D-Box Review

Movie theatres across the world have been trying to get people to come with gimmicks to make it more like a theme park. Most people have already experienced this with 3D. One that is a little  more expensive and a little less common is D-Box, which I had the opportunity to experience while watching "Need for Speed."

For those who do not know what it is, D-Box is a special seat in the theatre that is programmed to move in sync with what is going on in the film. It is quite remarkable technology. Programmers actually go through the film and coordinate the motions to each scene as explained in this video:



NOTE: The video ends at a very weird point. It is more than likely a segment of a larger feature.

Like 3D, it tries to make the movie theatre something it is not: an amusement park ride. With 3D, things are supposed to either pop out or add depth. Most of the movies that are filmed with the extra dimension do not take advantage of this because they still have a story that needs to be told about other people. With theme parks, it is more natural because they deal with the audience. Often in 3D rides, the audience is a main character. That is not the case with the movies. We are watching other characters do things rather than watching a moment we are supposedly involved in.

With D-box, it is supposed to be a mini-flight simulator like "Star Tours" in Disneyland. In that ride, it is the same concept as most of the 3D attractions. The audience members are involved because they are main characters riding in a spaceship. In movie theatres, it is different. Even in films like "Need for Speed," the audience is not constantly in a car driving around. It is a story about other people in the car. The shots are not constantly on the road. Many of them are focused on the drivers.

Furthermore, in "Star Tours" the flight simulator moves people forward. In D-Box, while the seat can rumble, it cannot actually go anywhere, and it does not feel like the sensation of driving.

However, that is not to say it does not enhance the overall cinematic experience. It does. In one scene, a car is flipped high in the air, and the way the chair moves in sync with it feels surreal. Rather than casually watching, it puts into perspective the horror of being in a situation like that.

While the audience is not a character in most films, the best ones can put the audience in the characters' place. If it is doing its job, the film should make us feel it. A great movie that does this is "Captain Phillips." It is based on a true story about a cargo ship that is taken over by pirates. Hearing this on the news does not capture the pure terror of the situation the way a well-done movie can, and that is what I liked about that movie.

D-Box is just another way for us empathize with the characters. If something is supposed to be intense, the chair makes it even more powerful. It has the potential to make badly-written films bearable. I just hope it does not encourage lazy writing because of this.

So the main question is "is it worth the high cost?" The price of a D-Box ticket is a whopping eight dollars on top of the original cost. If you have a little extra cash, and you want to try it out for curiosity's sake, it is worth it at least once. While it is not always necessary, it does add to the overall experience.