Ryan Coogler walked so Phil Lord and Chris Miller could… get shaken around and sprayed with water, apparently. Last year, the Sinners director did a very excellent video breaking down all the different formats his film was being released in. Now, Lord and Miller are doing the same for their upcoming film, Project Hail Mary, but with a little extra sizzle.
The directors, who also made The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, traveled around Los Angeles to experience their film in almost a dozen different formats. It’s actually being released in 12 formats total, though they aren’t all in this video. Among those that are is 4DX, where not only do the seats move, but in-theater effects like smoke, water, and wind add to the experience. Watch the journey below.
It’s a very fun video, and you can tell Lord and Miller are very much enjoying this part of the promotional tour. But, in case you don’t watch it, here are the 12 formats in question, about nine of which are covered in the video
- IMAX 70mm film
- IMAX 1:43
- IMAX 1:85
- D-Box
- Screen X
- Premium Large Format (like Cinemark XD)
- 4DX
- Dolby Cinema (with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos)
- HDR by Barco
- MX4D
- 70mm
- Standard
The video does its best to explain how the majority of the formats are different. Different screens, different projections, different sound systems, etc. The two that don’t get covered are HDR by Barco, which is similar to Dolby Cinema with even higher-end projection and sound, and MX4D, which is basically just another version of 4DX. Basically, though, you can go see this movie a dozen times and have a dozen different experiences.
Why is that? Well, it’s not explicitly explained in the video, but Project Hail Mary, in several of those formats, changes aspect ratios throughout. Scenes in space, which make up about 2/3 of the movie, are significantly larger than scenes on Earth, and depending on the format, those specific sizes change. Because of that, the format Lord and Miller seem to most recommend is either IMAX 70mm or IMAX 1:43, to get that full effect. But other formats have the shift as well.
We love seeing filmmakers like Ryan Coogler and Lord and Miller put the audience first to explain things like this. It’s super dorky but also important, especially when deciding how much you want to put down for a movie. We think, and hope, Project Hail Mary is good enough to warrant any price. We’ll find out soon.
Starring Ryan Gosling and based on the book by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary opens in theaters on March 20, and tickets go on sale February 20.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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