Thursday, April 13, 2017

4DX Comes to Seattle!


On Thursday, April 13th, 4DX will be making its Pacific Northwest debut at the Regal Meridian 16 theater in downtown Seattle, Washington. The night before this special day, I was able to attend a special presentation of The Fate of the Furious hosted by Regal Cinemas and representatives from 4DX and they were very excited to show off this "Absolute Cinema Experience".


4DX combines a high quality movie theater experience with extra sensory thrills provided by moving seats, puffs of smoke and mist, peripheral lighting effects, and a few more tricks using state of the art technology. The experience has a lot of ups and downs both literally and figuratively. I found some of the chair's motion effects to be sort of strange and random compared to what was happening on the screen although, at other times, the movement really enhanced the visuals in a very seamless and fun way. The chairs definitely get rocking at times so be prepared and also be cautious if you have back issues or anything that might be affected by intense motion.


My favorite moments were during aerial panning shots of cityscapes and other environments which reminded me a bit of being on the Soarin' ride at Disney's California Adventure. The best audience reactions came from the times when the mist and/or water effects were matching up nicely with the on screen action. The reps from 4DX gave us a heads up that, while there would be water effects, they would be very minimal which turned out to be very true as it was just enough to enjoy without leaving anyone wanting for a towel.


The Verdict:
The 4DX experience for me was a mixed bag that impressed at times, disappointed during others, but was overall a fun and satisfying experience. Some of the effects perfectly enhanced what was happening on screen while other moments were distracting or just kind of silly. I do feel like having all of this theme park style stuff going on during a two hour movie might be a bit much for some people so be prepared and know what you are getting yourself into. If you're into it and can handle the ride then it is definitely worth the upgrade.

The Regal Meridian 16 4DX theater will debut with The Fate of the Furious and will also feature Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2 upon its release.





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