People Are Worried They’ll Only See Half of The Odyssey If They Miss Out on Imax, But Should They Be?

So, with all of this effort put in, naturally you’d want to make sure you’re watching The Odyssey in as ideal a way as possible. With many different format types to choose from, ranging from 70mm Imax (if you’re lucky enough to live close to a theatre capable of projecting it) to 35mm, standard Imax, Dolby Vision, and others, it can get a little confusing.

Simply put, 70mm Imax is the “truest” way to see The Odyssey, but with only 30 or so cinema screens around the world able to show it this way, this won’t be the most common option. At an aspect ratio of 1:43:1, it’s a much “squarer” image than a standard theatre screen, thus delivering a taller image that fills up the frame from top to bottom. This is because 1:43:1 means that for every “100” tall an image is, it’s “143” wide.

So, naturally, there is some worry among potential viewers that if you watch Nolan’s latest in any other format, you won’t be seeing all of the film, or at least how it is intended. To some extent, this is true.

If you go to a screening at a standard Imax theatre that doesn’t have specific 70mm projection capabilities installed, you’ll be seeing it at an aspect ratio of 1:90:1, which means you’ll see roughly 40% less of the frame compared to 1:43:1, due to each “100” tall image being “190” wide on film this size, thus meaning in order to get whole width of a shot on screen, naturally, some of the top and bottom must be cropped or it just won’t look right.

This is further emphasised if you go and see it in either of its 70mm or 35mm formats, which hold an aspect ratio of 2:20:1 (100 tall, 220 wide) and 2:39:1 (100 tall, 239 wide) respectively, meaning you’ll see even less of the top and bottom of the frame here. Then there’s digital Dolby Vision and Premium Large Format, which can vary between 1:85:1 and 2:39:1 depending on the theatre. I did warn you it can get a little confusing. And that’s without even getting into the different audio systems available.

In short, yes, if you live close enough to one of the few theatres in the world that can project 70mm Imax, and can afford to do so, seeing The Odyssey this way will be the optimal method. But if that isn’t a possibility, standard Imax is still a very good option.

The Odyssey should still impress on standard cinema screens, though, as Nolan and his long-term director of photography, Hoyte van Hoytema, whom he has collaborated with on Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer, know how to shoot a film for these formats — the Academy Awards wins and nominations attest to this. The centre third of the frame is still where the meaningful action of the film will take place, so while you may not get the full majesty of the frame when it comes to those sweeping Greek landscapes, none of the story will be cut.

What format are you planning to see The Odyssey in? Living in London, I’m lucky enough to live close to two 70mm Imax cinemas, so I will be treating myself at least once. Let us know in the comments!