Go see it.
I’ve been waiting for decades for the chance to see “2001” on a large screen, and finally saw it tonight: it was fantastic. It’s 4K, not IMAX 70mm, so the resolution is *not* *quite* perfect; from time to time pixelation could be detected. But on the whole the image was excellent and the sound was always fantastic.
One thing that was a good news/bad news thing: I went with two friends, and we were the only ones in the theater. I would not expect a 10PM showing on a Saturday night to be a particular dead time at the theater, but there it was. That made the experience great for us, but it makes the showing of movies like “2001” on such a power-hungry format as IMAX seem a little financially dubious. I suspect a lot of it has to do with the fact that I’ve seen no advertising for this. Not a single TV commercial, nothing in papers, no trailers before other movies. The only reasons my friends were even aware of it was because I brought it up… and one of them is as big of a “2001” fan as I am, and for as long (probably since February, 1977).
I must admit I giggled like a soyboy opening a useless electronic gadget when the MGM logo gave way to the image of the sun emerging behind the moon emerging behind Earth. It was then that I knew that This Was Going To Be Awesome. And it was. The sight of Space Station V revolving in its full glory was just flat out astonishing. Seeing it this way allowed me to notice details I’ve never caught before… when the Orion III first appears on screen, you can actually see people moving behind the side passenger windows. I’d always thought that it was strictly a static image, but there the stewardess was.
This is the IMAX theater during the movie. Two people standing, one taking the photo… that’s it. Gotta be disappointing for the theater owners if nobody else.
So, get yourself to the nearest IMAX theater showing “2001.” Probably won’t be there long, and it probably won’t be packed. But it *will* be a hell of a show.
So I’m probably going to have to break down and buy a 4K player and TV. Probably some time this winter when I can take money that would have otherwise been wasted on trifling piffles like heat and food, and put them to some better use. Anybody have a recommendation for an external 4K player that will plug into a computer and allow for good, clear, full-rez screenshots?