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| Star Wars as my first IMAX movie is an unexpected treat for myself. |
After 2 weeks of inevitable delay (hope you don't mind me not elaborating what this inevitable delay was. Some people know what this was and I still find it too painful to speak of it, at least on print), I have finally seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Earlier last week, I told myself that if Star Wars is still on cinemas, I had to catch it come Saturday before it is too late...and to avoid hating myself the rest of the year, eventually. So by Wednesday, I was checking clickthecity.com for movie schedules. My first visit to the site pleasantly informed me that the 2 SM Malls in the city still show the film and based on the schedule, SM City Davao had the most feasible time slots. Right then, I planned to report to work on Saturday morning and head straight to SM after work to catch the 1:15 p.m. showtime.
The plan was perfect. I thought that it would be also a perfect time to visit SM City again as it is too far for me to go now especially having 4 malls close to home and work. I could stroll around for an hour or two after the film and I would be home right before dinner.
Saturday finally came. And like those past 2 Saturdays, things did not go again as planned. While at work in the morning, I checked Click the City again to be sure and discovered that SM City only had one showtime for Star Wars and it was at 12:00 n.n. There's just no way for me to be able to make it to that time, unless I skip work...or can fly like Superman...both impossible as we all know. That left me no choice but to check the SM Lanang movie schedule. They have Star Wars on 2 cinemas. One on their digital theater and another on IMAX. Their digital theater's first time slot was at 6:00 p.m. Which means that if the movie runs for 2 hours and 15 minutes, I would leave the theater at past 8 in the evening. Maybe even later. So that left me checking the IMAX schedule. Click the City did not have the time, so I checked on SM Cinema's official website instead. And as expected, they had an early afternoon schedule available.
Now that got me to some deep brainstorming. I mean, an IMAX ticket costs more than twice as much than the regular cinema ticket. Eventually, I decided to give IMAX a go because a.) of its perfect afternoon schedule; b.) I have an e-plus card which entitles me to a discount; c.) I haven't been to an IMAX cinema anyway so better do it now with Star Wars for comparison's sake with good 'ol 3D; and d.) it was pay day weekend so I could pretty much afford it.
So after a quick trip to the ATM machine, I headed straight to the ticket booth to have my e-plus card reloaded. The IMAX ticket is at Php 450.00 (WTF?!) but with the e-plus card I only ended up paying Php 400.00. Then the ticket lady asked me to choose my seat. Then she added, "ikaw pa lang ang tao, ma'am." My mind suddenly went overdrive. What if I have the cinema all by myself? I just had the cheapest exclusive viewing! Absolutely all worth the splurge! And because I had no idea where in the cinema the best seat is for IMAX viewing, I asked her help. She recommended 3 seats on the center. After selecting my seat, I asked her if I can bring food bought outside the theater. As soon as she gave me a go, I paid for my ticket and spent the remaining half an hour before showtime to the supermarket for my snacks.
The thought of having the entire cinema by myself plagued me the entire time I was in the grocery. I was imagining myself lounging comfortably in my chair (or maybe a couch, like in the Red Carpet cinema at Gaisano Mall), eating chips and gawking over BB8. It is an Instagram-worthy experience for sure, I told myself. I am going to have my picture taken with all those empty seats, even if it means handing over my dumbphone to the attendant, I added while giving a silent laugh at the thought.
After getting my glasses at the lobby, I walked into that very long hallway heading towards the theater. When I was finally in, my reverie earlier immediately went down the drain. The cinema looked exactly like their other regular cinemas, plus there was an elderly couple already comfortably seated at the very last row. Minutes after I got myself comfortable on my pre-selected seat, 2 guys (allegedly a couple based on their body language) came in and took their seats a few minutes before the movie started (I know what you are all thinking now but what the hell? I'm happy having popcorn, chips, chocolates, soda, and water for company. Oohh hah!).
The first few minutes of IMAX was sheer torture. This was during trailer, my supposedly favorite part on movie viewing. I was taking off and putting on my glasses like they are the bane of my existence. I mean, sure the technology is great, but wild animals roam like they are a few inches away from you is not fun, especially if you do not know what you will see next (surprises are not my favorite element, thank you very much!). Thank God Star Wars did not have that kind of element of surprise, making me enjoy the film, except for some fight scenes involving the lightsaber. I suddenly missed the old school way of handling it.
All in all, the circumstances behind this experience is more memorable than my firsthand experience to the technology itself. I am definitely sure that the second time may not happen soon, but if you ask me, nothing still beats watching a movie in 2 dimensional form.
And oh, Gaisano Mall's Red Carpet seats still give the best seat in town. It is definitely all worth the splurge now, methinks! *wink*
