Film has changed a lot over the years, and one of the most current and advanced formats is 4DX. I rejected the format on principle. Why on earth would anyone want to watch a static image of a movie while their chair was shaking and stuff is blown in their face? It simply made no sense to me.

The “how” these formats are made is a little ambiguous. However it is unlikely that a director or even producer of a film is involved. More likely it is post-production or even marketing teams working alongside 4DX technicians. So a lack of directorial influence is, frankly, alarming.

But perhaps, first listening to Cineworld’s description of it is warranted.

Whatever you say, Daniel.

I finally decided to at least try it out. It is one thing to say you don’t like something, but it is quite another to have an opinion based on experience.

I don’t like 4DX.

I opted to see Twisters. It seemed like an obvious choice for outrageous use of all the features 4DX advertises. Shaking seats, lighting effects, smoke, water, wind. Literally all things the film’s characters experience in droves.
Firstly; the theatre was small, but it was full. Two weeks the 4DX showings for Twisters had been full (I had kept my eye on it) so either everyone was duped like me, or it was worth it. Most cinema screenings I attend are quiet (except for the likes of Deadpool 3 and Barbie) for a city centre cinema. I had quite the ensemble of audience nearby as well; a gaggle of teenage girls, and an older couple.

First thing I noticed; the audience was rambunctious, and there was a strong hissing sound coming from somewhere. The first never really ceased, more on that later, and the second was due to malfunctioning “wind” jets. They were permanently blasting air.

What followed was an obnoxious advert for the RAF (Royal Air Force). Not obnoxious for its content, but for its use of the 4DX system I was now sitting in. Tell me, why would my chair angrily launch me to the side while a chef was cooking? There was steam on the screen, but no smoke provided by 4DX. Bad signs all around.

Then the film began.

Mild spoilers for Twisters ahead.

The film Twisters is about tornado chasers, with a lot of action taking place in their trucks. Bouncing and diving across country roads, ditches, and well… tornadoes. But it was still surprising to me how aggressive 4DX chose to be when it came to these vehicle sections. A car careening into frame would cause my chair to try and launch me from it.
We come to our first problem. Consistency, or lack thereof. The 4DX system has lots of gimmicks at its disposal, but none of them were used in any logical way. For example: The seats have a little air jet next to your ears. This was used for: a weather vane being ripped off a car; a rocket firing into the sky; and someone being sucked into a tornado. Not everyone who gets sucked up, just one person. Never mind that an air jet beside your head is less a wind gust and more a loud noise.

There was a real sense of disconnection. You focus on the chair and what it will do, rather than the movie you are watching. For example, the weird “wibbly things” (I don’t know what their official name is) down at your ankles… They did their wibbly thing when drills were boring into the ground?? I’m sorry? Why?

There were, you will be surprised to hear, some good aspects. For one, the sound was cranked right up to high. This is perhaps because of all the moving parts and wind machines at work, but the pay-off was decent sound!
The water effects weren’t nearly as invasive as I had expected. Especially for a film like Twisters; I was expecting the water to be on full for most of the movie. But it was just a light sprinkle. Like someone was flicking water at you (y’know, the real cinema experience)

I will also say that the rumbling seat, even the pitching and twisting to an extent, can work. For example, when the camera (and thus the audience) are inside a moving vehicle, the rumbling works. There was one point when there’s a high impact from behind the car. With this, some sort of bar is thrust from behind your chair. Interesting!

But for any endorsement comes a litany of follies. The chairs just buck and crash around at the smallest contextual relevance. Making for a near constant crashing around during action. You are inside the car? CRASH. You are viewing another car from outside? CRASH. It is brainless foolery.

So can I recommend 4DX in any way?
Personally, no.

But I will remind you, it was a full house when I watched Twisters. There were a lot of happy faces when we all started to leave. The teenage girls were screaming and yelling, so they clearly got their money’s worth! They were also… talking throughout. And laughing at inappropriate moments. The audience generally were more reactive of the 4DX system than the movie itself. There was a particularly emotional scene that followed absolute chaos. Everyone in the theatre was too busy talking to each other about the chairs that the moment was completely ruined.
I also feel like I might have gotten a bad experience… The air vents causing a hissing noise. There was no smoke machine working. You have to ask yourself, do you want to pay more for an experience that might be broken?

I would also add, this isn’t gentle movement. If you are even of a nervous disposition, never mind having any sort of medical condition or physical ailment, don’t bother. This is a young person’s experience. Quite literally a fairground ride. Simply ask yourself: do I want my cinema seat to throw me out of itself today?

So no, this isn’t the future of cinema. If it is, allow me to be a curmudgeon: hopefully I am dead before that future arrives.




And no, I didn’t wave my hands around like an idiot.