Funnily enough, I found it easy to say that with a straight face because the plot is so damned ridiculous. But you've got to love it simply because it is so far out there but also so spectacular to look at... and to listen to. An amazing film that I only wish I'd seen at a genuine 15/70mm IMAX cinema.
@@RetroGamerBB Thank you for saying so. Some of them take way too much work but once they're done, they're done and hopefully available for a very long time. John.
i dont mean to be so off topic but does anyone know a method to log back into an Instagram account?? I was stupid forgot my password. I love any tricks you can give me
Your reviews feels like lectures that i need without knowing it. I love to discovers Your Work/Channel & your in-deepth interest is very beautiful. Thank you & greetings from Germany
Greetings from Cornwall in England Layla. Thank you for your kind words and it's great to have you with me from Germany - the land of the Nurburgring! Yes, I'm a classic car and vintage racing nut too! John.
Tremendous review. Love all the technical details. It is like taking a cinematography class while also getting a solid review. Amazing stuff. Never seen anything like it. Excited to check out your other videos. Thank you.
Great and illuminating review of a superb cinematic experience. I’ve seen TENET about ten times now (love the 4k disc), and I’m regarding it as one of the best genre movies of the past 30 years. It’s not an easy watch for quick consumption and it’s not without flaws (or directorial touches like the often-unintelligible dialogue channel) or continuity errors. But given the difficult time of production and the high technical standards it is a masterpiece, although a special kind of masterpiece.
I think it's a wonderful film and I'm hoping the BFI IMAX will have a special screening of two just before Oppenheimer is released. There aren't many places left in the world to see genuine IMAX so I'll be making the trip any time they put it on... and for Oppenheimer too. John.
Just binge watched a pile of your videos. So great! Your first hand knowledge and experience with film gives your reviews a unique edge and insight compared to the typical home cinema channel. Keep it up! - Andrew from Toronto, Canada.
Thank you for your kind comments Andrew. I hope it's warmed up a little for you over there but we're getting some Canadian style temperatures here right now so I'm planning the forthcoming 'Alien' 4K review sitting by the fire. It's going to take a while but I have a long [and hopefully interesting] history with this film. The upshot is the 4K disc is almost like watching a 35mm print and I guess that having watched several of my videos you'll be able to work out how I'm able to make that claim. I've already shot some interesting video of a film print running through a projector and I don't think I've ever seen Alien presented that way before so I hope it will be somewhat unique. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thanks for the reply, John. I look forward to your Alien 4K review. That's one I've been sitting on getting, but I'm sure I will pick it up eventually. I'm also excited for The Ten Commandments to be released soon in 4K as I'm sure you might be as well. Take care and enjoy your warm movie nights by the fire!
@@GuitarGuy5000000000 Ho ho, there's no fire in the home cinema but we do run a few things in our living room too (got a ten foot wide roll down screen in there as well as a small 40 inch television). 'The Ten Commandments' is exciting news that I hadn't heard so thank you for mentioning it. I was going to get the Blu-ray simply because it was shot in VistaVision so the end result on 4K disc should be exceptional. VistaVision and 65mm/70mm seem to transfer better than 15/70mm IMAX so that's going to be one for a review video. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I really look forward to hearing your review of that one and how the Vista Vision format translates to a a 4K projection! I'm only aware of a US release for it at the moment though, so you and I might have to import it, but that's the great thing about 4K discs being region free. Very cool that you have a projection setup in your living room as well. It's a goal of mine to have a projector one day, but for now I'm rocking a new 65" Panasonic OLED with a 5.1.2 system and I'm absolutely loving it.
@@GuitarGuy5000000000 Spartacus was Technirama which is a variation of VistaVision so if you haven't seen that review it's pretty much the same thing. I've had projection since I was a boy so video projection was long awaited but only relatively a viable option for the home. Super 8 was king of home cinema until about ten or fifteen years ago. The more recent home video projectors have taken it to a whole new level though and some of these 4K projectors with HDR can be setup to resemble film. Rather exciting really. But modern television screens are much better now and particularly with OLED technology. When flat screens first came out they were a joke compared to CRT sets but not any longer. John.
@@moviecollector5920 It looked incredibly lifelike. It’s also one of the few films that’s completely shot and finished on film. The sound was also earthshaking
Great review - I also enjoyed Tenet, but only seen it once. It was a very ambitious movie by Nolan. I would rather a film maker take a chance on engaging the mind with a challenging premise than some who simply throw CGI and explosions on screen. Nolan takes those chances which i respect and i hope he continues to do it in future. Great content on your channel.
Thank you Mandeep. One day I hope I get to see Tenet at the BFI IMAX because I can imagine how good a genuine IMAX screening will look from those wonderful 70mm frames of beauty. Christopher Nolan has created some outstanding films over the past 20 years so I hope Tenet gains in respect in the future because so many people couldn't comprehend it and therefore didn't like it much. I can understand that but it's really so good that it deserved to have cleaned up at the box office - which it may have done irrespective of the confusion it caused - were it not for Covid-19. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I believe it definitely would have done better ifNolan waited to release it 1 year in Summer 2021. I think it will be a cult movie in a few years time and appreciated more. It requires patience and multiple views. I hope to watch it again soon.
Kind of, perhaps, but Tenet wasn't as boring haha. I'm getting the delivery of Ad Astra 4K on Tuesday to re-watch. Hopefully it will work better for me this time or I'll pass it along.
You, Sir, are likely my favorite media reviewer. I rewatch all your stuff regularly - not really for the movies, but your informative input on things and your history of relationships with the films. I do not even have a 4K tv nor projector. I just love your personal perspective and soothing voice. Yeah, I know that is very weird. Hahaha.
Not so weird as it sounds perhaps because when I started this one of the things I wanted to pass on was my personal histories with the films where applicable. I felt that too many disc reviewers were approaching their reviews from previous video format releases whereas to understand 4K disc releases you need to be thinking film because that's what they're attempting to replicate now the colour gamut and density capabilities are approaching film standards due to HDR. Tenet's a wonderful film by the way. Almost completely incomprehensible, but wonderful nevertheless! John.
To clarify the IMAX cinema in the Manchester Printworks used to be an Odeon cinema, however it's now a Vue cinema. There are about 20 screens in the cinema. Screen 1 is the IMAX. The IMAX has the capability of both genuine 70mm IMAX film and 4k digital laser. Due to the simple fact that so few films are released in the format, they rarely get the chance to use the film projector. It's almost as if it's reserved for Nolan's films because he insists on 70mm releases. I believe the last time they actually used the film projector was when Dunkirk came out. Tenet was originally supposed to be screened in 70mm but due to the coronavirus, the number of 70mm screenings was drastically reduced in order to save money. I heard that there may have been as little as 8. So with Oppenheimer, this year will be the first time in 6 years that the Manchester cinema will screen a genuine 70mm IMAX film. I can't wait to see it.
OPPENHEIMER may well be the best quality any of us have ever seen owing to much of it being shot black and white. Black and white has always been sharper than colour so it may be a very special cinematic event the like of which hasn't been seen since the glory days of three-strip Cinerama. I hope to get a video up of the new film at the BFI IMAX but I may not be allowed but if so, I expect to hear from you on there of what you think of it. There is nothing else around quite like genuine IMAX. John.
I watched this on 4K Disc last weekend John and thought it was an outstanding film. The penny dropped for me as to what was going on around 30 mins in, I thought it was stunning. Cracking picture, the bombastic audio had the wife ask me what the hell I'd been watching when I came out of the cinema room. I just said, you've got to watch this at some point.
We seem to have a remarkably similar appreciation of films LeShark. I think Tenet is a masterpiece and I really want to see it in genuine IMAX. If it looks this good in 4K how is it going to look in the analogue equivalent of 45K?!? John.
Great review John, I love all of Nolans work, I didn't really have a problem following Tenet, ( I did have the subtitles on!) It was one of those films that two thirds of the way through, I thought Oh yeah, I get it. Alien looks absolutely stunning in 4k, in particular look out for the fibre optic lights when Ripley is talking to Ash, after he's been trashed. Clive
I have had a peak at the 4Kof 'Alien' and although I don't think it looks great it didn't even look particularly impressive in 70mm. It's just that sort of film. I do have it on 35mm so I'm aware of how good it can look in the home so maybe that's why I'm not overly impressed so far. I'll compare the fibre optics hanging out of Ash between 4K, Super 8 and 35mm. I do have a short section on 16mm too now that I think about it and that's the clip shown on Film 79 with Barry Norman all those years ago. It might even be the very clip of film they transferred because I can't imagine how else it ever ended up being traded by a film collector. John.
Great review of Tenet. And good bonus video. I'm from Denmark, and I have visited Panetariet ( the Omnimax theatre) many times, although it is some years ago .. they were often showing the current starry sky before the screening. An amazing experience to be completely surrounded by stars ...
Omnimax is the most impressive film format I have ever seen. 3D Omnimax even makes 3D work but once you've seen it in Omnimax, nothing else comes close. I love the idea of projecting the planetarium star field before a show - that would make for a memorable cinema visit. Wonderful! John.
I keep on hearing people talk about others saying they found Tenet a mess but the actual person talking about the movie really likes and appreciates the movie. I understand this might be the current perception of Tenet but I have a feeling this perception is changing as more people give the movie a second and third watching realize what a brilliant film it actually is. I myself consider it one of my favourite Nolan films. A true masterpiece.
I saw Tenet twice on IMAX. The first time I saw on digital IMAX in my city, but the second time I had a chance to see it on 70-mm film IMAX in Bangkok. It was so great. BTW, I really enjoy your channel so much. Thanks for making this channel.
Thank you Peerawood. Rather exciting to have a fellow film enthusiast in Bangkok. I wish I'd had the chance to join you for that IMAX 70mm Tenet because it must have looked absolutely stunning. John.
I haven't seen tenet, but now might get a copy. The forward and reversing of some of the scenes, I first see that in Fahrenheit 451. Death on on the Nile hope to see that in October at imax London. Good review as always.
Tenet is certainly confusing but hopefully another look at this video prior to watching it will make it all easier without actually spoiling anything. It is one of the best 4K discs I've seen and the film itself is something of a work of art to look at. Death on the Nile will probably be at the Odeon Leicester Square in 70mm and that should be better than the IMAX as there aren't any IMAX sequences so we'll have tabs (curtains) and black masking enveloping the frame of the film. Although the screen is about 35 feet narrower of course! John.
Excellent review. This was a great looking movie. I didn't get to see it in full IMAX, but would like to, that said I did see Interstellar in IMAX and it's my favourite 4k movie and probably the best looking and sounding movie that I have (I don't have Tenet yet). I'd love to see a full review from you on that one.
I too love Intersteallar Aaron but I haven't done a full review of it because by the time I started this channel it was considered old-hat and I didn't think there would be much interest in a new review of the 4K. But if I find an excuse to do it in the future I'll take a chance. Seeing that film at the IMAX in genuine 15/70mm on the 90 foot screen was probably the most memorable cinema experience I have ever had. An amazing film. I can only imagine what Tenet would have been like. John.
I've heard so much (good & bad) about this film, I was rather hoping you were going to play it down. So it looks as if a 4K might be on the boards now! As always a great 10 minutes and already have my taser ready for Alien a big favourite of mine.
I've had a quick look at 'Alien' and I don't know how good it really is. People have been saying it looks excellent in 4K but I guess I'm used to it on film and it's never been great on film - not even 70mm. We'll see. Now then, better post the new review in FaceAche! John.
Just watched it for the first time and having seen your review before helped haha. I actually thought it was great and it looked amazing. Although I caught it only in 1080p without changing aspect ratio. Now that I‘ve seen and enjoyed it, I may get the 4k for the eventual rewatch. Cheers :)
The Blu-ray is fabulous Foxy so it's really just the HDR that will make the difference on our tiny home screens. I want to see Tenet in genuine IMAX at the BFI IMAX so I'm hoping they will give it another screening eventually. One of the best quality videos I've ever seen so I can only imagine what the IMAX 70mm print will look like. John.
It doesn't get much better than the BFI IMAX in Waterloo. It's been sorely missed this part year. I saw Dunkirk there on 70mm. Definitely the best cinema experience I've ever had. And the sound! Good lord.
Agreed. We tend to get all excited about our home sound systems and then you see something like Dunkirk at the IMAX on the 90 foot screen and hear it on their amazing DATASAT sound system and you just feel so inadequate.
Thank you Krishna. If I'd have known how much I'd end up liking this film then I'd have gone for the steelbook myself. I suspect this movie will grow in appeal and stature as the years go on so that steelbook may prove to be a good investment. John.
I saw Interstellar from one of the front rows at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. I ended up getting mild motion sickness, but it was an incredible experience at the movies. Thanks for the great video!
Thanks again Ian. I hope Interstellar eventually gets recognition for what a cinematic marvel it really is. It's good on 4K but nothing is ever going to match the IMAX 70mm prints. It's such a shame that there is no longer the sort of interest in movies that there was decades ago because I think it's so great to look at on a big screen from large format film that it could be on almost continuous run in major cities like London and Los Angeles. Now that I think about it that way, it could alternate with Tenet and Dunkirk.
Excellent review as always! It's funny how things are inverted (pun not intended) now. Back in 2010/2011 "digital" was the new and better in theaters. Now "70mm" and "35mm" are being advertised as "genuine". I do agree that digital projection is much more consistent, more convenient and clean, but I am biased. It's not just the image quality that I love about film, it's the look and feel. Those silky textures. I'm also always blown away by the image when any new production is shot on genuine film. An (internet) fiend of mine shot a short film entirely on Super 8 (A vintage Canon camera, Kodak Vision 3 50D and 200T color negative), beautifully stabilized, cleaned up and color graded in post and will upgrade to Super16 in his upcoming project, using the same humble modified Krasnogorsk-3 as I have. It's crazy, it's expensive, but the results are worth it. Now having made 35mm prints struck from the digital files (there are labs that still print out on 16mm and 35mm film) would be the cherry on top of the cake. Thanks for reading this!
Thanks for posting that TrueFilm. It seems we have much in common with our bias towards real film. Tell your friend I have a pair of Canon 814 Super 8 cameras and the only reason I haven't used them for the past ten years is because of the cost of the film to shoot in them. Since Kodachrome went out it's been a little too pricey for me but I still want to get back out there and shoot real film even though I've made a living from video over the past 15 years via making classic car documentaries and releasing them on disc. What we really need is a lab that will print from digital direct to Super 8. I know it's nuts but I'd like a Super 8 from the 4K scan of 2001. Actually Tenet would be nice too. They wouldn't be as good as the 4K discs and they'd cost a fortune, but they'd be on Super 8 and there's something magical about that. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thank you for your reply. I have seen "film out" from Pro8mm in LA and it looks very nice. As far as I know they print on Super8mm from any digital file. Andec in Germany for example prints out on 16mm and 35mm. I think it's just a matter of getting the format right (pillar boxed or letter boxed). Now for sound. I thought about it for a long time (even though I would never be able to afford it) and IMHO the best would probably be having a laptop with the soundtrack inside a digital audio workstation, sync'd with the projector. Mag sound is cumbersome to sync at home and striping probably not available anyway. I don't have any personal experience with Pro8mm, I just bumped into this and liked it: czcams.com/video/1odcTPfuQAg/video.html Looking forward to seeing your film footage! You could start with expired film, which you can get for free in or very cheaply (for example) Facebook film groups.
Another good review John, I've said it before passion and knowledge my friend. I enjoyed Tenet, a bit difficult to follow but it looked fantastic, I'll have to take your advice, watch the extras then the film again. Before I watched it I'd read some complaints that the dialogue was difficult to hear when it was on the big screen so I wondered if the home video version might have had it's sound mix tweaked. I also couldn't make out the dialogue at times so had to turn on the subtitles for long periods. Did you have any problems in this area? Your surround sound set up (and video set up) is clearly better than mine I've just got a small Bose system but it does the job. The film was cut for a few seconds (9 I think) to get a 12 certificate. I'm looking forward to getting your opinion of the 4K disc of Alien.
Greetings Steve. We weren't aware of any problems with the dialogue but Digital Theatre System has been notorious for muffled dialogue since it first appeared with Jurassic Park back in 1993. Interestingly, I saw that at the Empire, Leicester Square with its THX certification so didn't have any problems then either. Alien should prove interesting. I have had a peak and the 4K is better than the THX Blu-ray disc it comes with but to be honest, Alien never looked brilliant so it's a bit like putting perfume on a pig! John.
@@stevenandnicola123 I'll probably start work on it in about a week Steve. It will probably take quite a few days to fathom out what to include and what is superfluous. I was hoping to run a reel or two of the 35mm print by now but I haven't had time yet. I want to get close-ups of 'Alien' running through the gate because I haven't seen that anywhere else. I'm thinking the iconic space jockey scene but perhaps I'll shoot a few bits and pieces. John.
I hope I only gave enough information so new viewers will be able to follow the story without being completely bamboozled. So I hope I haven't given away too much. A great looking disc irrespective though and the sound is in a league of its own. Be aware though, some people are saying the dialogue is difficult to discern in places but not on our Kef THX it wasn't. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I've read that about the dialogue. A friend said they gave up with it as they thought it was trying to be obscure for obscurity's sake. Looking forward to seeing it in 4k. Thanks John.
I wish I'd seen Tenet at the Waterloo IMAX. If I ever hear they've got a screening, I plan to be there. Nothing can match that genuine 70mm IMAX frame. John.
I was lucky enough to see Tenet at the BFI IMAX on 15/70 and it was mind blowing, the IMAX in Manchester is now Laser unfortunately but they still have the huge 1.43:1 screens
Oh well, another great film cinema bites the dust! And there I was thinking there was an excuse to visit Manchester again in the future. Thank you for letting me know Jacob. John.
@@jacobmacdonagh4070 Gawd! Surely Bradford still shows genuine Imax - they are the museum for film and photography after all. I saw the reproduction of the Star Wars opening there in the 90s specially re-shot with IMAX. Now that was memorable.
@@jacobmacdonagh4070 Let's hope it was more the addition of digital and they still have IMAX film projection there. Now that the lustre is coming off the 'digital boast for cinemas I hope that exhibitors will increasingly demand their work is screened on the best possible format i.e. film. Just like that Christopher Nolan bloke does actually.
Just rewatched on my new Benq HT 3550. Although not extremely bright it’s tone mapping and dynamic iris does an excellent job with HDR, in my humble opinion. As you have often said it’s not the 4K, which is good, it’s the HDR and WCG that really makes the difference. Amazing what I was able to get for $1200, a true cinematic experience.
Well why wasn't I there watching it with you Gary?!? I haven't seen the film again since doing this review but I'm holding out in the hope that the BFI IMAX sticks the IMAX print on sometime. I'll be there like a shot if that happens. Now what are you going to be watching next on the new BenQ HT 3550? John.
@@garyharper2943 I had to watch it twice for the review just to finally twig what the hell was going on the first time around. What a film though! Hope you have a good time with Interstellar - another Christopher Nolan masterpiece. John.
@@garyharper2943 Dunkirk, Murder on the Orient Express, The Ten Commandments, Death on the Nile, The Dark Knight Returns, No Time To Die, Top Gun: Maverick, Jaws, Apocalypse Now, Le Mans '66, My Fair Lady, 2001 A Space Odyssey and Spartacus. They're the best 4K discs that I can think of right now. Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' is good too but only two genuine IMAX sequences in that one if I remember correctly whereas the third film is chock full of them. There are plenty of other top-notch image quality 4K's but I haven't seen them all... yet. John.
I think that equates to about seven feet wide Gary. That would just about present Tenet in the right light but we'll all have to get along to the BFI IMAX when they next do a special screening because I think 90 feet wide will do Tenet justice. As long as it's a real IMAX print of course and not a 4K video projection. John.
I’ve seen every Christopher Nolan film in a theater since Memento. Like many, I have noticed his transformation into a Director who likes muddy sound. With this film I faced constant frustration at the cinema, along with everyone else who had attended. Most of us couldn’t hear much of the dialogue and some walked out. I must say that I think it was likely the most frustrating cinematic experiences of my life. The second it hit Blu-ray I picked it up and watched it with the captions. Obviously that made a huge difference, though the film is still somewhat incomprehensible at times. Hopefully Nolan will learn from this experience and stop being too smart for his own good.
We just didn't have that problem with the sound. Digital sound always had a poor reputation for dialogue clarity but it seems my THX system just about copes with Tenet. John.
I had to watch it a second time after going through all the extras just so I could work out what the hell it was all about. Might be worth you watching the extras before taking another look at the film when you get it Stephen. John.
I was looking forward to your review John, your wealth of knowledge really shines through with each video! :) I find your videos really interesting to watch and learn more about the different film formats. I thought Murder on the Orient Express looked spectacular on my TV, I will have to try to watch Death on the Nile in IMAX if possible, I do enjoy the Agatha Christie films so will have to keep a look out for it later in the year. I really enjoyed Tenet in the cinema, I thought it was a really inventive plot that must have taken an extraordinary amount of planning. When I watched it the second time around at home I noticed extra details that I had just missed or not thought relevant the first time I saw it. Like some others I wasn't too keen on the wall-of-sound soundtrack I thought it was a little too bassy overall and would have preferred it a little less full on, but its a film I will definitely watch again. I was interested to see the "Making Of" bonus features, but hadn't got around to it yet, so will give them a watch before I re-watch the film again.
My Kef THX subwoofer meant I actually felt the rush of air when some of the explosions went off Nick. The soundtrack seems to have been optimized for original THX specs. so it was just perfectly suited. I feel I want to watch it again but three times in a week might be pushing my luck a little! John.
@@moviecollector5920 That's awesome! Your setup must be much superior to mine, I will need to turn the bass down when I watch it next time as it became a bit muddied in parts. I will definitely watch the special features at some point and then watch the film again. Cheers.
@@nick1635 I only have bass going through the subwoofer, the rest of the system is set to handle mid-range and higher which, if I remember correctly, is a standard of THX. Perhaps that is leaving the rather substantial Kef centre speaker free to concentrate on the dialogue and not muddied by excessive bass. The bass from the 70 litre subwoofer was extreme at times and I thought it might blow the internal fuse but thankfully that didn't happen. I've blown it a few times in the past when it's been up too loud but years ago we did run the whole system in the big Victoria Hall at the Ealing Town Hall for the T-Rex sequence of Jurassic Park (Super 8 with synchronized sound from DVD) and the floor of the hall was shaking towards the front but it was a younger component then and the electrics coped a lot better.
I would also add having seen this in cinema, and then on streaming before getting it on disc, the (regular) cinema and HD streaming versions are from the same source, having a constant aspect ratio throughout. The HD blu ray and the 4k disc version have the expanded ratio version so must be from an imax print source (as with most of Nolan’s other Imax version movies - The Dark Knight/Rises, Inception, Interstellar & Dunkirk) and be some sort of conversion to 16:9 for the imax 4:3 scenes so the difference on a home screen is not disruptive to add borders at the side. Worth noting that like The Dark Knight Rises, this also had issues with the sound mix, being imposible at times to make out dialogue in certain scenes from the sound mix, which on the cinema version was very obvious (this is how I know the HD streaming version came from the same source). The 4k disc and Blu Ray versions thankfully have a much more cleaned up audio mix, which makes me wonder (as i only managed to see it in a regular cinema) if the sound mix on the imax version was better (being that it is mixed to be output at louder levels on more specialised equipment) or if the imax audio mix was just as bad and they spent more time remixing it for the disc version. Just thought it was interesting.
Many people have said they had trouble understanding the dialogue on this 4K disc but my wife and I didn't have that problem. A massive THX Ultra centre speaker maybe disguises it just about enough so we got away with it. The aspect ratio does not go into the 1.43:1 IMAX ratio at any time but does the 16x9 compromise. Given that people would complain if it didn't fill the width of the screen I think they did the right thing even though I'd prefer the original format. It's the same on Interstellar and Dunkirk. John.
@@moviecollector5920 yeah, it’s a compromised version of the imax image cropped to fit a tv/home projector resolution. I believe the blu ray of The Dark Knight has some of the imax scenes in full 4:3 imax ratio as extras on the discs for comparison. Recently zack snyder cut of justice league was released in 4:3 for the whole movie as it was originally intended to be for imax. Batman Vs Superman had a special imax version blu ray released but the ratio changes from 2.35:1 to 4:3, which means it extends the image full height, but isn’t cropped, so it adds borders at the side. It’s very jarring, and I think shows how the compromise version in Nolan’s movies is the best option. Mission Impossible: Fallout also has it, i’ve not watched the 4k yet but heard it’s a good transfer.
@@ahdvd I'm still tempted to take a punt on that awful looking Batman vs. Superman just to see the 4x3 IMAX sequences. But if The Dark Knight has the same thing then that would be a better option because I do need to give that film another try. It's not Batman as I know Batman but maybe I'll be able to get through it a second time so time for the 4K methinks. Mission Impossible Fallout is a good 4K but the IMAX sequences were shot with video cameras so they're not quite so appealing but still great to look at. If I hadn't have known they were shot with video I probably wouldn't have guessed as they look that good on both the Blu-ray and the 4K. Hard to distinguish between the two actually, it's just the HDR giving the 4K the edge (again!). John.
This review was very informative, I would suggest to review Joker on 4K after reviewing alien. Tenet is a great film. I did see tenet in a standard 35mm screening at my odeon luxe cinema. Nevertheless, Tenet still looked amazing to see on the big screen. Again, great review and impressive overview of the IMAX 70mm format. Can’t wait for the alien review, that’ll be interesting!
Come on then William, is 'Joker' a good film? Because I read The Batman comics as a child, retrospectively starting with issue 1, 'Joker' did not look like my sort of thing. But I'm open to persuasion. Good to know you saw 'Tenet' projected from a 35mm print because the makers put a lot of effort and expense into distributing and exhibiting their product on the best available formats available today. Such a shame so many cinemas removed their film projection equipment because I think that today it is the way to get people back to the cinema. John.
@@moviecollector5920 yes Joker is an amazing film. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is exceptional. After all, he won an Oscar and BAFTAs for his outstanding performance. The cinematography is stunning and really stands out in 4K and the character was well written. That’s all I can say really but hope this’ll convince you! Whilst on the subject of Ridley Scott, I would suggest checking out Gladiator on 4K. That’s if you’re still not convinced to review Joker in 4K.
@@williamgoodwin1708 I've only ever seen Gladiator on film up to now. I was thinking about picking up the 4K disc though. One day for sure. My brother has 'Joker' on Blu-ray so he'll tell me if us original Batman fans will be able to bear it. If he says it's good then that's two of you that I'll listen to. Joaquin Phoenix was excellent in '8mm' with Nicolas Cage a few years back so I know he can do it. John.
@@cheetahluv210 Next time I put a disc order into HMV (or we happen to actually get into one of their stores!!!) I'll take a look at the trailer for Joker and see if I can encourage myself into adding a copy to the basket. I don't think wifey fancies it much though - she can just about bear my Spider-Man obsession but those original Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire films really were Spider-Man not like the more recent efforts that largely miss what made the Spidey comics, and his character, so popular.
Thank you David. More fun to come with more reviews starting with Ad Astra which we watched in 4K last night. Cracking 4K disc but a compromised film I think. Perhaps that is what made it interesting. I'll start to dissect it later and see what I can conjure up for a video - which usually takes me four or five days to plan, film and put together. John.
A comments-track might have revealed that Mr Nolan hides the fact that he has nothing to say behind "mind-bending" and over-convoluted stories where there's little to no need for character-development or characters at all, really! Some say many/most directors really only have one film in them, and that they keep remaking it, over and over; that for me is Mr Nolan in a nutshell. A gorgeous nutshell, I'll admit, but once I crack the shell, I want to be rewarded with something tasty/interesting/thought-provoking. Here, that only lies in his tried and true non-linear time-lines and excessive intellectualisation of quite simple stories. I used to be a fan but I gave up after seeing, and being orally assaulted by this film in the theatre. I will say that Messrs Nolan and van Hoytema make exquisitely beautiful films. I will also add that I agree with you; certainly worth giving a spin! Your review, however, is as always, stellar!
I think we need a group outing to the Waterloo IMAX if they give this another screening once all is back to normal. I suspect that then we will all get a different impression of how good (or not!) this film really is. John.
They had to develop the "Rolling loop" intermittent for the Imax projector to prevent it exploding (or leaving you with a pile of shredded 70mm film), I seem to remember.
I think we need to look into the mechanics of IMAX a little more Brian. Keith Wilton did get into the projection box at the Science Museum but I just can';t find the DVD he put that on otherwise he'd have let me use it for illustrative purposes. It'll turn up. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I'm sure it was in a magazine at the time it was developed or when turned to commercial use after the exhibition where it was first shown. I'll have a check through any back issues I have. It may take some time though.
It would be good to see the whole IMAX frame but the troulbe is with home video, we're all using 16x9 televisions now so they'd get complaints from people who don't understand when black bars would seemingly randomly appear down the sides of the image. John.
I've already had a peek at the Alien discs Roy and the 4K is better. I'll be taking a closer look though so I'll hopefully go into some detail but I expect it's the HDR as usual because certainly the colour and contrast looked superior. John.
There's 2 "IMAX" cinemas in Manchester. Printworks is the only one you need to know. The other is LIMAX. Printworks is one of the biggest screens in the UK and the sound system shakes the walls. Saw Bladerunner 2049 there for £11. Sat near the back and you still had to turn your head to see the other end of the screen. I researched at the time and If you go on each cinemas website Printworks says it outputs 70mm while the other one didn't.
You and I are in alignment there. Right now, it's a misunderstood masterpiece. The very fact that I had to think about it after seeing what appeared to be a good film that I couldn't quite fathom, made me want to understand it and watch it again. I now want to see it at the BFI IMAX and it's looking like that wish is soon going to come true. If it looks this good on 4K, what's it going to look like from a genuine 70mm IMAX print with the image 15 sprockets high? I can't wait! John.
@@fmulder1989 A cold look as I recall which will have been deliberate. That's possibly why the definition is so good even if it is IMAX and it doesn't come any better.
You’re a braver man than I John to tackle this one, I agree with you about ‘plots’ today and how long will Warners back him with these outer limit budgets in these covid times and onwards. Most movies these days are far to long and if film prints were still produced the actual movies would be better shorter with hopefully more understandable plots. This week I watched “The Green Berets” which in 1968 was 148mins. a lovely Blu Ray which to me has aged very well and yes in MONO !, once again we’ll done.
I do wish they would just release them in their 1.43, or something close to that aspect ratio, I wouldn’t mind the black bars on the side id just be happy to see the whole image. It won’t be the same as Imax but it’d be close
I feel the same but I know that just about everyone else would complain. People used to complain to television companies when they broadcast older black and white films because they'd paid for a colour television licence. I know that sounds ridiculous but it's true and I can state that categorically because for a couple of years I used to take some of the calls. At least they don't crop the image all the way down to 2.20:1 throughout the whole film when transferred to video. John.
Hey John, sorry to be late on this video mate! Seems to have been lost in a time warp 😳😊 I'm going to tell Keith from Euphoria Pictures to watch this review, as he said in his latest video he didn't understand it at all..... but this review explains a lot. I've been on the fence with this one, wanting to see it, but didn't really want to come away with nothing from it 😳🥴 but after your explanation I feel it might make more sense now 😊😊👍👍loved the technical specs as well, very interesting 👌👌 looking forward to Alien 👽 great review as always John 🤩🤩👍👍
Sorry for the delay John but I've been up to my chest in ALIEN the past few days... so much so that one almost burst out! Many people say the dialogue in 'Tenet' is unintelligible but we didn't notice. However, we do have a THX Ultra sound system so even the worst sounding film tends to be comprehensible in here... unless they're speaking German and we had one of those recently with no damned subtitles to fill us in either. But we both thought 'Tenet' was pretty terrifice and I did actually drop Keith a line to tell him he needed to watch my video which he did. His own videos are much improved now he's appearing on screen and doing cutaways so I'm enjoying his analysis of movies even more now. The Alien review has just gone live and it's another rather extensive effort which should inform many people about the history of the home movie market. No doubt you and Debbie are cuddling up on the sofa for a lovey dovey film this evening... My Bloody Valentine or I Spit On Your Grave - something along those lines! John.
Many comments have cited the dialogue as poor fandude7. My wife and I didn't notice any trouble when we watched it (twice) in our home cinema. Perhaps we just didn't have any more trouble than other modern films and we've got used to picking out the words when you can't comprehend what the actors have just mumbled! John.
Fascinating in all respects. Could you explain the reflections that are always seen in wide shots of your theater. I assume these are intentional but why? Can you describe your screen, as it also seems a bit different, not taut almost paper like. Fascinating!
The reflections are glass framed front of house stills and the UK quad Alien poster. Many people new to home cinema have been convinced by 'experts' that anything in a room for watching films is a distraction but that's possibly because home cinema to younger people is a black room with nothing in it just like modern multiplexes. As I always have black masking enveloping the projected image and then curtains outside of that there's no such problem. And it's a great effect when filming videos but I don't have many pictures up in the new home cinema yet. The screen shown in this Tenet review is the best possible solution as it's a flat wall. Right now I'm having to use a drop down screen and if you watch the latest three videos you'll see why that is. It's not as perfect as a wall but it's a good compromise and may be a temporary solution until we can enlarge the present screening room. I've had the drop down screen for over 30 years now and usually it's on duty in the living room for occasional film shows in there. John.
@@williamdepalma8349 I'm struggling a little with the bottom masking in the new home cinema but I think I know what the solution is - it will just have to wait a while as I've put far too much time into the new room to get it up and running for the videos. It all works, just not quite as well as the previous home cinema which I put in just over 20 years ago. Took years to get that one right so this one's gone a little better really. John.
Oh, thank you Michael. I would love to see this on that unique, beautiful 90 foot screen. I don't want to see if video projected though so I hope the 15/70mm prints are being looked after. John.
I think the characters having no backstory actually makes it more interesting to me to leave it up to interpretation I got the feeling that the characters have more depth than shown but not showing it made it more intriguing to me
Just like 'Alien' you know all you need to know about the characters. No doubt it was criticized for that last year but 'Alien' proved you don't need to take any notice of critics! John.
@@moviecollector5920 but it was mostly cynical people commenting on the internet rather than the professional critics criticizing that aspect basically they are people wanting a conventional experience so really those people are partly responsible for cinema being in a somewhat creative rut
@@cheetahluv210 I can well imagine the average cinema viewer would think this was complete tosh. But that's the sort of reaction works of art generate and then years later the films are respected for what they were all along. We'll see what happens with this one. John.
Even though it was during the pandemic I had to see this in theatre so I went to an IMAX and Ultra AVX screening (yes twice lol). Glad I did, while the 4k disc is glorious until I have a giant video room (never) it just can't compare.
I'm so pleased you've told me that Noel because I've recently learned that the IMAX prints for Tenet were downscales from a mere 8K video master. But if you didn't see a genuine IMAX 15/70 film print then please put me straight because I still want to see Tenet in genuine IMAX at the BFI IMAX and it's a film I believe you're telling me that you saw and that it looked great. The BFI IMAX did a special screening some months ago but they only gave me a couple of days notice and I lived more than 200 miles away at the time so it just wasn't possible to get there... damn it! Over here a lot of video projection is being passed off as IMAX and some of the films are just 2K so you can imagine what they look like on a screen on the scale of a genuine IMAX cinema. John.
@@moviecollector5920 The IMAX theatre I went to (Vuaghan in Toronto) is one of the 3 non "Lie-MAX" screens in Toronto so AFAIK it was legit, the AVX theatre had insane sound so both pluses and minuses. I had to see it again after watching it the first time. It was well worth risking the virus. That said I cannot be sure if there was a downscaled version displayed, it looked very good to me.
@@noeldillabough Brilliant! And Erik (Roder) has looked into Tenet on IMAX following your comment and the information I was given appears to be incorrect as the IMAX version was shot and finished on film. The standard 70mm release does not have that credit so it's likely that was taken direct from the IMAX negative. Phew! That's restored my faith in cinema somewhat. John.
Great video as usual! What about a 4k review of baraka, koyaanisqatsi or Samsara. Theses films were shot entirely on imax I think, the first being way back in 1993.
You're the first person that's pointed me to those three titles John. I'll keep an eye out for them and see if I fancy any of them next time I'm putting a few orders in to HMV. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I had heard Baraka was shot on 65mm in '93 but then in 2007 or 2008 had the negative rescanned continuesly at 8k which took weeks and weighed in at more than 150,000 frames or 30 terabytes. I'm not sure if there is a 4k disc but the blu ray is supposed to be the best bluray out there. You be the judge. ;)
The impression I get now is that they're no longer interested in showcasing the best that has ever been available. Perhaps they've been taken over by the "I watch movies on my mobile phone" generation so why care about projecting an image on a massive screen that is so sharp and full of detail that it is better than the human eye is capable of fully taking in? On the other hand it could be that there just isn't a market for genuine IMAX 70mm any longer, if there ever was. To be fair, most people would spot the difference if you projected a VHS tape in a cinema... okay slight exaggeration there but you get my drift. John.
I watched it in apple TV 4k Dolby vision streaming, and although image quality is good yet is not exceptional at all. After this review I will buy the 4K disc to experience it. Thank you very much!!
I hope you are as amazed by the 4K disc as I was Silva. Streaming is comparatively poor if you look at the bitrate coming down the pipe. I haven't worked out how many gigabytes streams while watching a two hour film but it is certainly only going to be a fraction of what you get from a 4K disc. Actually it won't even come close to a Blu-ray so probably somewhere mid-way between DVD quality and Blu-ray. That streaming looks as good as it does is down to the superior codecs used now i.e. the compression algorithms are better.
@@moviecollector5920 Finally I've just have seen Tenet in 4K disc minutes ago. And I came ASAP to thank you for recommendation and tell you that you were right. I'm totally amazed for 4K disc
@@silvanolan Excellent news! The best 4K I have seen is Murder on the Orient Express but not everyone seems to get the same ultimate video quality on their systems for every top-notch disc. But that's the one to get next. Tenet is almost as good but not quite. The secret is that all these top 4K releases originate from 70mm film. IMAX is three times the picture area of normal 5 sprocket per frame 65mm/70mm due to increased height but that's rather academic when it comes to our home screens as it's the width that really matters.
Was my first watch with the new Blu-ray player Sony always froze, Panasonic made it through. May I ask what tone mapping settings you use. I assume you use the one for projector?
The settings vary from each projector/telly Gary. On the current Optoma UHZ50 the big differences are that I've got the colour settings up which I don't have to do with the Optoma UHD550X. Because I liked the easily identifiable HDR look of the UHD550X which the UHZ50 did not reproduce I set about finding out how to do that and this resulted in putting the hue up 3 to 5 points if I remember correctly. I might play with that again soon as I do seem to have got used to spotting the obvious HDR look of this smaller video projector now. TENET is the best looking disc through the UHZ50 Gary. The only reason I don't want to run it all the way through again is because I want to see it at the BFI IMAX again. That screening was incomparable. John.
I was told that on here but I hope it's wrong. If I was there I'd pop into the box office and check so perhaps give that a go if you're passing. And if the people on the ticket desk don't know (which they probably won't) perhaps ask if you can speak to a manager or projectionist.
@@moviecollector5920 www.google.com/amp/s/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/imax-screen-printworks-manchester-tickets-15274483.amp if your ever in Manchester, give me a shout, as we also have Screen X in Didsbury
One big trouble I had was with the shifting aspect ratio. On a projector, it's a mess because you can't zoom and matte it anticipating a consistent image size. I'm not sure how this is handled at the cinema and I've never seen one of these Nolan IMAX fetish fests on the big screen. And yeah, though it looks and sounds terrific, the story made no sense and had a certain lack of heart, in my humble opinion.
How IMAX works in a genuine IMAX cinema (and there are very few of them so don't be fooled by the local multiplex claiming to be IMAX, always check first) is that the screen is so big that the different aspect ratios are not really noticeable. I didn't see Tenet at the IMAX but I can well imagine how amazing it would have looked as I've seen other genuine IMAX films such as Interstellar on the 90 foot Waterloo screen. When a full frame (1.40:1 or something along those lines) suddenly comes on it's an impactful experience. With Interstellar there were 2.20:1 scenes some of the time, particularly at the start and then 'BANG' - full frame IMAX. Stunning. On a television that wouldn't work at all and as with the Tenet disc, Interstellar does not have the full frame IMAX sequences but compromises at around 1.85:1. On the BIG screen it doesn't notice so much when the frame size changes because your field of view is almost completely filled but on our home screens it's more obvious. The only solution is to move to a house with a big barn on the land and convert it into a cinema with a massive screen! John.
Love this review. Explained impeccably. I found the movie to be high class filmmaking on every level and conceptually very challenging. But I also feel it was a step too far for Nolan and his muffled sound design. Also - I felt the action was ‘ok...’ - for example, the truck scene felt slow and laborious (intended but too slow for me...) and the plane scene was built up but it slowly crashed into a... building. Framed brilliantly but just lacking the pace of the fight sequences and end battle. It was an alienating film and I understand why people wouldn’t watch this a second time. I’ve watched it 3 times (grasped the concept second viewing due to better understanding of the dialogue choices...) and I totally get the concept and the payoff Nolan was intending. Inception is his gold standard because the concept is explained as part of the 3 act story... in this it’s explained in a lab for 5 min. But I do like films where we have to think, I just feel for the average movie goers who just want an action film, thinking they got a blockbuster but really this was a big budget sci-fi thriller. 8/10 - right in the middle of Nolan’s work for me... Dunkirk, inception and dark night are his best
Great comment Clark. I think 'Interstallar' is a masterpiece and the pick of the bunch. I saw it at the Waterloo IMAX and I was right at the front so it was almost an out of body experience! John.
@@moviecollector5920 I do love interstellar - it’s an experience and clearly inspired by Kubrick. But the concept of love transcending time and space to send a message back to his daughter... maybe a step to far. Apart from that... delightful.
@@ColonelSternlove Or is it the theory that if you travel faster than light you are everywhere in the universe throughout eternity and he just chose to go back to send that message? Whatever, all a bit daft but like Tenet it's served up so spectacularly that you can't help but love it. John.
You’re forgetting the Imax at the Glasgow science centre. It’s an original film Imax cinema, not the Liemax digital ones like you get at most screens claiming to be imax.
To match the BFI IMAX Robo you'd really have to transfer at around 45K as that's the mathematical video equivalent of 15/70 IMAX. A standard video projection cinema now would indeed match 4K but in around 50% of video cinemas in the UK today they are projecting at 2K so you're theoretically in excess of them. The cinema equipment is of course far superior to our home projectors though. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I see, but what I meant was, it's mastered in 4k. So 4k is the best possible way to experience this movie, unless it was shown in 70mm in some theaters, which I highly doubt
@@robomnemonic3751 Yes, it was shown in 70mm IMAX which was how it was shot. So the negative was used to strike first generation 70mm prints and it doesn't come any better than that. The size of the IMAX frame is a shadow of itself at 4K but fabulous for our tiny home screens. John.
@@robomnemonic3751 Yes. There are hardly any cinemas who kept their film projection equipment so sadly most had to see it video projected. Still, video is much better now of course and close to the standard achieved with 35mm. Having said that, there were some awful 35mm prints around from the late 1990s onwards but that was a general downturn in picture quality that seemed to be being encouraged. Low quality video projection was about to be put into some of the top cinemas by then so I expect the industry wanted to dumb down the recollection of how good 35mm once was. John.
i just noticed it says Cornwall under the video. that*s where they film Doc Martin ! perhaps you*ve heard of it ?.....one of my favorite shows.......you lucky, lucky guy ! oh,........ and this review and insight on Tenet is absolutely 1st rate. Nolan films are like homework, they are brilliant, confusing and require research on the part of the viewer....... though, the greenish cast of the film is somewhat offputting and depressing.
Yes 'Doc Martin' is filmed not far from here, but Sigourney Weaver didn't call in for a cup of tea last time she appeared in it. I think Tenet is wonderful. I wasn't entirely sure upon the first viewing but the second one settled it. Another Nolan classic. John.
@@moviecollector5920 don't get me going on globalism John! I used to buy laserdiscs back in the 80's from a film supplier near Southampton and always support local businesses. I think the guy's name was Wally and he had Super 8 movies as well. You have a great CZcams channel btw...
@@jamesdexter7717 I think we could put the world to rights all day long if we ever meet James. See you at OPPENHEIMER then! BFI IMAX sometime late July I think. John.
Tenet looks sharper than Interstellar 😬 The 15/70 may be great on paper but if the camera, the lens and the scanner are not up to par, it seems that we never really get the true IMAX quality.
I bought one of these precious IMAX film frame celluloid, I made sure to obtain one that is in focus. And after an extensive scan at the highest resolution possible we can observe that they are not that sharp while still being substantially sharper than a Panavision 70mm film. Possibly because the film itself was over-used but how far is it from the true IMAX negative ? No one knows aside from IMAX themselves. One thing for sure is that the TENET UHD scan looks much sharper than Interstellar UHD or Batman UHD which should bring several questions.
Well in London the waterloo IMAX has both 70mm and digital IMAX while the empire has only digital people call digital IMAX as lie max interesting that IMAX support this format
HelloNeil. IMAX is 15 sprockets wide, 70mm film. They've watered it down to use the name with video projection but it isn't the same. First article I saw about it was in 1970 and if you're lucky enough to see genuine IMAX at Waterloo or the Science Museum (or the three others IMAX theatres in Britain) you are watching the same fabulous, enormous frame that was demonstrated in 1970. Nothing else quite matches it today, unless you can see a genuine Cinerama screening perhaps. John.
No, it's the much older 400 model. Over three years of use on both my 4K players now. I probably will be getting another one soon so the top of the line Panny is a possibility. John.
Hello- i have heard on other video discs review channels that with many 4K discs the difference it and the blu-ray disc that comes with it are hardly noticeable. so isn't that kind of like false advertising?
That's one of the subjects that has been interesting me over the past few years Christopher. I did put a video up on the subject (4K vs. 2K: Is There A Perceptible Difference) but one thing I failed to say in that one was that we would possibly see the difference immediately is we had a serious sized screen - 20 feet or so - to view the discs on. Home screens are just too small it seems. John.
What you have there is a faux IMAX Phillip. There are only three genuine IMAX cinemas in Britain: Science Museum, BFI IMAX and Manchester Printworks. Everything else is basically a con of varying degrees. But it is probably a big reason why the IMAX Corporation is still in business. OPPENHEIMER may have just been a game changer so keep an ear and an eye out for any future genuine IMAX productions that are to be finished on film for genuine IMAX cinemas. When that happens, don't bother even thinking about seeing said production in a faux IMAX because the difference in image quality is off the scale. John.
That's very good Zwerker... it's the Spinal Tap of action adventure movies! Some have said they couldn't understand what people were saying a lot of the time but we weren't aware of that here. It's a fabulous disc with one of the best images I've seen so far. But then it should be one of the best really as most of it was shot on 70mm IMAX. Amazing really. John.
I have mentioned it in one of the John Carpenter film reviews but I just have the Japanese steelbook from HMV which I found irresistible when one of their email offers came through. The Arrow release is fabulous by all accounts but I want to wait for the rumoured 4K before really diving into The Thing. John.
I've had a peak at the 4K of 'Alien' and it looks as good as it probably could but it was never a great looking title even in 70mm. I do actually have a 35mm print which will be interesting to compare but I'll have to be careful what I show and say in that regard. John.
@@moviecollector5920 John, I have a 150" screen at 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Alien looked very good. I also have the BluRay and the 4K is a significant upgrade on a large screen. I was especially impressed with shadows (it's a dark movie). I guess that's the HDR at work. To be honest, the film is so good, that after the first few minutes I'd stopped thinking technical and was engrossed. can't wait to see your comparison with film.
@@Celestialrob I'll have to play with all the settings to ensure I get the best out of the disc. First impression was 35mm was better... what a surprise! Super 8 possibly better in some areas though and that really shouldn't happen. No doubt I'll get the 4K disc looking better in the end though. I did notice the HDR compared to the old Blu-ray THX disc.
My thoughts precisely after the first viewing so I went through all the extras, got a better understanding of it and then ran the film again. There's a work of art in there trying to get out and it must have looked incredible at the Waterloo IMAX on 70mm IMAX film. Wish I could have been there to see it on the unsurpassed gauge on the 90 foot wide screen. John.
@@fabithierry I had to watch it a second time because I'd said I'd review it after a few people asked me to. I didn't want to go on camera and say I struggled with it. As it happened, I really loved that second viewing. I was able to take in the wonderful imagery, the story, the action, the sound - the whole darned thing!
It's a big screen film John so we'll all just have to get along to Waterloo when they do a re-screening, just so we'll all be able to appreciate what it really is like. Any home screen is going to be too small for this one... unless you've got a 30 foot screen tucked away somewhere! John.
@@johnpatrickfay5288 A trip to London beckons John. Maybe the IMAX will run it again when Death on the Nile is released in 70mm at the Odeon so a trip over might prove to be a cinephiles dream holiday. The Prince Charles are often running older 70mm prints too so let's keep our fingers crossed. The Odeon and Prince Charles are Leicester Square with the IMAX just down the road the other side of Waterloo Bridge. Then there's the IMAX in the Science Museum too so although cinema has been on the wane over the past 15 to 20 years, there are still some great ones in London. The Empire should still be pretty good too (Leicester Square) although sadly the Leicester Square Theatre (opposite The Empire) has now gone. So many of the good cinemas have bitten the dust in the past 15 years it's hard to see a very bright future right now. John.
I'd rather see a Robocop, Terminator, Alien, Blade Runner, 2001, Star Wars, Matrix, Back to the Future, Metropolis, Ex Machina, Moon another time than pour more wasted time into watching Tenet again. Tenet is just a pretender compared. A lot of money thrown at it, but its no more worthy than a B movie with a few good bits.
But it all changes on a second viewing... or at least, it did for me. I could see it was something special but I was a bit lost so that was why I went through all the extras and then watched the film again. But I can understand that it's not for everyone. Maybe it would be at the Waterloo IMAX in 15/70mm though. John.
Good point. Although it does mean you get to enjoy it a second time and Tenet is certainly a good watch even if it doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense at times. John.
Love your dead pan delivery John particularly when you said, ‘are you keeping up’. Excellent review.
Funnily enough, I found it easy to say that with a straight face because the plot is so damned ridiculous. But you've got to love it simply because it is so far out there but also so spectacular to look at... and to listen to. An amazing film that I only wish I'd seen at a genuine 15/70mm IMAX cinema.
@@moviecollector5920 I love your videos
@@RetroGamerBB Thank you for saying so. Some of them take way too much work but once they're done, they're done and hopefully available for a very long time. John.
i dont mean to be so off topic but does anyone know a method to log back into an Instagram account??
I was stupid forgot my password. I love any tricks you can give me
@Karsyn Zakai instablaster :)
Your reviews feels like lectures that i need without knowing it. I love to discovers Your Work/Channel & your in-deepth interest is very beautiful. Thank you & greetings from Germany
Greetings from Cornwall in England Layla. Thank you for your kind words and it's great to have you with me from Germany - the land of the Nurburgring! Yes, I'm a classic car and vintage racing nut too!
John.
Tremendous review. Love all the technical details. It is like taking a cinematography class while also getting a solid review. Amazing stuff. Never seen anything like it. Excited to check out your other videos. Thank you.
Thank you very much Skunky Rocky. Ad Astra in 4K next if all goes to plan. Another technical marvel but not quite Tenet.
John.
Great and illuminating review of a superb cinematic experience. I’ve seen TENET about ten times now (love the 4k disc), and I’m regarding it as one of the best genre movies of the past 30 years. It’s not an easy watch for quick consumption and it’s not without flaws (or directorial touches like the often-unintelligible dialogue channel) or continuity errors. But given the difficult time of production and the high technical standards it is a masterpiece, although a special kind of masterpiece.
I think it's a wonderful film and I'm hoping the BFI IMAX will have a special screening of two just before Oppenheimer is released. There aren't many places left in the world to see genuine IMAX so I'll be making the trip any time they put it on... and for Oppenheimer too. John.
This is one of the best 4k's I've ever seen. So crisp and beautifully shot
Just binge watched a pile of your videos. So great! Your first hand knowledge and experience with film gives your reviews a unique edge and insight compared to the typical home cinema channel. Keep it up! - Andrew from Toronto, Canada.
Thank you for your kind comments Andrew. I hope it's warmed up a little for you over there but we're getting some Canadian style temperatures here right now so I'm planning the forthcoming 'Alien' 4K review sitting by the fire. It's going to take a while but I have a long [and hopefully interesting] history with this film. The upshot is the 4K disc is almost like watching a 35mm print and I guess that having watched several of my videos you'll be able to work out how I'm able to make that claim. I've already shot some interesting video of a film print running through a projector and I don't think I've ever seen Alien presented that way before so I hope it will be somewhat unique.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thanks for the reply, John. I look forward to your Alien 4K review. That's one I've been sitting on getting, but I'm sure I will pick it up eventually. I'm also excited for The Ten Commandments to be released soon in 4K as I'm sure you might be as well. Take care and enjoy your warm movie nights by the fire!
@@GuitarGuy5000000000 Ho ho, there's no fire in the home cinema but we do run a few things in our living room too (got a ten foot wide roll down screen in there as well as a small 40 inch television). 'The Ten Commandments' is exciting news that I hadn't heard so thank you for mentioning it. I was going to get the Blu-ray simply because it was shot in VistaVision so the end result on 4K disc should be exceptional. VistaVision and 65mm/70mm seem to transfer better than 15/70mm IMAX so that's going to be one for a review video.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I really look forward to hearing your review of that one and how the Vista Vision format translates to a a 4K projection! I'm only aware of a US release for it at the moment though, so you and I might have to import it, but that's the great thing about 4K discs being region free. Very cool that you have a projection setup in your living room as well. It's a goal of mine to have a projector one day, but for now I'm rocking a new 65" Panasonic OLED with a 5.1.2 system and I'm absolutely loving it.
@@GuitarGuy5000000000 Spartacus was Technirama which is a variation of VistaVision so if you haven't seen that review it's pretty much the same thing. I've had projection since I was a boy so video projection was long awaited but only relatively a viable option for the home. Super 8 was king of home cinema until about ten or fifteen years ago. The more recent home video projectors have taken it to a whole new level though and some of these 4K projectors with HDR can be setup to resemble film. Rather exciting really. But modern television screens are much better now and particularly with OLED technology. When flat screens first came out they were a joke compared to CRT sets but not any longer.
John.
Saw it 3 times at IMAX Melbourne and yes it's beautiful. Worth the 1hr travel everytime
Wish I'd have been there Max!
Me too. I took a 3 hour train ride to get there every time. Absolutely worth it.
I watched this 4 times on regular 70mm, it was an amazing experience
I can only imagine how good it would have looked in 70mm. Brilliant that there were prints struck (unlike Rise of Skywalker!).
@@moviecollector5920 It looked incredibly lifelike. It’s also one of the few films that’s completely shot and finished on film. The sound was also earthshaking
Great review - I also enjoyed Tenet, but only seen it once. It was a very ambitious movie by Nolan. I would rather a film maker take a chance on engaging the mind with a challenging premise than some who simply throw CGI and explosions on screen. Nolan takes those chances which i respect and i hope he continues to do it in future. Great content on your channel.
Thank you Mandeep. One day I hope I get to see Tenet at the BFI IMAX because I can imagine how good a genuine IMAX screening will look from those wonderful 70mm frames of beauty. Christopher Nolan has created some outstanding films over the past 20 years so I hope Tenet gains in respect in the future because so many people couldn't comprehend it and therefore didn't like it much. I can understand that but it's really so good that it deserved to have cleaned up at the box office - which it may have done irrespective of the confusion it caused - were it not for Covid-19.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I believe it definitely would have done better ifNolan waited to release it 1 year in Summer 2021. I think it will be a cult movie in a few years time and appreciated more. It requires patience and multiple views. I hope to watch it again soon.
A movie that needs full attention and maybe seen more than once. I wasn't sure I liked it the first time but with every view I like it more and more.
A bit like Ad Astra Jonas!
Kind of, perhaps, but Tenet wasn't as boring haha. I'm getting the delivery of Ad Astra 4K on Tuesday to re-watch. Hopefully it will work better for me this time or I'll pass it along.
It was quite surreal to see such familiar locations in a different narative. We enjoyed it quite a lot! Interesting story!
I ran the opening of this last night and thought about you and the opera house. One of the best quality 4K discs so far released in my opinion,. John.
Even though I still haven't got a disc player, I still enjoy listening to what you've got to say. I think that says it all really. 👍
Thank you Total Plonker. Now that's a great ID you have there which gives me a laugh just reading it. John.
You, Sir, are likely my favorite media reviewer. I rewatch all your stuff regularly - not really for the movies, but your informative input on things and your history of relationships with the films. I do not even have a 4K tv nor projector. I just love your personal perspective and soothing voice. Yeah, I know that is very weird. Hahaha.
Not so weird as it sounds perhaps because when I started this one of the things I wanted to pass on was my personal histories with the films where applicable. I felt that too many disc reviewers were approaching their reviews from previous video format releases whereas to understand 4K disc releases you need to be thinking film because that's what they're attempting to replicate now the colour gamut and density capabilities are approaching film standards due to HDR.
Tenet's a wonderful film by the way. Almost completely incomprehensible, but wonderful nevertheless!
John.
Love your content and production! I’m subscribing!
Thank you Sir!
John.
To clarify the IMAX cinema in the Manchester Printworks used to be an Odeon cinema, however it's now a Vue cinema.
There are about 20 screens in the cinema. Screen 1 is the IMAX.
The IMAX has the capability of both genuine 70mm IMAX film and 4k digital laser.
Due to the simple fact that so few films are released in the format, they rarely get the chance to use the film projector. It's almost as if it's reserved for Nolan's films because he insists on 70mm releases.
I believe the last time they actually used the film projector was when Dunkirk came out.
Tenet was originally supposed to be screened in 70mm but due to the coronavirus, the number of 70mm screenings was drastically reduced in order to save money.
I heard that there may have been as little as 8.
So with Oppenheimer, this year will be the first time in 6 years that the Manchester cinema will screen a genuine 70mm IMAX film.
I can't wait to see it.
OPPENHEIMER may well be the best quality any of us have ever seen owing to much of it being shot black and white. Black and white has always been sharper than colour so it may be a very special cinematic event the like of which hasn't been seen since the glory days of three-strip Cinerama. I hope to get a video up of the new film at the BFI IMAX but I may not be allowed but if so, I expect to hear from you on there of what you think of it. There is nothing else around quite like genuine IMAX.
John.
I watched this on 4K Disc last weekend John and thought it was an outstanding film. The penny dropped for me as to what was going on around 30 mins in, I thought it was stunning. Cracking picture, the bombastic audio had the wife ask me what the hell I'd been watching when I came out of the cinema room. I just said, you've got to watch this at some point.
We seem to have a remarkably similar appreciation of films LeShark. I think Tenet is a masterpiece and I really want to see it in genuine IMAX. If it looks this good in 4K how is it going to look in the analogue equivalent of 45K?!?
John.
Great review John, I love all of Nolans work, I didn't really have a problem following Tenet, ( I did have the subtitles on!) It was one of those films that two thirds of the way through, I thought Oh yeah, I get it. Alien looks absolutely stunning in 4k, in particular look out for the fibre optic lights when Ripley is talking to Ash, after he's been trashed. Clive
I have had a peak at the 4Kof 'Alien' and although I don't think it looks great it didn't even look particularly impressive in 70mm. It's just that sort of film. I do have it on 35mm so I'm aware of how good it can look in the home so maybe that's why I'm not overly impressed so far. I'll compare the fibre optics hanging out of Ash between 4K, Super 8 and 35mm. I do have a short section on 16mm too now that I think about it and that's the clip shown on Film 79 with Barry Norman all those years ago. It might even be the very clip of film they transferred because I can't imagine how else it ever ended up being traded by a film collector.
John.
Thank you John for another insightful review video.
I still hope to get to see Tenet in genuine IMAX one day. I can imagine how good it truly looks. John.
i got to see it twice in IMAX, and it looked amazing
If the IMAX Waterloo give it a re-run, I'll be there because I can well imagine just how good the 70mm 15 sprocket IMAX looked.
John.
Interesting review, thanks for that. I got the 4k as well. The soundtrack on Tenet is bonkers. Glad my setup is still alive 😅
'Bonkers' is the most appropriate description yet to describe the Tenet audio Dominus. Good one.
John.
Great review of Tenet. And good bonus video. I'm from Denmark, and I have visited Panetariet ( the Omnimax theatre) many times, although it is some years ago .. they were often showing the current starry sky before the screening. An amazing experience to be completely surrounded by stars ...
Omnimax is the most impressive film format I have ever seen. 3D Omnimax even makes 3D work but once you've seen it in Omnimax, nothing else comes close. I love the idea of projecting the planetarium star field before a show - that would make for a memorable cinema visit. Wonderful!
John.
I keep on hearing people talk about others saying they found Tenet a mess but the actual person talking about the movie really likes and appreciates the movie. I understand this might be the current perception of Tenet but I have a feeling this perception is changing as more people give the movie a second and third watching realize what a brilliant film it actually is. I myself consider it one of my favourite Nolan films. A true masterpiece.
I think I agree with you. Thanks again John.
I saw Tenet twice on IMAX. The first time I saw on digital IMAX in my city, but the second time I had a chance to see it on 70-mm film IMAX in Bangkok. It was so great.
BTW, I really enjoy your channel so much. Thanks for making this channel.
Thank you Peerawood. Rather exciting to have a fellow film enthusiast in Bangkok. I wish I'd had the chance to join you for that IMAX 70mm Tenet because it must have looked absolutely stunning.
John.
really cool info on imax format! love the channel!
Thank you Todd. These videos take way too long to put together but once I get started I just can't cut corners.
I haven't seen tenet, but now might get a copy. The forward and reversing of some of the scenes, I first see that in Fahrenheit 451. Death on on the Nile hope to see that in October at imax London. Good review as always.
Tenet is certainly confusing but hopefully another look at this video prior to watching it will make it all easier without actually spoiling anything. It is one of the best 4K discs I've seen and the film itself is something of a work of art to look at.
Death on the Nile will probably be at the Odeon Leicester Square in 70mm and that should be better than the IMAX as there aren't any IMAX sequences so we'll have tabs (curtains) and black masking enveloping the frame of the film. Although the screen is about 35 feet narrower of course!
John.
Excellent review. This was a great looking movie. I didn't get to see it in full IMAX, but would like to, that said I did see Interstellar in IMAX and it's my favourite 4k movie and probably the best looking and sounding movie that I have (I don't have Tenet yet). I'd love to see a full review from you on that one.
I too love Intersteallar Aaron but I haven't done a full review of it because by the time I started this channel it was considered old-hat and I didn't think there would be much interest in a new review of the 4K. But if I find an excuse to do it in the future I'll take a chance. Seeing that film at the IMAX in genuine 15/70mm on the 90 foot screen was probably the most memorable cinema experience I have ever had. An amazing film. I can only imagine what Tenet would have been like. John.
I've heard so much (good & bad) about this film, I was rather hoping you were going to play it down. So it looks as if a 4K might be on the boards now! As always a great 10 minutes and already have my taser ready for Alien a big favourite of mine.
I've had a quick look at 'Alien' and I don't know how good it really is. People have been saying it looks excellent in 4K but I guess I'm used to it on film and it's never been great on film - not even 70mm. We'll see. Now then, better post the new review in FaceAche!
John.
I have the alien 4K and it’s the best it’s ever looked but it’s nothing special. I also have tenet and it’s one of my favorite 4ks
Just watched it for the first time and having seen your review before helped haha. I actually thought it was great and it looked amazing. Although I caught it only in 1080p without changing aspect ratio. Now that I‘ve seen and enjoyed it, I may get the 4k for the eventual rewatch. Cheers :)
The Blu-ray is fabulous Foxy so it's really just the HDR that will make the difference on our tiny home screens. I want to see Tenet in genuine IMAX at the BFI IMAX so I'm hoping they will give it another screening eventually. One of the best quality videos I've ever seen so I can only imagine what the IMAX 70mm print will look like. John.
It doesn't get much better than the BFI IMAX in Waterloo. It's been sorely missed this part year. I saw Dunkirk there on 70mm. Definitely the best cinema experience I've ever had. And the sound! Good lord.
Agreed. We tend to get all excited about our home sound systems and then you see something like Dunkirk at the IMAX on the 90 foot screen and hear it on their amazing DATASAT sound system and you just feel so inadequate.
Okay, you have convinced me. I will give this movie another chance.
Let me know what you think Henri. I think it will help knowing what is actually going on... well, maybe.
John.
Your review and explanation is super sir. I have bought the Tenet regular Bluray(2-Disc) and 4K Steelbook (3-Disc) - two separate copies....
Thank you Krishna. If I'd have known how much I'd end up liking this film then I'd have gone for the steelbook myself. I suspect this movie will grow in appeal and stature as the years go on so that steelbook may prove to be a good investment.
John.
I saw Interstellar from one of the front rows at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. I ended up getting mild motion sickness, but it was an incredible experience at the movies.
Thanks for the great video!
Thanks again Ian. I hope Interstellar eventually gets recognition for what a cinematic marvel it really is. It's good on 4K but nothing is ever going to match the IMAX 70mm prints. It's such a shame that there is no longer the sort of interest in movies that there was decades ago because I think it's so great to look at on a big screen from large format film that it could be on almost continuous run in major cities like London and Los Angeles. Now that I think about it that way, it could alternate with Tenet and Dunkirk.
that movie does does have crap motion.
Excellent review as always! It's funny how things are inverted (pun not intended) now. Back in 2010/2011 "digital" was the new and better in theaters. Now "70mm" and "35mm" are being advertised as "genuine". I do agree that digital projection is much more consistent, more convenient and clean, but I am biased. It's not just the image quality that I love about film, it's the look and feel. Those silky textures. I'm also always blown away by the image when any new production is shot on genuine film. An (internet) fiend of mine shot a short film entirely on Super 8 (A vintage Canon camera, Kodak Vision 3 50D and 200T color negative), beautifully stabilized, cleaned up and color graded in post and will upgrade to Super16 in his upcoming project, using the same humble modified Krasnogorsk-3 as I have. It's crazy, it's expensive, but the results are worth it. Now having made 35mm prints struck from the digital files (there are labs that still print out on 16mm and 35mm film) would be the cherry on top of the cake. Thanks for reading this!
Thanks for posting that TrueFilm. It seems we have much in common with our bias towards real film. Tell your friend I have a pair of Canon 814 Super 8 cameras and the only reason I haven't used them for the past ten years is because of the cost of the film to shoot in them. Since Kodachrome went out it's been a little too pricey for me but I still want to get back out there and shoot real film even though I've made a living from video over the past 15 years via making classic car documentaries and releasing them on disc.
What we really need is a lab that will print from digital direct to Super 8. I know it's nuts but I'd like a Super 8 from the 4K scan of 2001. Actually Tenet would be nice too. They wouldn't be as good as the 4K discs and they'd cost a fortune, but they'd be on Super 8 and there's something magical about that.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thank you for your reply. I have seen "film out" from Pro8mm in LA and it looks very nice. As far as I know they print on Super8mm from any digital file. Andec in Germany for example prints out on 16mm and 35mm. I think it's just a matter of getting the format right (pillar boxed or letter boxed).
Now for sound. I thought about it for a long time (even though I would never be able to afford it) and IMHO the best would probably be having a laptop with the soundtrack inside a digital audio workstation, sync'd with the projector. Mag sound is cumbersome to sync at home and striping probably not available anyway.
I don't have any personal experience with Pro8mm, I just bumped into this and liked it:
czcams.com/video/1odcTPfuQAg/video.html
Looking forward to seeing your film footage! You could start with expired film, which you can get for free in or very cheaply (for example) Facebook film groups.
Another good review John, I've said it before passion and knowledge my friend. I enjoyed Tenet, a bit difficult to follow but it looked fantastic, I'll have to take your advice, watch the extras then the film again. Before I watched it I'd read some complaints that the dialogue was difficult to hear when it was on the big screen so I wondered if the home video version might have had it's sound mix tweaked. I also couldn't make out the dialogue at times so had to turn on the subtitles for long periods. Did you have any problems in this area? Your surround sound set up (and video set up) is clearly better than mine I've just got a small Bose system but it does the job. The film was cut for a few seconds (9 I think) to get a 12 certificate. I'm looking forward to getting your opinion of the 4K disc of Alien.
Greetings Steve. We weren't aware of any problems with the dialogue but Digital Theatre System has been notorious for muffled dialogue since it first appeared with Jurassic Park back in 1993. Interestingly, I saw that at the Empire, Leicester Square with its THX certification so didn't have any problems then either.
Alien should prove interesting. I have had a peak and the 4K is better than the THX Blu-ray disc it comes with but to be honest, Alien never looked brilliant so it's a bit like putting perfume on a pig!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 when will we be able to see your review of Alien. Sorry for being inpatient.
I mean impatient.
@@stevenandnicola123 I'll probably start work on it in about a week Steve. It will probably take quite a few days to fathom out what to include and what is superfluous. I was hoping to run a reel or two of the 35mm print by now but I haven't had time yet. I want to get close-ups of 'Alien' running through the gate because I haven't seen that anywhere else. I'm thinking the iconic space jockey scene but perhaps I'll shoot a few bits and pieces.
John.
@@stevenandnicola123 Alien review has just gone live so I hope you like it.
John.
You sold me, thx John. Nice review. Loved the technical stuff. Thank you, Sir.
I hope I only gave enough information so new viewers will be able to follow the story without being completely bamboozled. So I hope I haven't given away too much. A great looking disc irrespective though and the sound is in a league of its own. Be aware though, some people are saying the dialogue is difficult to discern in places but not on our Kef THX it wasn't.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I've read that about the dialogue. A friend said they gave up with it as they thought it was trying to be obscure for obscurity's sake. Looking forward to seeing it in 4k. Thanks John.
I really enjoyed TENET but i had to watch 3 times because i got interupted to much but i'm glad i bought it on 4k and great review.
I had to watch it twice just to understand it enough to do this review. What a convoluted mind bender it is! John.
I still have a Cinemascope TV... perfect for movies.But Imax is an eye opener... so good
I wish I'd seen Tenet at the Waterloo IMAX. If I ever hear they've got a screening, I plan to be there. Nothing can match that genuine 70mm IMAX frame.
John.
I was lucky enough to see Tenet at the BFI IMAX on 15/70 and it was mind blowing, the IMAX in Manchester is now Laser unfortunately but they still have the huge 1.43:1 screens
Oh well, another great film cinema bites the dust! And there I was thinking there was an excuse to visit Manchester again in the future. Thank you for letting me know Jacob.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 think it is just BFI IMAX and London Science Museum with 15/70 projectors now
@@jacobmacdonagh4070 Gawd! Surely Bradford still shows genuine Imax - they are the museum for film and photography after all. I saw the reproduction of the Star Wars opening there in the 90s specially re-shot with IMAX. Now that was memorable.
@@moviecollector5920 Apparenty Bradford converted their imax to digital in 2015 unfortunately but they still have 70mm and Cinerama
@@jacobmacdonagh4070 Let's hope it was more the addition of digital and they still have IMAX film projection there. Now that the lustre is coming off the 'digital boast for cinemas I hope that exhibitors will increasingly demand their work is screened on the best possible format i.e. film. Just like that Christopher Nolan bloke does actually.
Just rewatched on my new Benq HT 3550. Although not extremely bright it’s tone mapping and dynamic iris does an excellent job with HDR, in my humble opinion. As you have often said it’s not the 4K, which is good, it’s the HDR and WCG that really makes the difference. Amazing what I was able to get for $1200, a true cinematic experience.
Well why wasn't I there watching it with you Gary?!? I haven't seen the film again since doing this review but I'm holding out in the hope that the BFI IMAX sticks the IMAX print on sometime. I'll be there like a shot if that happens. Now what are you going to be watching next on the new BenQ HT 3550?
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Interstellar, of course. When your next in the Colonies give me a holler. Tenet was better the third time.
@@garyharper2943 I had to watch it twice for the review just to finally twig what the hell was going on the first time around. What a film though! Hope you have a good time with Interstellar - another Christopher Nolan masterpiece.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Any other suggestions, I have 200 4 Ks to get through.
@@garyharper2943 Dunkirk, Murder on the Orient Express, The Ten Commandments, Death on the Nile, The Dark Knight Returns, No Time To Die, Top Gun: Maverick, Jaws, Apocalypse Now, Le Mans '66, My Fair Lady, 2001 A Space Odyssey and Spartacus. They're the best 4K discs that I can think of right now. Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' is good too but only two genuine IMAX sequences in that one if I remember correctly whereas the third film is chock full of them. There are plenty of other top-notch image quality 4K's but I haven't seen them all... yet. John.
I watched it on a IHARP 100” screen…looked great!
I think that equates to about seven feet wide Gary. That would just about present Tenet in the right light but we'll all have to get along to the BFI IMAX when they next do a special screening because I think 90 feet wide will do Tenet justice. As long as it's a real IMAX print of course and not a 4K video projection.
John.
I’ve seen every Christopher Nolan film in a theater since Memento. Like many, I have noticed his transformation into a Director who likes muddy sound. With this film I faced constant frustration at the cinema, along with everyone else who had attended. Most of us couldn’t hear much of the dialogue and some walked out. I must say that I think it was likely the most frustrating cinematic experiences of my life. The second it hit Blu-ray I picked it up and watched it with the captions. Obviously that made a huge difference, though the film is still somewhat incomprehensible at times. Hopefully Nolan will learn from this experience and stop being too smart for his own good.
We just didn't have that problem with the sound. Digital sound always had a poor reputation for dialogue clarity but it seems my THX system just about copes with Tenet.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I am completely and unforgivably jealous of your setup. :-)
@@ItsTimePictures Surprising what you can do with a bit of string and sticky tape.
John.
This was a really good review. I have seen this movie once and admit I was a little confused at times. I intend to watch it again on the 4K this time.
I had to watch it a second time after going through all the extras just so I could work out what the hell it was all about. Might be worth you watching the extras before taking another look at the film when you get it Stephen.
John.
I was looking forward to your review John, your wealth of knowledge really shines through with each video! :) I find your videos really interesting to watch and learn more about the different film formats. I thought Murder on the Orient Express looked spectacular on my TV, I will have to try to watch Death on the Nile in IMAX if possible, I do enjoy the Agatha Christie films so will have to keep a look out for it later in the year.
I really enjoyed Tenet in the cinema, I thought it was a really inventive plot that must have taken an extraordinary amount of planning. When I watched it the second time around at home I noticed extra details that I had just missed or not thought relevant the first time I saw it. Like some others I wasn't too keen on the wall-of-sound soundtrack I thought it was a little too bassy overall and would have preferred it a little less full on, but its a film I will definitely watch again. I was interested to see the "Making Of" bonus features, but hadn't got around to it yet, so will give them a watch before I re-watch the film again.
My Kef THX subwoofer meant I actually felt the rush of air when some of the explosions went off Nick. The soundtrack seems to have been optimized for original THX specs. so it was just perfectly suited. I feel I want to watch it again but three times in a week might be pushing my luck a little!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 That's awesome! Your setup must be much superior to mine, I will need to turn the bass down when I watch it next time as it became a bit muddied in parts. I will definitely watch the special features at some point and then watch the film again. Cheers.
@@nick1635 I only have bass going through the subwoofer, the rest of the system is set to handle mid-range and higher which, if I remember correctly, is a standard of THX. Perhaps that is leaving the rather substantial Kef centre speaker free to concentrate on the dialogue and not muddied by excessive bass. The bass from the 70 litre subwoofer was extreme at times and I thought it might blow the internal fuse but thankfully that didn't happen. I've blown it a few times in the past when it's been up too loud but years ago we did run the whole system in the big Victoria Hall at the Ealing Town Hall for the T-Rex sequence of Jurassic Park (Super 8 with synchronized sound from DVD) and the floor of the hall was shaking towards the front but it was a younger component then and the electrics coped a lot better.
I would also add having seen this in cinema, and then on streaming before getting it on disc, the (regular) cinema and HD streaming versions are from the same source, having a constant aspect ratio throughout. The HD blu ray and the 4k disc version have the expanded ratio version so must be from an imax print source (as with most of Nolan’s other Imax version movies - The Dark Knight/Rises, Inception, Interstellar & Dunkirk) and be some sort of conversion to 16:9 for the imax 4:3 scenes so the difference on a home screen is not disruptive to add borders at the side.
Worth noting that like The Dark Knight Rises, this also had issues with the sound mix, being imposible at times to make out dialogue in certain scenes from the sound mix, which on the cinema version was very obvious (this is how I know the HD streaming version came from the same source). The 4k disc and Blu Ray versions thankfully have a much more cleaned up audio mix, which makes me wonder (as i only managed to see it in a regular cinema) if the sound mix on the imax version was better (being that it is mixed to be output at louder levels on more specialised equipment) or if the imax audio mix was just as bad and they spent more time remixing it for the disc version. Just thought it was interesting.
Many people have said they had trouble understanding the dialogue on this 4K disc but my wife and I didn't have that problem. A massive THX Ultra centre speaker maybe disguises it just about enough so we got away with it.
The aspect ratio does not go into the 1.43:1 IMAX ratio at any time but does the 16x9 compromise. Given that people would complain if it didn't fill the width of the screen I think they did the right thing even though I'd prefer the original format. It's the same on Interstellar and Dunkirk. John.
@@moviecollector5920 yeah, it’s a compromised version of the imax image cropped to fit a tv/home projector resolution. I believe the blu ray of The Dark Knight has some of the imax scenes in full 4:3 imax ratio as extras on the discs for comparison. Recently zack snyder cut of justice league was released in 4:3 for the whole movie as it was originally intended to be for imax. Batman Vs Superman had a special imax version blu ray released but the ratio changes from 2.35:1 to 4:3, which means it extends the image full height, but isn’t cropped, so it adds borders at the side. It’s very jarring, and I think shows how the compromise version in Nolan’s movies is the best option. Mission Impossible: Fallout also has it, i’ve not watched the 4k yet but heard it’s a good transfer.
@@ahdvd I'm still tempted to take a punt on that awful looking Batman vs. Superman just to see the 4x3 IMAX sequences. But if The Dark Knight has the same thing then that would be a better option because I do need to give that film another try. It's not Batman as I know Batman but maybe I'll be able to get through it a second time so time for the 4K methinks.
Mission Impossible Fallout is a good 4K but the IMAX sequences were shot with video cameras so they're not quite so appealing but still great to look at. If I hadn't have known they were shot with video I probably wouldn't have guessed as they look that good on both the Blu-ray and the 4K. Hard to distinguish between the two actually, it's just the HDR giving the 4K the edge (again!). John.
This review was very informative, I would suggest to review Joker on 4K after reviewing alien. Tenet is a great film. I did see tenet in a standard 35mm screening at my odeon luxe cinema. Nevertheless, Tenet still looked amazing to see on the big screen. Again, great review and impressive overview of the IMAX 70mm format. Can’t wait for the alien review, that’ll be interesting!
Come on then William, is 'Joker' a good film? Because I read The Batman comics as a child, retrospectively starting with issue 1, 'Joker' did not look like my sort of thing. But I'm open to persuasion.
Good to know you saw 'Tenet' projected from a 35mm print because the makers put a lot of effort and expense into distributing and exhibiting their product on the best available formats available today. Such a shame so many cinemas removed their film projection equipment because I think that today it is the way to get people back to the cinema.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 yes Joker is an amazing film. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is exceptional. After all, he won an Oscar and BAFTAs for his outstanding performance. The cinematography is stunning and really stands out in 4K and the character was well written. That’s all I can say really but hope this’ll convince you! Whilst on the subject of Ridley Scott, I would suggest checking out Gladiator on 4K. That’s if you’re still not convinced to review Joker in 4K.
@@williamgoodwin1708 I've only ever seen Gladiator on film up to now. I was thinking about picking up the 4K disc though. One day for sure. My brother has 'Joker' on Blu-ray so he'll tell me if us original Batman fans will be able to bear it. If he says it's good then that's two of you that I'll listen to. Joaquin Phoenix was excellent in '8mm' with Nicolas Cage a few years back so I know he can do it.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 joker is more of a character drama with influence from Martin scorcessee
@@cheetahluv210 Next time I put a disc order into HMV (or we happen to actually get into one of their stores!!!) I'll take a look at the trailer for Joker and see if I can encourage myself into adding a copy to the basket. I don't think wifey fancies it much though - she can just about bear my Spider-Man obsession but those original Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire films really were Spider-Man not like the more recent efforts that largely miss what made the Spidey comics, and his character, so popular.
Great review.Cant wait to get this on 4k.Also just watched your alien 4k review,brilliant!
Regards,
A new subscriber
Thank you David. More fun to come with more reviews starting with Ad Astra which we watched in 4K last night. Cracking 4K disc but a compromised film I think. Perhaps that is what made it interesting. I'll start to dissect it later and see what I can conjure up for a video - which usually takes me four or five days to plan, film and put together.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 looking forward to that.havent seen that film yet
A comments-track might have revealed that Mr Nolan hides the fact that he has nothing to say behind "mind-bending" and over-convoluted stories where there's little to no need for character-development or characters at all, really! Some say many/most directors really only have one film in them, and that they keep remaking it, over and over; that for me is Mr Nolan in a nutshell. A gorgeous nutshell, I'll admit, but once I crack the shell, I want to be rewarded with something tasty/interesting/thought-provoking. Here, that only lies in his tried and true non-linear time-lines and excessive intellectualisation of quite simple stories. I used to be a fan but I gave up after seeing, and being orally assaulted by this film in the theatre. I will say that Messrs Nolan and van Hoytema make exquisitely beautiful films. I will also add that I agree with you; certainly worth giving a spin! Your review, however, is as always, stellar!
I think we need a group outing to the Waterloo IMAX if they give this another screening once all is back to normal. I suspect that then we will all get a different impression of how good (or not!) this film really is. John.
They had to develop the "Rolling loop" intermittent for the Imax projector to prevent it exploding (or leaving you with a pile of shredded 70mm film), I seem to remember.
I think we need to look into the mechanics of IMAX a little more Brian. Keith Wilton did get into the projection box at the Science Museum but I just can';t find the DVD he put that on otherwise he'd have let me use it for illustrative purposes. It'll turn up.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I'm sure it was in a magazine at the time it was developed or when turned to commercial use after the exhibition where it was first shown. I'll have a check through any back issues I have. It may take some time though.
@@brianfretwell3886 Don't go to too much trouble Brian, but if you do stumble across the article I'd certainly be interested.
John.
I wish that all 4k releases used the imax version of the film or at least make it an option.
It would be good to see the whole IMAX frame but the troulbe is with home video, we're all using 16x9 televisions now so they'd get complaints from people who don't understand when black bars would seemingly randomly appear down the sides of the image. John.
Great review John 👍👌👍 Keep them coming
I'd be interested in how the 4k of Alien compares to the 1080p disc.
I've already had a peek at the Alien discs Roy and the 4K is better. I'll be taking a closer look though so I'll hopefully go into some detail but I expect it's the HDR as usual because certainly the colour and contrast looked superior.
John.
There's 2 "IMAX" cinemas in Manchester. Printworks is the only one you need to know. The other is LIMAX. Printworks is one of the biggest screens in the UK and the sound system shakes the walls. Saw Bladerunner 2049 there for £11. Sat near the back and you still had to turn your head to see the other end of the screen.
I researched at the time and If you go on each cinemas website Printworks says it outputs 70mm while the other one didn't.
That is brilliant news Bon Jovi. Thank you very much for looking into it and letting me know. What a relief.
John.
A 'lesser' Nolan is still a masterpiece. In due time it will be regarded as a masterpiece, i am certain of it.
You and I are in alignment there. Right now, it's a misunderstood masterpiece. The very fact that I had to think about it after seeing what appeared to be a good film that I couldn't quite fathom, made me want to understand it and watch it again. I now want to see it at the BFI IMAX and it's looking like that wish is soon going to come true. If it looks this good on 4K, what's it going to look like from a genuine 70mm IMAX print with the image 15 sprockets high? I can't wait! John.
@@moviecollector5920 But color pallete seems somehow subdued. Might be Nolans stylistic choice i don´t know.
@@fmulder1989 A cold look as I recall which will have been deliberate. That's possibly why the definition is so good even if it is IMAX and it doesn't come any better.
Good review John.
It took some working out Ernie, I can tell you! Who dreams up a plot like that one for heaven's sake?
You’re a braver man than I John to tackle this one, I agree with you about ‘plots’ today and how long will Warners back him with these outer limit budgets in these covid times and onwards. Most movies these days are far to long and if film prints were still produced the actual movies would be better shorter with hopefully more understandable plots. This week I watched “The Green Berets” which in 1968 was 148mins. a lovely Blu Ray which to me has aged very well and yes in MONO !, once again we’ll done.
I do wish they would just release them in their 1.43, or something close to that aspect ratio, I wouldn’t mind the black bars on the side id just be happy to see the whole image. It won’t be the same as Imax but it’d be close
I feel the same but I know that just about everyone else would complain. People used to complain to television companies when they broadcast older black and white films because they'd paid for a colour television licence. I know that sounds ridiculous but it's true and I can state that categorically because for a couple of years I used to take some of the calls. At least they don't crop the image all the way down to 2.20:1 throughout the whole film when transferred to video.
John.
Hey John, sorry to be late on this video mate! Seems to have been lost in a time warp 😳😊 I'm going to tell Keith from Euphoria Pictures to watch this review, as he said in his latest video he didn't understand it at all..... but this review explains a lot. I've been on the fence with this one, wanting to see it, but didn't really want to come away with nothing from it 😳🥴 but after your explanation I feel it might make more sense now 😊😊👍👍loved the technical specs as well, very interesting 👌👌 looking forward to Alien 👽 great review as always John 🤩🤩👍👍
Sorry for the delay John but I've been up to my chest in ALIEN the past few days... so much so that one almost burst out! Many people say the dialogue in 'Tenet' is unintelligible but we didn't notice. However, we do have a THX Ultra sound system so even the worst sounding film tends to be comprehensible in here... unless they're speaking German and we had one of those recently with no damned subtitles to fill us in either. But we both thought 'Tenet' was pretty terrifice and I did actually drop Keith a line to tell him he needed to watch my video which he did. His own videos are much improved now he's appearing on screen and doing cutaways so I'm enjoying his analysis of movies even more now. The Alien review has just gone live and it's another rather extensive effort which should inform many people about the history of the home movie market.
No doubt you and Debbie are cuddling up on the sofa for a lovey dovey film this evening... My Bloody Valentine or I Spit On Your Grave - something along those lines!
John.
Saw it at the IMAX in Highland Village Tx. Sound over dialogue was horrible. Image was wonderful.
Many comments have cited the dialogue as poor fandude7. My wife and I didn't notice any trouble when we watched it (twice) in our home cinema. Perhaps we just didn't have any more trouble than other modern films and we've got used to picking out the words when you can't comprehend what the actors have just mumbled!
John.
Fascinating in all respects. Could you explain the reflections that are always seen in wide shots of your theater. I assume these are intentional but why? Can you describe your screen, as it also seems a bit different, not taut almost paper like. Fascinating!
The reflections are glass framed front of house stills and the UK quad Alien poster. Many people new to home cinema have been convinced by 'experts' that anything in a room for watching films is a distraction but that's possibly because home cinema to younger people is a black room with nothing in it just like modern multiplexes. As I always have black masking enveloping the projected image and then curtains outside of that there's no such problem. And it's a great effect when filming videos but I don't have many pictures up in the new home cinema yet. The screen shown in this Tenet review is the best possible solution as it's a flat wall. Right now I'm having to use a drop down screen and if you watch the latest three videos you'll see why that is. It's not as perfect as a wall but it's a good compromise and may be a temporary solution until we can enlarge the present screening room. I've had the drop down screen for over 30 years now and usually it's on duty in the living room for occasional film shows in there.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 just from the images you provide the atmosphere of the room is very special. Love your work and insights
@@williamdepalma8349 I'm struggling a little with the bottom masking in the new home cinema but I think I know what the solution is - it will just have to wait a while as I've put far too much time into the new room to get it up and running for the videos. It all works, just not quite as well as the previous home cinema which I put in just over 20 years ago. Took years to get that one right so this one's gone a little better really.
John.
Hi John, very intresting review. Will have to let you know if the BFI IMAX show this again.
Oh, thank you Michael. I would love to see this on that unique, beautiful 90 foot screen. I don't want to see if video projected though so I hope the 15/70mm prints are being looked after. John.
Hi John, yes the print is being taken care of and ready to show when needed.
I think the characters having no backstory actually makes it more interesting to me to leave it up to interpretation I got the feeling that the characters have more depth than shown but not showing it made it more intriguing to me
Just like 'Alien' you know all you need to know about the characters. No doubt it was criticized for that last year but 'Alien' proved you don't need to take any notice of critics!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 but it was mostly cynical people commenting on the internet rather than the professional critics criticizing that aspect basically they are people wanting a conventional experience so really those people are partly responsible for cinema being in a somewhat creative rut
@@cheetahluv210 I can well imagine the average cinema viewer would think this was complete tosh. But that's the sort of reaction works of art generate and then years later the films are respected for what they were all along. We'll see what happens with this one.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I think some people need to realize that their opinion is just that an opinion and not fact I appreciate your reasonable attitude
Even though it was during the pandemic I had to see this in theatre so I went to an IMAX and Ultra AVX screening (yes twice lol). Glad I did, while the 4k disc is glorious until I have a giant video room (never) it just can't compare.
I'm so pleased you've told me that Noel because I've recently learned that the IMAX prints for Tenet were downscales from a mere 8K video master. But if you didn't see a genuine IMAX 15/70 film print then please put me straight because I still want to see Tenet in genuine IMAX at the BFI IMAX and it's a film I believe you're telling me that you saw and that it looked great. The BFI IMAX did a special screening some months ago but they only gave me a couple of days notice and I lived more than 200 miles away at the time so it just wasn't possible to get there... damn it! Over here a lot of video projection is being passed off as IMAX and some of the films are just 2K so you can imagine what they look like on a screen on the scale of a genuine IMAX cinema.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 The IMAX theatre I went to (Vuaghan in Toronto) is one of the 3 non "Lie-MAX" screens in Toronto so AFAIK it was legit, the AVX theatre had insane sound so both pluses and minuses. I had to see it again after watching it the first time. It was well worth risking the virus. That said I cannot be sure if there was a downscaled version displayed, it looked very good to me.
@@noeldillabough Brilliant! And Erik (Roder) has looked into Tenet on IMAX following your comment and the information I was given appears to be incorrect as the IMAX version was shot and finished on film. The standard 70mm release does not have that credit so it's likely that was taken direct from the IMAX negative. Phew! That's restored my faith in cinema somewhat. John.
Great video as usual! What about a 4k review of baraka, koyaanisqatsi or Samsara. Theses films were shot entirely on imax I think, the first being way back in 1993.
You're the first person that's pointed me to those three titles John. I'll keep an eye out for them and see if I fancy any of them next time I'm putting a few orders in to HMV.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I had heard Baraka was shot on 65mm in '93 but then in 2007 or 2008 had the negative rescanned continuesly at 8k which took weeks and weighed in at more than 150,000 frames or 30 terabytes. I'm not sure if there is a 4k disc but the blu ray is supposed to be the best bluray out there. You be the judge. ;)
The movie in IMAX is very nice. I saw it at release day.
Well done NightBreaker. I wish I'd seen it at one of the few genuine IMAX cinemas.
John.
Just the best!
Thank you again.
John C.
Imax should franchise real 70 mm film projector cinema around the world.
The impression I get now is that they're no longer interested in showcasing the best that has ever been available. Perhaps they've been taken over by the "I watch movies on my mobile phone" generation so why care about projecting an image on a massive screen that is so sharp and full of detail that it is better than the human eye is capable of fully taking in? On the other hand it could be that there just isn't a market for genuine IMAX 70mm any longer, if there ever was. To be fair, most people would spot the difference if you projected a VHS tape in a cinema... okay slight exaggeration there but you get my drift.
John.
I watched it in apple TV 4k Dolby vision streaming, and although image quality is good yet is not exceptional at all. After this review I will buy the 4K disc to experience it. Thank you very much!!
I hope you are as amazed by the 4K disc as I was Silva. Streaming is comparatively poor if you look at the bitrate coming down the pipe. I haven't worked out how many gigabytes streams while watching a two hour film but it is certainly only going to be a fraction of what you get from a 4K disc. Actually it won't even come close to a Blu-ray so probably somewhere mid-way between DVD quality and Blu-ray. That streaming looks as good as it does is down to the superior codecs used now i.e. the compression algorithms are better.
@@moviecollector5920 Finally I've just have seen Tenet in 4K disc minutes ago. And I came ASAP to thank you for recommendation and tell you that you were right. I'm totally amazed for 4K disc
@@silvanolan Excellent news! The best 4K I have seen is Murder on the Orient Express but not everyone seems to get the same ultimate video quality on their systems for every top-notch disc. But that's the one to get next. Tenet is almost as good but not quite. The secret is that all these top 4K releases originate from 70mm film. IMAX is three times the picture area of normal 5 sprocket per frame 65mm/70mm due to increased height but that's rather academic when it comes to our home screens as it's the width that really matters.
Was my first watch with the new Blu-ray player Sony always froze, Panasonic made it through. May I ask what tone mapping settings you use. I assume you use the one for projector?
The settings vary from each projector/telly Gary. On the current Optoma UHZ50 the big differences are that I've got the colour settings up which I don't have to do with the Optoma UHD550X. Because I liked the easily identifiable HDR look of the UHD550X which the UHZ50 did not reproduce I set about finding out how to do that and this resulted in putting the hue up 3 to 5 points if I remember correctly. I might play with that again soon as I do seem to have got used to spotting the obvious HDR look of this smaller video projector now.
TENET is the best looking disc through the UHZ50 Gary. The only reason I don't want to run it all the way through again is because I want to see it at the BFI IMAX again. That screening was incomparable.
John.
Great review, but didn't you tell me that my local Imax in Manchester wasn't set up for 70mm film?
I was told that on here but I hope it's wrong. If I was there I'd pop into the box office and check so perhaps give that a go if you're passing. And if the people on the ticket desk don't know (which they probably won't) perhaps ask if you can speak to a manager or projectionist.
@@moviecollector5920 That would be too uncomfortable for me to do, but I do know it's the 2nd biggest screen in Europe though 👍🏻
@@moviecollector5920 www.google.com/amp/s/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/imax-screen-printworks-manchester-tickets-15274483.amp if your ever in Manchester, give me a shout, as we also have Screen X in Didsbury
One big trouble I had was with the shifting aspect ratio. On a projector, it's a mess because you can't zoom and matte it anticipating a consistent image size. I'm not sure how this is handled at the cinema and I've never seen one of these Nolan IMAX fetish fests on the big screen. And yeah, though it looks and sounds terrific, the story made no sense and had a certain lack of heart, in my humble opinion.
How IMAX works in a genuine IMAX cinema (and there are very few of them so don't be fooled by the local multiplex claiming to be IMAX, always check first) is that the screen is so big that the different aspect ratios are not really noticeable. I didn't see Tenet at the IMAX but I can well imagine how amazing it would have looked as I've seen other genuine IMAX films such as Interstellar on the 90 foot Waterloo screen. When a full frame (1.40:1 or something along those lines) suddenly comes on it's an impactful experience. With Interstellar there were 2.20:1 scenes some of the time, particularly at the start and then 'BANG' - full frame IMAX. Stunning. On a television that wouldn't work at all and as with the Tenet disc, Interstellar does not have the full frame IMAX sequences but compromises at around 1.85:1. On the BIG screen it doesn't notice so much when the frame size changes because your field of view is almost completely filled but on our home screens it's more obvious. The only solution is to move to a house with a big barn on the land and convert it into a cinema with a massive screen!
John.
Love this review. Explained impeccably. I found the movie to be high class filmmaking on every level and conceptually very challenging. But I also feel it was a step too far for Nolan and his muffled sound design. Also - I felt the action was ‘ok...’ - for example, the truck scene felt slow and laborious (intended but too slow for me...) and the plane scene was built up but it slowly crashed into a... building. Framed brilliantly but just lacking the pace of the fight sequences and end battle. It was an alienating film and I understand why people wouldn’t watch this a second time. I’ve watched it 3 times (grasped the concept second viewing due to better understanding of the dialogue choices...) and I totally get the concept and the payoff Nolan was intending. Inception is his gold standard because the concept is explained as part of the 3 act story... in this it’s explained in a lab for 5 min. But I do like films where we have to think, I just feel for the average movie goers who just want an action film, thinking they got a blockbuster but really this was a big budget sci-fi thriller. 8/10 - right in the middle of Nolan’s work for me... Dunkirk, inception and dark night are his best
Great comment Clark. I think 'Interstallar' is a masterpiece and the pick of the bunch. I saw it at the Waterloo IMAX and I was right at the front so it was almost an out of body experience!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I do love interstellar - it’s an experience and clearly inspired by Kubrick. But the concept of love transcending time and space to send a message back to his daughter... maybe a step to far. Apart from that... delightful.
@@ColonelSternlove Or is it the theory that if you travel faster than light you are everywhere in the universe throughout eternity and he just chose to go back to send that message? Whatever, all a bit daft but like Tenet it's served up so spectacularly that you can't help but love it.
John.
Glasgow has an IMAX cinema at the Science Centre.
I didn't know that. A lot of these IMAX cinemas only project video so I wonder if they have genuine IMAX 70mm projection?
John.
@@moviecollector5920 No idea John, all I know is it's a massive screen. Saw "First Man" there. I enjoy your videos very much, keep 'em coming!
You’re forgetting the Imax at the Glasgow science centre. It’s an original film Imax cinema, not the Liemax digital ones like you get at most screens claiming to be imax.
Well that's brilliant. I have never heard anything about it so thank you for filling me in. Great news. John.
As far as I can see Tenet has a 4K DI, which means the quality of the disc is similar to the cinema experience
To match the BFI IMAX Robo you'd really have to transfer at around 45K as that's the mathematical video equivalent of 15/70 IMAX. A standard video projection cinema now would indeed match 4K but in around 50% of video cinemas in the UK today they are projecting at 2K so you're theoretically in excess of them. The cinema equipment is of course far superior to our home projectors though. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I see, but what I meant was, it's mastered in 4k. So 4k is the best possible way to experience this movie, unless it was shown in 70mm in some theaters, which I highly doubt
@@robomnemonic3751 Yes, it was shown in 70mm IMAX which was how it was shot. So the negative was used to strike first generation 70mm prints and it doesn't come any better than that. The size of the IMAX frame is a shadow of itself at 4K but fabulous for our tiny home screens. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I see, so it was shown in both in 70mm and in 4k cinemas
@@robomnemonic3751 Yes. There are hardly any cinemas who kept their film projection equipment so sadly most had to see it video projected. Still, video is much better now of course and close to the standard achieved with 35mm. Having said that, there were some awful 35mm prints around from the late 1990s onwards but that was a general downturn in picture quality that seemed to be being encouraged. Low quality video projection was about to be put into some of the top cinemas by then so I expect the industry wanted to dumb down the recollection of how good 35mm once was. John.
i just noticed it says Cornwall under the video. that*s where they film Doc Martin ! perhaps you*ve heard of it ?.....one of my favorite shows.......you lucky, lucky guy ! oh,........ and this review and insight on Tenet is absolutely 1st rate. Nolan films are like homework, they are brilliant, confusing and require research on the part of the viewer....... though, the greenish cast of the film is somewhat offputting and depressing.
Yes 'Doc Martin' is filmed not far from here, but Sigourney Weaver didn't call in for a cup of tea last time she appeared in it.
I think Tenet is wonderful. I wasn't entirely sure upon the first viewing but the second one settled it. Another Nolan classic.
John.
This 4k disc is on Amazon (UK) for £5.75 at the moment...
Amazing. If I needed a second copy even I might have succumbed to the Amazon world takeover for that sort of a price. John.
@@moviecollector5920 don't get me going on globalism John! I used to buy laserdiscs back in the 80's from a film supplier near Southampton and always support local businesses. I think the guy's name was Wally and he had Super 8 movies as well.
You have a great CZcams channel btw...
@@jamesdexter7717 I think we could put the world to rights all day long if we ever meet James. See you at OPPENHEIMER then! BFI IMAX sometime late July I think. John.
Tenet looks sharper than Interstellar 😬
The 15/70 may be great on paper but if the camera, the lens and the scanner are not up to par, it seems that we never really get the true IMAX quality.
These IMAX 70mm films have to be seen at IMAX theatres in 70mm... and there are few of them left now.
John.
I bought one of these precious IMAX film frame celluloid, I made sure to obtain one that is in focus. And after an extensive scan at the highest resolution possible we can observe that they are not that sharp while still being substantially sharper than a Panavision 70mm film. Possibly because the film itself was over-used but how far is it from the true IMAX negative ? No one knows aside from IMAX themselves. One thing for sure is that the TENET UHD scan looks much sharper than Interstellar UHD or Batman UHD which should bring several questions.
Well in London the waterloo IMAX has both 70mm and digital IMAX while the empire has only digital people call digital IMAX as lie max interesting that IMAX support this format
HelloNeil. IMAX is 15 sprockets wide, 70mm film. They've watered it down to use the name with video projection but it isn't the same. First article I saw about it was in 1970 and if you're lucky enough to see genuine IMAX at Waterloo or the Science Museum (or the three others IMAX theatres in Britain) you are watching the same fabulous, enormous frame that was demonstrated in 1970. Nothing else quite matches it today, unless you can see a genuine Cinerama screening perhaps. John.
You using the Panasonic ub820?
No, it's the much older 400 model. Over three years of use on both my 4K players now. I probably will be getting another one soon so the top of the line Panny is a possibility. John.
Hello-
i have heard on other video discs review channels that with many 4K discs the difference it and the blu-ray disc that
comes with it are hardly noticeable. so isn't that kind of like false advertising?
That's one of the subjects that has been interesting me over the past few years Christopher. I did put a video up on the subject (4K vs. 2K: Is There A Perceptible Difference) but one thing I failed to say in that one was that we would possibly see the difference immediately is we had a serious sized screen - 20 feet or so - to view the discs on. Home screens are just too small it seems.
John.
Movie Collector Bigger is better, for sure.
hi there is a full imax in Uxbridge where i live
What you have there is a faux IMAX Phillip. There are only three genuine IMAX cinemas in Britain: Science Museum, BFI IMAX and Manchester Printworks. Everything else is basically a con of varying degrees. But it is probably a big reason why the IMAX Corporation is still in business. OPPENHEIMER may have just been a game changer so keep an ear and an eye out for any future genuine IMAX productions that are to be finished on film for genuine IMAX cinemas. When that happens, don't bother even thinking about seeing said production in a faux IMAX because the difference in image quality is off the scale.
John.
hi thank ok I will watch out for that keep up the good work
Isn't the aspect ratio actually 1.78 (16:9) on the blu-ray?
For the sequences that were originally the IMAX 70mm format of 1.43:1. Much of it shot in 65mm at 2.20:1.
John.
Re: the audio being good. Maybe rather than THXenet the movie should have been called... Elevenet?
That's very good Zwerker... it's the Spinal Tap of action adventure movies! Some have said they couldn't understand what people were saying a lot of the time but we weren't aware of that here. It's a fabulous disc with one of the best images I've seen so far. But then it should be one of the best really as most of it was shot on 70mm IMAX. Amazing really.
John.
Can you talk about the thing on blue ray
I have mentioned it in one of the John Carpenter film reviews but I just have the Japanese steelbook from HMV which I found irresistible when one of their email offers came through. The Arrow release is fabulous by all accounts but I want to wait for the rumoured 4K before really diving into The Thing.
John.
I have Alien in 4K. Curious to get your perspective.
Have you watched it? I thought it looked superb. One of my favourite 4k discs.
I've had a peak at the 4K of 'Alien' and it looks as good as it probably could but it was never a great looking title even in 70mm. I do actually have a 35mm print which will be interesting to compare but I'll have to be careful what I show and say in that regard.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 John, I have a 150" screen at 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Alien looked very good. I also have the BluRay and the 4K is a significant upgrade on a large screen. I was especially impressed with shadows (it's a dark movie). I guess that's the HDR at work. To be honest, the film is so good, that after the first few minutes I'd stopped thinking technical and was engrossed. can't wait to see your comparison with film.
@@Celestialrob I'll have to play with all the settings to ensure I get the best out of the disc. First impression was 35mm was better... what a surprise! Super 8 possibly better in some areas though and that really shouldn't happen. No doubt I'll get the 4K disc looking better in the end though. I did notice the HDR compared to the old Blu-ray THX disc.
Mr movie collector you should do the ring movie
Which one Marko, the original or the remake?
John.
No the ring movie in dreamworks
I loved the visuals and the ambition, but I don't like the movie itself
My thoughts precisely after the first viewing so I went through all the extras, got a better understanding of it and then ran the film again. There's a work of art in there trying to get out and it must have looked incredible at the Waterloo IMAX on 70mm IMAX film. Wish I could have been there to see it on the unsurpassed gauge on the 90 foot wide screen. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I didn't know all that cool stuff about the making of before watching your review. I may have to give another chance
@@fabithierry I had to watch it a second time because I'd said I'd review it after a few people asked me to. I didn't want to go on camera and say I struggled with it. As it happened, I really loved that second viewing. I was able to take in the wonderful imagery, the story, the action, the sound - the whole darned thing!
I tried to watch this movie to the end,
Cannot do it..
It's a big screen film John so we'll all just have to get along to Waterloo when they do a re-screening, just so we'll all be able to appreciate what it really is like. Any home screen is going to be too small for this one... unless you've got a 30 foot screen tucked away somewhere! John.
@@moviecollector5920
Am Ireland based sir,
Large screenings are very few and far between.
@@johnpatrickfay5288 A trip to London beckons John. Maybe the IMAX will run it again when Death on the Nile is released in 70mm at the Odeon so a trip over might prove to be a cinephiles dream holiday. The Prince Charles are often running older 70mm prints too so let's keep our fingers crossed. The Odeon and Prince Charles are Leicester Square with the IMAX just down the road the other side of Waterloo Bridge. Then there's the IMAX in the Science Museum too so although cinema has been on the wane over the past 15 to 20 years, there are still some great ones in London. The Empire should still be pretty good too (Leicester Square) although sadly the Leicester Square Theatre (opposite The Empire) has now gone. So many of the good cinemas have bitten the dust in the past 15 years it's hard to see a very bright future right now. John.
Tenet takes everything that is bad with the Dark Knigt and makes a movie out of it...
I'd love to see Tenet on the 90 foot wide screen at Waterloo projected from 70mm IMAX film. All would be revealed then.
John.
I'd rather see a Robocop, Terminator, Alien, Blade Runner, 2001, Star Wars, Matrix, Back to the Future, Metropolis, Ex Machina, Moon another time than pour more wasted time into watching Tenet again. Tenet is just a pretender compared.
A lot of money thrown at it, but its no more worthy than a B movie with a few good bits.
But it all changes on a second viewing... or at least, it did for me. I could see it was something special but I was a bit lost so that was why I went through all the extras and then watched the film again. But I can understand that it's not for everyone. Maybe it would be at the Waterloo IMAX in 15/70mm though. John.
The UK version is cut. 😢 Little bit of domestic violence suppressed for the British audience.
I didn't know that. I wonder how the IMAX prints were handled to excise the offending sequence. John.
If you have to watch a film at least twice to understand it, isn’t this something of a failure on the part of the creator?
Good point. Although it does mean you get to enjoy it a second time and Tenet is certainly a good watch even if it doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense at times. John.