[net.movies] A movie is only as good as the theater

mp (07/14/82)

I saw Tron last night, and it didn't quite meet expectations.
I had been told by people that the special effects would
"blow me away" and that the "4-track Dolby was awesome".  Our
group saw it at a second-rate theater, though; instead
of 70mm multi-track stereo, we got to see a small, dim screen with
a mono soundtrack.

This brings up a question:  how does the theater influence your impression
of a movie?  I think that, especially when a movie shows off lots
of special effects (for instance 3D), it needs to be shown in a bright, large-screen
house.  At a recent SMPTE meeting, an audio person was lamenting the
growth of n-plexes, where the screens are a fraction of the size they
should be and the sound level is more than 10db below optimum.

To avoid having a poor lasting impression of Tron, I'll probably see
it again at the more reasonable theater that's showing it, 10 miles away.
Apparently, all the good nearby Boston theaters are packed with
ET, Poltergeist, and ST2.
	Mark