McDaniel
The experiment: can 4DX technology make a bad movie a better experience?
I happened to be in Las Vegas last week, where one of these immersive theaters exists, showing the universally bashed new adventure “Borderlands” (9% on Rotten Tomatoes as I write this).
So what does 4DX offer? I’m glad you asked.
There’s a particular scene from “Borderlands” that sums it up: I was literally bouncing around in my seat during an onscreen car chase, air bursting by my ear when a gun fired, and when the characters got splashed with urine, a mist sprayed into my face.
A 4DX experience aims to make you feel like you’re in the action. Rain fell down on me during one scene, water coming from above while a light flashed like lightning inside the theater. In another scene, while watching the heroes traverse over a flow of toxic ooze, I smelled a weird odor. And I was smiling ear to ear because it was fan-freakin-tastic!
For a while.
Maybe 4DX is a young person’s game. After 90 minutes, I was pretty tired of being jostled around with every insignificant movement on screen. I had a headache; it reminded me of putting on a VR headset — it was amazing, until the novelty wore off.
At first, the movie was enjoyable, no doubt enhanced by the immersion experience, but the longer it went, the more I yearned for the credits.
“Borderlands” is based on a popular video game franchise. Everyone is scouring the planet Pandora for a vault supposedly containing powerful alien technology. Don’t expect much clarity with the storyline — that’s about as clear as it gets.
Perhaps a bigger issue is the all-star cast being misused.
Kevin Hart is cast as the straight-laced Roland, the cool and collected, monotone soldier. It’s a strange choice, because Hart needs to overreact — that’s his superpower, what he does so wonderfully to get laughs.
Cate Blanchett is another phenomenal talent who feels weird in her role of Lilith. First of all, Lilith is supposed to be in her 20s, and Blanchett is 55. She’s supposed to be this cold, scummy bounty hunter, but Blanchett just has too much grace in how she moves and carries herself to be convincing in the role.
Jack Black is the comedic robot Claptrap, and he gets some laughs through stale jokes, but the same problems persist.
It seems like a top tier cast who wanted to work with a skilled director, in this case Eli Roth (“Hostel,” “Cabin Fever”), but after a number of rewrites and reshoots, their performances feel uninspired, like they’re not sure how they fit in a given scene.
The adaptation doesn’t show what makes the video games so beloved. It’s plagued with bad pacing, cringy dialogue, and nothing to get any kind of viewer invested.
So what were the results of the 4DX experiment?
Yes, immersive technology certainly livens up a boring movie. But in the end, it doesn’t fix it. Though the 4DX experience turned every jolt and splash into an adventure, it ultimately highlighted that even the most immersive technology can’t rescue a script in dire need of fixing.
Regal 4DX theater locations are listed at regmovies.com/4dx.
2.5/5
Scott McDaniel is an assistant professor of journalism at Franklin College. He lives in Bargersville with his wife and three kids.
