magic of the movies
Our top 10 cinema trips with a twist.
Jurassic Park
Armadillo, Glasgow, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, September 14-15
It used to be a trip to the cinema was the biggest and best way to see a film.
A classic story played out on the screen, with the stereo sound reverberating around the collected audience.
But as times changed, so did our tastes.
No longer was a trip to the pictures just about sitting back, relaxing and wanting to watch another world. Now we wanted to be in that world. The added attraction of 3D has come in and out of fashion over the decades, but now it seems here to stay. Then there is 4D, where smells, effects like wind and rain, and seat vibrations corresponding to the action on the screen, are fed into the cinema.
The latest way for the discerning cinemagoer to see their favourite film is somewhere other than the cinema. Special attraction movie-watching has become big business, with concert halls and arenas taking the place of multiplexes.
One of the most popular ways to watch a Hollywood classic these days is with a live orchestra performing the film’s score as the movie plays on a giant screen above the stage.
The live action version of Disney’s Beauty And The Beast recently completed a successful UK tour, as did Harry Potter.
And the Royal Albert Hall in London has been putting on a regular Films In Concert series that sees the historic venue transformed into a giant symphonic cinema.
One of the biggest film franchises in history will be celebrated in this new format to mark its 25th anniversary this year, and it’s coming to Scotland as part of the tour.
Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park was the highest-grossing film of 1993 and won three Academy Awards, kicking off a franchise that is still going strong today.
Telling the story of a secluded island where scientists have succeeded in reviving the age of dinosaurs for an immersive theme park, the family adventure still looks as good as it did 25 years ago.
It will look even better projected in HD on to a huge screen with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra performing John Williams’ memorable score live.
We take a look at some of the other special attraction cinema coming to Scotland soon.