not so sure about what everybody had expected, but I suppose it's safe to say that it lives up to everybody expectations. If you're not a NASCAR fan, then "NASCAR 3D" is still a worthy piece of entertainment.

So "NASCAR 3D" is must-see material. The problem is finding a theater that plays it, as there are only 75 IMAX theaters in North America carrying "NASCAR 3D".

The coolest 3-d I've ever seen. You want to be at Daytona? How about sitting in the middle of the track as Gordon, Stewart, Junior, Busch, Kennseth and the rest of the crew blaze right past you doing 190. Talladega, Rockingham. It's all here. It is a real rush and literally puts you right in the middle of all things that are Nascar. And the things that make Nascar great. Truly the 3-d must be seen to be believed. I'm going again. A great flick. The only problem I have is it moves a little too quickly and tells you a little about everything. Keifer Sutherland does a good job as the narrator, but his monotone voice is a little too subdued. I'd rather have DW calling it. Boogity Boogity Boogity! I'm above a casual fan, but not a diehard and I absolutely loved it.

Not only to you get to see, hear and sometimes feel the excitement of being at a race:

You also get to see things from the drivers perspective.

One thing that I really liked was Keifer Sutherlands commentating and getting the chance to learn a lot about this great sport.

If you haven't been to a race, you cannot appreciate the power of the awesome 800 horsepower engines.

The sites, sounds and smells of being at the track are something that you have to witness in person at least once!

I really hope this movie is released for DVD - that's where it belongs when it's all said and done!

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!

I really liked what was in the movie, but what ruined it for me was how short it was. Although at least 5 minutes of the movie is spent looking at fans (most particularly American women) i believe it was very informative and interesting. If you need time to kill before a date then this is a must see. If you enjoy big crash scenes, constant action, and hot shot rookies you will not enjoy this. As strained in the summary this movie was intelligently produced but needed more time to be further gone into, in other words perhaps a further explanation of a few things would make this movie better. I know its a imax movie and was made to be short but i still stand by opinion. Worth the trip to the video rental place, but not the video store.