Featured image: Pacer Graphic / Adrianna Carter
The only thing better than watching a movie is living one, and 4D movies have got you covered.
4D movies are a relatively new format of movies designed with the goal of helping viewers feel as if they are a part of the action.
This format uses a combination of moving seats and environmental effects that activate in sync with the film. These can include blowing wind, mist, fog, temperature changes and even scents. Technicians program these effects scene by scene, so every gust of wind or spray of mist happens at the same moment as it does on screen.
For those curious, the water effects can be turned off at the cinema if you would like.
The earliest example of what is now known as a 4D movie was Smell-O-Vision in 1960. Invented by Hans Laube, the system released scents during the showing of the film Scent of Mystery. While this was innovative, it had its downfalls. The technology struggled to dispense scents evenly, so it never really caught mainstream attention.
Two years later, Morton Heilig was granted a U.S. patent for the Sensorama simulator. This was an arcade-like machine that users would sit in to watch short films. The Sensorama utilized vibrating seats, aroma dispensers, wind effects and 3D visuals to provide the sensation of being inside the movie. Due to the cost of the technology at that time, mass production was impossible. However, this did lay the groundwork for the immersive cinema experience of today.
Today, 4D films are wide spread across the world, available in more than 65 countries. The largest format is 4DX, which was developed in South Korea by CJ Group.
4DX introduced motion chairs and environmental effects that synchronized with full-length Hollywood films, the most recent being 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
In many theaters, the price of a 4D movie is more expensive than a standard movie ticket. On average, they are 56% more expensive than a standard movie ticket and 36% more than 3D tickets.
So, the real question is whether these movies are worth going to over a standard movie.
Some moviegoers argue that it absolutely is.
“I felt like I was actually in the setting of the movie,” said Jack Tully, a student majoring in media design. “I felt involved in the story as if I were really there.”
Others see the additional features as a drawback.
“It makes the movie very immersive, but it also distracts from the film,” said Cecilia Rodriguez, a student majoring in public relations. “I remember watching a film and feeling something from the movie hit me in the back and thinking, ‘What just touched me?’ It was fun and good, but it can take you out of the movie.”
This is the average opinion around the film format. According to Reddit threads, Facebook posts and The Harbinger Online, while most moviegoers see it as an immersive, roller-coaster-like experience that improves the movie, they also see the effects as overstimulating and distracting from the film at times.
Effects like the moving seats, the fog and water are the most common complaints, leading moviegoers to experience discomfort, fatigue, impaired views of the screen and, in a few cases, motion sickness.
So, is it worth it? That is up to you. I won’t tell you that you should go to a 4D movie, but give you may want to give it a try. You may find the movies to be truly worth the extra price, or at least you will leave with an experience unlike any you have had before.
