MX4D Review

  Recently, my video production class went on a field trip to B & B Theaters in Shawnee, Kansas to experience one of only 5 MX4D theaters in the nation. MX4D theaters are intended to create an immersive sensory experience for moviegoers. The chairs move with the motion of the camera, water sprays up at you, the chair gives you a little kick when there's an impact, and it makes certain smells release from the seat. However, the seats don't have vents, so the first thing we noticed when we walked in was that the room smelled. This, however, didn't last long. We forgot about it 5 minutes into the movie. Just to clarify, we saw Justice League. In the first scene, when a robber drops a bag, the seats moved. Why? There wasn't any logical reason why you should've felt the impact of the bag. The chair movement was especially annoying in the front row. You're already looking straight up to see the screen, it doesn't help that the chair suddenly tilts forward, making it even harder to watch.  There was also a strobe light that went off for explosions and gunshots, and that actually worked for a while. But like every other feature it got annoying after about 30 minutes. When there was wind or water, the nozzles in the seats made a loud hiss/popping sound. Not only was this distracting, but it was also annoying. Plus, the water kept spraying my popcorn. Another feature in the theater was their snow machine. It was loud, so I knew when it was going off, but the snow never actually made it to the front few rows. Overall, I'd say that the MX4D features were cool initially, but long-term they actually made the movie worse. Of course, it may have just been the movie. I've been told that it was better when they were playing Thor: Ragnarok, so I might have to try it with another movie to have a better opinion of it. But really, it wasn't anything spectacular, and I actually like the normal movie theater experience better.