It was a double movie night to Cineworld in Broughton the other night starting with Disney Pixar’s Onward in 4DX & RealD 3D the preview screening was a great way to watch a movie.
The new animated movie directed by Dan Scanlan (Monsters University) tells the wonderfully funny and emotional story of two teenage elf brothers, Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt) who go on an journey to discover if there is still a little magic left in the world in order to spend one last day with their father, who died when they were too young to remember him.
Now with almost any Disney/Pixar movie you know that you are going to get something special and Onward in RealD 3D 4DX is no exception right from the very start of the film, after The Simpsons short, you have that feeling that Onward is going to a film that will not only be a delight to watch but also fun to be part off, but I’ll get on to the RealD 3D and 4DX aspects of the film a little later.
Onward is another in a long line of movies that is fantastic to watch for all ages, the chemistry of the lead characters played by Holland and Pratt work wonderfully on the big screen, as does the look of the characters as well, the CGI used in Onward brings the characters and the world they live into life in such a wonderful way that you do seem to forget after a while that you are watching a digitally created movie.
As I mentioned earlier Onward is a brilliant film for all ages and the story is such a simple but personal one that as it progresses you laugh and almost cry, almost everyone has lost someone close and the film certainly touched on my emotions as I last my father at a young age so the story that the director/writer based it on from his own experience has a powerful content that works on your emotions.
Although Onward is mainly about the two lead characters there are some brilliant other characters that are brought into the story along the way such as Colt Bronco (Mel Rodriguez) and The Manticore which is brilliantly voiced by Octavia Spencer, also listen out for the very talented Tracy Ullman as a rather crazy shopkeeper and not forgetting John Ratzenberger in his 22nd Pixar movie to name but a few.
When it comes to Disney/Pixar movies it’s brilliant to see families coming into the cinema to watch them and Onward certainly had those, the front seats of the cinema had a family with smallish children watching the film, it looks like it was their first RealD 3D and 4DX film as the children lifted their hands up to touch the 3D effects as well as laughing out loud when the 4DX effects kicked in, now this is what going to the cinema is about, enjoying family time together.
Onward in RealD 3D and 4DX
So as I mentioned the screening of the film was in RealD 3D 4DX which are two of my favourite formats when visiting the cinema, kicking off with the RealD 3D it works like a charm with so many scenes having a great usage of depth and giving a special touch to some of the moments when Ian (Holland) is casting magic. Sometimes in a movie, and especially in the early days of 3D, you would have those “poke you in the face” style scenes and thankfully there are none of those in Onward, the 3D is all done with good taste and used perfectly for the film.
Adding to the RealD 3D we have the 4DX as well, as many of you know I’ve been checking out a good few movies in this format lately and some like Onward in 3D as well, the 4DX is brilliant in this film, it’s not overused and not too active so that you get thrown out of your seat. Not only do we get the seat movements, we have the effect of flashes of light during moments that Ian casts spells, there is also smoke, water, wind and I think there was a usage of scents as well. This all brings the experience of watching the film an being part of it.
A Magical Journey in RealD 3D and 4DX
Movie title: Onward (2020)
Movie description: Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there.
Date published: March 6, 2020
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 42
Director(s): Dan Scanlon
Actor(s): Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Summary
A magical family movie that will delight all ages and touch the heartstrings, this is a movie that will have you laughing out loud and in tears.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
