100% spoiler-free review
I just watched this on 8 May 2024 in the ScreenX format. Does the format add something? Yes! Is it worth driving an extra hour for? Yes! Will the movie still be enjoyable in the more regular formats? Absolutely, the movie is worth it either way!
As preparation for this movie. I re-watched the Ceasar trilogy Rise (2011, 2D), Dawn (2014, wonderfully, natively shot with 3D cameras) and War (2017, 3D added, partly in post) in my 3D-capable home theater. It is a very moving trilogy that I had not viewed in a while, a worthwhile re-watch. Is it necessary to understand this 2024 edition Kingdom? No, not at all. It will add depth to the experience, but the new story can be understood and followed without having seen the first trilogy.
There is no 3D release of this new feature, Kingdom, unfortunately. No 3D version anywhere in the world, from what I found. In my country (Netherlands) it is playing in the premium formats Imax, 4DX (which is still 2D in this case), Dolby Cinema and ScreenX. I do my research and usually I tend to go for ScreenX if I have similar options to choose from. Why? ScreenX adds peripheral imagery that is specially shot for a selection of scenes, usually the scenes where the viewer can be immersed in the action or the environments. There are 5 or 6 long sections where the side screens are turned on. It is not an add-on effect created in post, there is actual additional, original footage to the left and right that you don't get to see in any of the other formats. There is also no way to see it at home yet, as far as I know, although it could be released for VR glasses, I imagine, similar to how Disney+ recently released Disney and Pixar 3D movies for the Apple Vision Pro.
I am someone who avoids watching previews and trailers. I want to go into a movie with zero information about what I am going to see. I hate those spoiler-ridden trailers that give half the plot points away. So I am not going to say anything about the story.
All I want to say is that this post-apocalyptic world is the most appealing that I can remember experiencing. It brings a totally different feeling than e.g. The Mad Max movies, Fallout, The Road or Akira. Even though there is something imminently sad about this possible future, it has an appeal that is comparable more to James Cameron's Avatar movies on Pandora. Where the Ceasar trilogy showed a not so distant future of earth, here we get to look around in an intriguing green world full of surprises.
I am not very familiar with director Wes Ball's previous films, but he does a wonderful job following into Matt Reeves's (Dawn and War) footsteps. Yes, this is science fiction. Yes, it is a marvel of technology that we can be immersed into this world, but in the end it is a movie where you are swept away by engaging performances and story lines, not by special effects. Go see it, if you enjoy original, intelligent stories.
I just watched this on 8 May 2024 in the ScreenX format. Does the format add something? Yes! Is it worth driving an extra hour for? Yes! Will the movie still be enjoyable in the more regular formats? Absolutely, the movie is worth it either way!
As preparation for this movie. I re-watched the Ceasar trilogy Rise (2011, 2D), Dawn (2014, wonderfully, natively shot with 3D cameras) and War (2017, 3D added, partly in post) in my 3D-capable home theater. It is a very moving trilogy that I had not viewed in a while, a worthwhile re-watch. Is it necessary to understand this 2024 edition Kingdom? No, not at all. It will add depth to the experience, but the new story can be understood and followed without having seen the first trilogy.
There is no 3D release of this new feature, Kingdom, unfortunately. No 3D version anywhere in the world, from what I found. In my country (Netherlands) it is playing in the premium formats Imax, 4DX (which is still 2D in this case), Dolby Cinema and ScreenX. I do my research and usually I tend to go for ScreenX if I have similar options to choose from. Why? ScreenX adds peripheral imagery that is specially shot for a selection of scenes, usually the scenes where the viewer can be immersed in the action or the environments. There are 5 or 6 long sections where the side screens are turned on. It is not an add-on effect created in post, there is actual additional, original footage to the left and right that you don't get to see in any of the other formats. There is also no way to see it at home yet, as far as I know, although it could be released for VR glasses, I imagine, similar to how Disney+ recently released Disney and Pixar 3D movies for the Apple Vision Pro.
I am someone who avoids watching previews and trailers. I want to go into a movie with zero information about what I am going to see. I hate those spoiler-ridden trailers that give half the plot points away. So I am not going to say anything about the story.
All I want to say is that this post-apocalyptic world is the most appealing that I can remember experiencing. It brings a totally different feeling than e.g. The Mad Max movies, Fallout, The Road or Akira. Even though there is something imminently sad about this possible future, it has an appeal that is comparable more to James Cameron's Avatar movies on Pandora. Where the Ceasar trilogy showed a not so distant future of earth, here we get to look around in an intriguing green world full of surprises.
I am not very familiar with director Wes Ball's previous films, but he does a wonderful job following into Matt Reeves's (Dawn and War) footsteps. Yes, this is science fiction. Yes, it is a marvel of technology that we can be immersed into this world, but in the end it is a movie where you are swept away by engaging performances and story lines, not by special effects. Go see it, if you enjoy original, intelligent stories.