By George & Josh Bate
Star Wars returns to the big screen for the first time in seven years with The Mandalorian and Grogu. The new film from director Jon Favreau is now screening across theaters worldwide in a variety of formats. We’re going to breakdown all these formats and offer our recommendation of how the film is best experienced.
IMAX
Promotional materials for The Mandalorian and Grogu have proudly sporting taglines like “Forged in IMAX” and “Filmed for IMAX.” In the years since the theatrical release of the last new Star Wars movie, premium formats, in particular IMAX, have only become more prominent and in-demand. Disney and Lucasfilm take full advantage of this trend in exhibition by having 53 minutes presented in one of two IMAX-exclusive expanded aspect ratios: full frame 1:43:1 and 1:90:1.
1:43:1 covers more of your field of vision than any format, offering an immersive dive into a galaxy far, far away. Of note, 1:43:1 is rarer than you might think though. Only a few screenrs in the world have the ability to screen 1:43:1 as this requires both a dual-laser projector and 1:43:1 screen. You can check here to see which theaters offer this rare combination.
That means that, for the most part, when viewed in IMAX, The Mandalorian and Grogu has 53 minutes of footage presented in 1:90:1, which still offers a whopping and immersive viewing experience.
4DX
If you’re looking for an even more immersive and almost theme park ride-esque experience, then watch The Mandalorian and Grogu in 4DX.
For those unfamiliar, 4DX combines traditional movie-watching with motion-controlled seats and up to 21 different environmental effects, including wind, water, scents, and strobe lighting. All of these effects are synced to the action on screen, meaning your seat will tilt and vibrate in response to the ups and downs of Mando and Grogu’s adventure.
In engaging the audience physically as well as visually, 4DX offers a unique moviegoing experience, albeit not necessarily one that will resonate with all viewers. It’s easy to become consumed by the physical sensations of 4DX and lose sight of other filmmaking elements, including story. In this regard, we’d recommend watching the film in 4DX after you’ve seen it in one of these other formats.
ScreenX
ScreenX offers additional screens to the side of the central screen to give viewers width, rather than height. With images stretched to fill your peripheral vision, ScreenX certainly provides a different viewing experience for a Star Wars movie, but it takes some getting used to given how unconventional it is.
Similar to 4DX, ScreenX engages moviegoers in such an untraditional way that some may find that attention to elements like story and character fall by the wayside. For those who want to try something different, however, ScreenX will definitely satisfy that desire.
Dolby Cinema, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos has emerged as the gold-standard of theatrical sound design and will make every blaster shot and beat of Ludwig Göransson’s magnificent score hit hard.
Dolby Vision, meanwhile, features much brighter and more vivid imagery than standard projection. That, coupled with the extremely dark floors in Dolby Cinema theaters, will give The Mandalorian and Grogu great contrast.
HDR by Barco
High dynamic range (HDR) brightens the whites and deepens the blacks, in addition to offering a greater and more detailed range of colors.
Barco also boasts that filmmakers are afforded more creative control during post-productiion process their state-of-the-art grading process.
Some theaters offer the best of both worlds, combining HDR by Barco visuals with Dolby Atmos audio.
Our Recommendation
Having seen The Mandalorian and Grogu three times to date and in various formats, we’d recommend seeking out an IMAX theater for your first watch. For as great as the formats are in their own regard, no format covers your field of vision in the way that IMAX does. This means that key scenes in the film, such as the prologue involving Mando taking down AT-ATs and a gladiator duel involving Mando and Rotta, are grander, more dramatic, and more epic.
If you decide to watch The Mandalorian and Grogu for a second time, we’d recommend watching it in 4DX. Having seen the film without the 4D qualities, you will already know the story, emotional beats, and character arcs, meaning the more immersive moviegoing experience won’t take away from your appreciation of these elements.
It should be noted, however, that The Mandalorian and Grogu still features expanded aspect ratios even if you don’t see it in IMAX. Flat 1:85:1 screens switch up the aspect ratio in select scenes and give you an experience that is close to IMAX.