The first person to ask me how I threw my neck out is going to get what Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson refers to as “an ice-cold can of whoop-ass.”
I could make up a reason — while rescuing a fallen hiker on a fourteener, perhaps, or getting into a fistfight with a City Park goose — but the reality is so much more embarrassing: It happened at a press screening Thursday of “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” in 4DX.
Last month, Regal UA Denver Pavilions quietly opened a new state-of-the-art 4DX movie theater. The “immersive theater format” uses hydraulic seats, smells and simulated weather to “create a multisensory experience, immersing movie fans in an unforgettable cinematic event,” according to a press release.
There are now 25 4DX theaters in the United States, with plans for more. The technology comes from CJ 4DPLEX, a Korean company that hires producers to perfectly sync chair movement, utilize smoke machines, vibrations and water vapor with Hollywood blockbusters like “The Lion King” and the latest in the “Fast & Furious” franchise. The tech simulates lightning, thunder, rain, fog, even explosions and the low rumble of a passing car’s engine.
As you can imagine, seeing a movie in 4DX doesn’t come cheap: Tickets for a Friday night screening of “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” in 2D 4DX (which means it’s not in 3D, but you’ll still get the 4DX effects) will set you back $20.24, compared to classic 2D, which costs $12.74 per ticket if you’re buying online. But your post-movie chiropractor visit might set you back a little more.
Now, I’m not trying to discourage anyone from feeling the sensation of a high-speed car chase or, say, a helicopter crash at the base of a Samoan waterfall, but you should have all the information going in. Because, truth be told, “Fast & Furious” may be the perfect franchise for 4DX, what with its myriad action scenes, car crashes and even the mist spraying around your head when Jason Statham dramatically breaks a bottle of Champagne. You’ll feel a lot more than just car wrecks: Your seat vibrates with heavy footsteps and even lightly “punches” you in the back during fight scenes.
When it storms in the movie, flashing lights simulate lightning, and rain trickles down from above (you can turn this feature off, by the way, via a button on your armrest). It’s not enough rain to soak you, but it is enough for glasses-wearers to require a quick squeegee. Your legs will also experience what CJ 4DPLEX calls “ticklers,” which is not, in fact, something you would buy at Fascinations. It’s a combination of vibration and air-blowers around your calves that does make for a, let’s say, unique experience.
And then there’s the movement. A few years ago, while on a Disney trip with my family, we saw Disney’s version of a 4D movie in what was much more like a ride than a film screening. I can’t recall what was showing — something about sharks or space or dinosaurs — but I do remember that my entire family became quite ill about halfway in, and closing our eyes didn’t help. As someone who gets occasionally carsick — and ate a giant breakfast before Thursday’s screening — let’s just say that throwing up into my popcorn bag was a bit of a concern.
The movement wasn’t enough to make me feel ill, but it was a pretty impressive amount of jostling. What I expected to feel like an indoor rollercoaster felt more like riding an ATV through a Regal Cinema. And it’s fun: Suddenly, the action scenes that I usually use as an excuse to refill my popcorn felt a lot more engaging, literally. But I also wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who has ever, say, thrown their back out by opening a cupboard door incorrectly, because the hydraulic chairs do jostle without warning sometimes. I walked out feeling like I’d just thrown my neck out while riding a four-wheeler down a mogul-filled ski slope, but I’d lie if I said I didn’t enjoy it.
I didn’t experience much in the way of smells during “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” save for a blast of air freshener during a roller coaster short that played before the movie, but I can’t complain about not spending 2 hours and 16 minutes smelling exhaust fumes and singed leather, either.
Regal Cinema’s next 4DX screening is “It: Chapter Two,” which comes out Sept. 5, and with all the movies, effects will vary wildly — especially since some films will include 3D. I’m a little curious at what scents were used during recent 4DX screenings of “The Lion King,” and the kid-friendly movement in that screening might be a little more in my spinal cord’s wheelhouse.
It may be costly and, yes, a bit gimmicky, but that’s kind of the fun — it’s somewhere between a movie screening and an amusement park ride.
But in the end, it’s a small price to pay for the feeling of getting punched in the face by Jason Statham.
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