Update, July 15: A reliable source writes in to say that The Dark Knights ending sounded crystal-clear on Friday, so there you are. (I still suspect that anyone with hearing problems will have a more humane viewing experience in 35mm.)
Thanks to a certain embargo-flouting colleague (but thanks for the sandwich at Cannes, Michael!), you may have heard that there were sound problems at last Tuesdays press screening of The Dark Knight. The movie was shown to Chicago critics—and Im told, most critics nationally—in IMAX, apparently as Christopher Nolan intended. But most moviegoers will have the option of seeing it in plain-old 35mm, and it would have been nice to have gotten a comparison. People have been asking me which way they should see the film, and the short answer is: I dont know.
The sound problems were likely specific to Navy Pier, and have, according to our Warner contact, been corrected. A critic who saw it in IMAX in New York tells me that he didnt have trouble hearing dialogue, as we did, but that the film as a whole seemed "strangely mixed." To my ears, at the first Chicago screening there were a half-dozen lines where music or sound effects overwhelmed the actors, particularly in the loudly scored final scene—but even then, I felt like I got the gist. So I was surprised at the subsequent flurry of e-mails from the Chicago Film Critics Association, in which some colleagues claimed they couldnt hear one-quarter of the movies lines.
In response to the complaints, Warner Bros. scheduled another screening last Friday. I was able to watch the first hour again and thought it sounded the same or better, although without seeing the final scene its difficult to say for sure. (The publicist who was there tells me no one reported any problems.) The hectic, deafening bass seems to be part of Nolans design, and Gary Oldman, for instance, doesnt enunciate clearly during even the quietest scenes. In other words, it sounded more or less all right to me, though that doesnt mean it will sound all right to you.
This much I can surmise:
1) Warner Bros. has alerted Navy Pier to any possible problems, so theyre on the case.
2) A hasty, informal survey of a few colleagues suggests that everyones aural experience of the film was slightly different, regardless of seat location.
3) I wouldnt write off IMAX because it is an exciting way to see the film. The movie makes superb use of Chicago, particularly in action scenes, and its a kick to see familiar locations Gothamized on the big screen. (That said, since Nolan shot only part of the film in IMAX, the alternation between aspect ratios—IMAX sequences were shot in 1.44:1, while the rest of the film is in 2.35:1—is a bit distracting.)
4) If you have any hearing problems at all, youll probably be safer with standard 35mm.
Wish I could say for sure.
