Harry Potter to the max

As if the first four films weren't dazzling enough with giant spiders, wizard duels, and mystical adventures, Imax takes the Harry Potter film franchise to new heights, and depths.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" goes 3D at the Krungsri Imax Theatre at midnight on Tuesday. Hogwarts has never come alive quite like this before.

Imagine yourself face to face with Voldemort, standing on the life-size chess board where your life depends on the outcome of each move, or riding a Hippogrif, gripping his back as you take off and the sky opens before you. The technology of Imax, a larger, higher-resolution format than regular cinematic film, makes this possible, putting you in the movie for what is sure to be a heart-stopping three-hour experience.

The film follows the story of Harry Potter's fifth year at Hogwarts in which the Ministry of Magic stages a hostile takeover of the school and Harry and his companions in the self-proclaimed Dumbledore's Army have to fend off Voldemort and his cronies to recover the Prophecy which unites them. This fifth film in the Harry Potter series, although not the first to be shown on Imax screens, is the first to contain segments converted into 3D, turning this already spectacular film into something out of this world.

For Jim Patterson, Krungsri theatre's general manager, Harry Potter at the Imax represents, "premium quality, premium experience, premium price". In the Imax theatre, everything is enhanced, every detail is sharper, every noise clearer and every action more lifelike. Simply put, "it's a great way to experience a good movie," says Patterson.

New digital-remastering technology takes the original 35-mm reel used in traditional cinematic projection and converts it into a 15/70-mm reel, which is 10 times the original size. The graininess is removed, the image is sharpened and the colour enhanced.

Patterson says you can see lines on people's faces, and this new technology "doesn't mean it's just bigger, it means you can get much more information on each film thread. It's much more detailed".

The new technology also enhances a film's sound quality, removing extra noise, and immersing the viewer in the scene through its state of the art digital surround sound system. Furthermore, the large subwoofers, the size of a grown man, employ 12,000 watts of uncompressed power to produce spectacular sounds. The stadium-style seating and curved screen give the appearance that one is alone in the theatre, right at the centre of the action. All this combines to create what Canada-based Imax Corporation calls "the ultimate movie experience".

The whole film has been digitally remastered, and the last 20 minutes of the film have been entirely converted into 3D. So, hold onto your goggles as you dodge Crutatius curses from Bellatrix, Lucius Malfoy and the demetors, for this 3D technology makes it seem as if you are there in the scene, fighting alongside Harry and his pals.

This 3D effect, pioneered by the Canada-based Imax Corporation, can be achieved by two different methods. In traditional 3D technology, two cameras shoot the same scene from two angles, one representing each eye, then the two reels are projected on the Imax screen and the double-reel effect tricks the mind into perceiving depth.

The second method uses cutting-edge technology first used on "Superman Returns" last summer. Instead of starting with two cameras, this technology involves reproducing the initial film reel at a slightly different angle using computer algorithms to recreate the image. When the two reels are simultaneously projected, we perceive depth that actually isn't there.

Imax has revolutionised movie-going, transporting the viewer into the film, for an experience not to be missed.

Patterson says he hopes that as people become aware of Imax technology they will say, "hey, this is a big film and worth going to an Imax theatre for".

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 3D opens at midnight on Tuesday at Krungsri Imax Theatre, fifth floor, Siam Paragon (BTS: Siam). Tickets cost from Bt250 to Bt300. For more information call (02) 515 5555 or visit www.imaxthai.com. The regular version of the film hits theatres on Wednesday.

Emily Norris