July 9, 2025
WRITTEN BY: ADRIANO
On a purely technical basis, an IMAX camera can truly enhance the way a movie is filmed, utilizing formats and sound systems that aren't available on a regular screen. In less technical terms, nothing compares to seeing a movie on that large IMAX display. Some of my favourite film memories were filmed in IMAX, and I try my best to see any movie I can on one of their screens. I’m so dedicated that I even saw Madame Web in an IMAX theater. In recent years, I've noticed an uptick in acknowledgement for the format beyond just being a bigger screen, and many high-profile filmmakers embracing IMAX film to show its true capabilities. Notable recent examples include Jordan Peele's Nope and Denis Villeneuve's Dune films. But what's telling is just how much attention non-action/sci-fi films have gotten for their use of the projection, namely Christopher Nolan's biographical drama Oppenheimer, Brady Corbet’s historical epic The Brutalist, and just a few months ago, Ryan Coogler’s period horror Sinners. These aren't films you'd typically associate with IMAX as the larger format is often taken up by blockbuster genre spectacle, and yet a good chunk of those films’ revenue came from IMAX.
Since the resurgence of the format’s benefits and use, a solid amount of older films have been restored for IMAX and re-released. These re-releases are by no means a new phenomenon, but this year alone, we've gotten restorations of Parasite, Seven, and Princess Mononoke. If this trend is to continue, I want to pitch some films, or groups of films, I'd love to see on an IMAX screen. I will specify that I'm only pitching films that have never had a release on IMAX, so as much as I'd love a chance to see La La Land, 2001: A Space Odyssey, or Uncut Gems on that glorious screen, I won’t be discussing those. Instead, here are the films I hope to screen once Ontario’s Cinesphere, one of the largest IMAX screens on Earth, finishes the (necessary) renovations they’ve been undergoing since 2022. Its reopening can't come soon enough!
THE DOLLARS TRILOGY
The IMAX format shouldn’t only belong to car chases and alien invasions. With all its spectacle and atmosphere, it’s just an inherently good idea to give the western genre its time in IMAX theaters. It can bring extra life to a vast horizon or give extra weight to the drama, and while a western is no stranger to shootouts or train robberies, it doesn't mean a simple standoff can't feel as pulse-pounding as any action sequence. I explored a few options to best give the genre a shot at the large screens, but in the end, I cheated a little and decided on the Dollars Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). This western/action trilogy is a great candidate to show audiences the sprawling world of spaghetti westerns on the best screens on Earth.
The Sergio Leone directed trilogy is a landmark in the genre, with A Fistful of Dollars popularizing spaghetti westerns in North America. So, a three-film marathon or one movie a week release in IMAX would be perfect. The western spectacle has its trademark chases and shootouts, but it’s the iconic final duels that would make any audience's jaw drop. Imagine experiencing the beautiful landscapes on those massive screens, Ennio Morricone's masterful score on those pulse-shaking speakers, and the mere gruff of Clint Eastwood's 'The Man with No Name' staring down our souls, ready to make his mark. You can release it in the original Italian too. In either language, I'd be there for all three.
THE ORIGINAL STAR WARS TRILOGY
With everything that has been re-released and reformatted for IMAX, I was genuinely surprised to find that the original Star Wars trilogy has never had such a release. I mean, just from a financial standpoint, that's easy money, no? Regular Star Wars re-releases tend to do good business; just look at the $55 million Revenge of the Sith just racked up. Imagine how profitable a large-format re-release of one of history's most influential trilogies would be. My personal love for Star Wars is admittedly running dry, but I'd still take the first opportunity I could to watch A New Hope alone in IMAX. The original three films are arguably the most iconic big-scale genre films ever, with so much of the science-fiction we see nowadays coming directly from them, so it's only right we get to experience this franchise's roots on the best screen possible. Plain and simple, it would be very cool.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Given that it's about to reach its 40-year anniversary, I wouldn't be too shocked if this is something that is already in development, just not yet announced, especially with the recent screening at the TCM Classic Film Festival.
Back to the Future is one of the most iconic films ever made, with endlessly quotable scenes, and some of the most recognizable props, memorabilia, and wardrobe in the cinematic zeitgeist. It would be an event to behold to watch this pillar of movie history in IMAX. Now, despite the fact that it's a science-fiction film, Back to the Future isn't necessarily known for its large scope. Not that the DeLorean sequence and the clock tower scene wouldn't be amazing on a giant enhanced screen, but this re-release would work mostly because of the light, but adventurous comedic tone that director Robert Zemeckis perfected, and being enveloped in that wonder while travelling back to the 1950s would just feel different in the immersive IMAX format. The rest of the trilogy would also make for excellent IMAX viewings, but I wanted to single out the original because its popularity and filmmaking makes the smaller scale feel bigger than it actually is, and in IMAX, that would be quite engrossing.
WALL-E
Now, let's bring in a little love for animated films. Animation has no limits, so these films can show things that aren't a theoretical possibility in live-action, and there’s no better way to showcase that endless potential than in IMAX. I considered many options, but if we're talking about pure visual and emotional splendour, I can't help but think that Wall-E in IMAX would be the most extraordinary. One of Pixar's many masterpieces, Wall-E flourishes with physical world-building, and for the first 30 minutes or so, you're watching a lone robot silently roaming a stunningly animated desolate Earth. Those visuals combined with Thomas Newman's score would be enough to buy an IMAX ticket, but then you get the added bonus of Buster Keaton-esque humour and a beautiful love story. I can honestly say the first half alone would be a sight to behold in IMAX. But then we go to space.
The moments outside of Earth give us some of the most gorgeous sequences in animation history, and at the risk of sounding cliché, some of those scenes are absolutely transportive. We have a technical marvel to gawk at, AND there's an engaging story to go along with it. Honestly, this might be the best candidate I've talked about so far. Heartwarming and stunning, pulse-pounding and sweet, Wall-E is the kind of movie IMAX was made for.
MULTIPLE NETFLIX RELEASES
I've been very lucky to see many of the movies I'm about to talk about in theatres. But to my knowledge, Netflix has never embraced IMAX despite the incredible filmmakers that I'm sure would love to show their films in the format. To be clear, there is a lot of garbage that I don't need to ever make its way to an IMAX screen (apologies to all you The Gray Man fans). There are, however, some acclaimed, large-scale, stunning, and even Oscar nominated films that I’d trip over myself in a millisecond to experience in IMAX.
The list is sprawling. You have the chaotic genre-frenzy of Noah Baumbach's White Noise, the emotional weight and raw portrayal of decade spanning organized crime in Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, and the adventurous wonder of Bong Joon-ho's Okja. How about the jaw-dropping cinematography of Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, the escalating calculated mayhem of Rian Johnson's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and the whimsical stop-motion world of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio? Or the badass western thrills of Jeymes Samuels' The Harder They Fall, and the more subdued, yet grander scope of Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog. Some aren't a fan of The Power of the Dog, but I would still love to see the way that film's grit and take on the American West are portrayed on IMAX. Netflix has a long way to go when it comes to showing films in theatres, but if they did an IMAX series similar to what A24 has been doing, that would be a great start.