The Wizard of Oz IMAX 3D Re-Release - Was it worth it?

Last year I heard the news that they were going to remaster The Wizard of Oz for the IMAX in 3D. To tell you the truth, I didn't know how to take the news, as this was one of those films I didn't think would translate well onto the large screen.

I felt that the IMAX was meant for films that had the potential to feel huge. I went to see films like Avatar, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Dark Knight Rises, Hunger Games, Skyfall, Jurassic Park, and even Star Trek Into Darkness. There were many that I missed that I had wished that I had made the effort to see on the huge screen, and to even have the grand experience. I missed ones like Tron Legacy and the re-release of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now movies that were not meant to be released on IMAX got a re-release over the last few years, one of them being Jurassic Park for it's 20th Anniversary, and I made the trip to see it, and man was it worth it, it was seriously one of those great experiences in the theater, I had never seen Jurassic Park on the big screen when I was younger, but this was just grand. I had never experienced The Wizard of Oz on the big screen either, so I decided that it was time, even if I was kind of skeptical for the whole experience.

The opening IMAX intro was cool to reflect the beginning of the movie, by going sepia. I still thought it was cool to see the whole movie on the large screen. I will admit first off, the 3D did nothing for me, but at the same time, I have ranted in the past on when a movie can be very poorly treated for 3D (eg Clash of the Titans), this was not one of those whatsoever. So it wasn't a poor conversion in any way, it just didn't pop out for me either. That being said, it was still cool to experience this classic movie on the largest screen possible. The best moment that stuck out was the whole tornado sequence. The vibrations of the tornado coming closer to the house could be felt very strongly, and it was really cool. I never want to be caught in a tornado, and I keep my fingers crossed that I never have to have that kind of experience, but this was cool. It was also cool to be able to experience all the detail that the artists and designers put into this film. All the details could be seen, and I didn't catch all of them.

So in answer to the question I proposed, "Was it worth it?" I would say yes. The biggest reason being that I had never had the experience of watching The Wizard of Oz on the big screen before. I was never the type that would watch it countless times as a kid, but watching it now, I can truly appreciate the craft, the effort, the performances, and everything about it. It is a unique film for the time period, and it is still something that anyone can enjoy.

With the release of The Wizard of Oz on IMAX 3D, and some older films that have made it to the largest screen possible, my hope is that they will continue to put some of these classics onto the IMAX. Ghostbusters is having it's 30th Anniversary next year, I suggest that they put that on the IMAX to celebrate it's 30th anniversary. I would totally make it for that. Seriously there are a lot of movies that would be great for the IMAX.

Regardless the future of older movies on IMAX, I still enjoyed my trip down the yellow brick road on the IMAX.