A Look At Guardians of the Galaxy 2’s Expanding IMAX Aspect Ratios

A new featurette explores the IMAX ratios used to enhance Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It’s no secret that moviegoers want the most immersive experience possible. Certain movies scream for the big screen treatment, taking audiences deeper into the cinematic world being shown than can be experienced by watching from the comforts of home. As film technology improves, the theatrical experience has gotten even bigger than it ever has before.

Guardians 2 is the kind of film designed to be seen on the big screen. Director James Gunn is a master of the immersive cinematic experience, and from what we’ve seen from the new film so far, this will be his biggest and boldest movie yet. Of course, not all theatrical experiences are created equal. These days, audiences can pick from a normal big screen screening or an even bigger big screen thanks to IMAX technology. But is the difference really that great? Gunn seems to think so.

In a new featurette, Gunn details how and why an IMAX theater brings you the greatest possible viewing experience of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The movie features scenes shot specifically with IMAX in mind, meaning that those scenes can only be experienced in their fullest glory in IMAX theaters. In fact, audiences watching on regular movie scenes will lose 26% of the picture, cutting off much of what was intended by the director. Gunn himself states,

“You need to go see a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in a place like an IMAX theatre where you can experience something completely different than you can at home because you’re going to get the biggest experience possible.”

You can see for yourself in an image released today, which shows you exactly the difference between the standard 2.40:1 ratio and the IMAX 1.9:1 ratio. While audiences in traditional theaters won’t be losing anything important to the story, per se, the differences between the images are staggering and highlight just how immersive IMAX can be.

Even more stunning is the image in motion, which you can see in the video above. Audiences in IMAX theaters will get more of the action than they would if seen in traditional theaters, getting the Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 experience exactly as Gunn intended.

Of course, not every scene in the new film is full of high octane space action, which means that not every scene will be as huge as what’s seen here. IMAX is known for aspect shifting, which Gunn also praises for helping to deepen audience enjoyment.

“You have the slow, kind of quiet parts, and then you have big loud parts and then it gets slow and quiet again. And I think this translates perfectly to an IMAX aspect ratio shifting experience.”

For certain audiences, the differences between the aspect ratios aren’t a big deal. Regardless of how you see Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, you’re still getting the same movie. Scenes from one won’t be missing from the other, so there’s no need to worry about that. But there’s something to be said for seeing a film as intended by the director – especially a film by someone like Gunn, who goes through great lengths to capture shots and scenes with a specific intent in mind.

It’s clear the Gunn intends for much of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to be seen on the biggest screen possible. There’s no question that IMAX offers audiences a one of a kind view of the Marvel world that’s worth the extra effort to see.

NEXT: Screen Rant’s 2017 Summer Movie Preview

Source: IMAX