NASCAR: The IMAX Experience (2004)

First of all I am not a fan of Nascar, I do follow the odd Formula One race, but living in Europe, Nascar is something I may happen to see playing at five in the morning on one of the sport shows, or is a sport I prefer to play on the Playstation. As a cultural phenomenon, a thrill sport, or a symbol of national prestige (as so many American sports tend to be) it goes entirely over my head.Now Nascar IMAX was something I was looking forward to, yes I actually thought that the promise of seeing these races in 3D would make me appreciate some of the dynamics of the sport. Alas no, or at least this is not the movie that will achieve this end. The movie is slow, with very few action scenes, doesn't look that great in 3D and is heavily dependant on dialogue. These should be basic no,no's for an IMAX movie, and yet some bright spark continues to invest heavily in such banal material.I do long for the day when IMAX equipment will be put into the hands of a true master of cinema, I remember watching Nascar thinking, "with all this technology, all this money, the best they can do is deliver a weak documentary about racing cars?". I guess IMAX could be the next frontier of cinema, and with the way cinema is heading, this can not come any sooner. Alas, Nascar IMAX is not the one that's gonna take IMAX to the edge. So I guess the IMAX gauntlet remains unraised. Any takers??

Not only to you get to see, hear and sometimes feel the excitement of being at a race:You also get to see things from the drivers perspective.One thing that I really liked was Keifer Sutherlands commentating and getting the chance to learn a lot about this great sport.If you haven't been to a race, you cannot appreciate the power of the awesome 800 horsepower engines. The sites, sounds and smells of being at the track are something that you have to witness in person at least once!I really hope this movie is released for DVD - that's where it belongs when it's all said and done!

First, I confess I'm a HUGE fan of the IMAX format. I also admit to being a fan of racing (although I also admit I'm not a huge fan of "go straight, turn left, go straight again...repeat for 500 miles" type racing). Having said that, if it's got some kind of propulsion unit and goes fast, I'm there!So, it didn't take much incentive to get me to travel from central NJ to Exit 24 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to see this movie. Even the thought of shelling out $55 for the five of us to see it (advanced purchase tickets via Fandango) didn't dissuade me. Was it worth it? IMHO, you bet! The 3-D effect has been perfected. You are there. If you don't like loud noise, don't go! I've never been to a NASCAR race, as our two adult fan-sons have, but they tell me the noise at the track is so loud, it's palpable. Even IMAX's multi-thousand watt setup doesn't really do it justice, they say. I think I got the idea, though.Kiefer Sutherland performs his lines well. The script is pretty much secondary to the action, although there are some moments of genuine nostalgia (perhaps even melancholy) triggered by some of the images.Funny footnote: just as the picture was beginning, two rednecks in the audience started shouting at each other, "I can't hear the daggone movie cuz your kid's jabberin' away!" "Oh yeah, come over here and say that!" My sons said "Gee, it's just like in the grandstands!" At least they didn't start shooting....Of course, once the action starts, who would have heard a gun go off?!

If you love stock car racing, you'll absolutely LOVE this movie... if you don't love stock car racing, after seeing NASCAR 3D, you WILL -- you won't be able to help yourself! It's so seductive I'm ready to hop the next flight to NC, and head out to the races myself. This is a sharply produced, technologically AMAZING, visually stunning sensory immersion that's been executed with the same grace and precision as the jaw-dropping choreography of a NASCAR race pittstop. Call me PENELOPE!PS: AWESOME soundtrack,