Shaken, Soaked and Seasick: What It’s Like to Survive ‘The Odyssey’ in 4DX

There’s no question that seeing Christopher Nolan’s epic “The Odyssey” in 70mm and Imax – or both – is an expansive and breathtaking experience. But for cinephiles who have already checked off those formats on their list, what’s it like to watch the Matt Damon-starring, three-hour blockbuster in 4DX?

The seat-rumbling, water-spritzing technology, available in nearly 800 movie theaters around the world, promises a “fully immersive cinematic experience that makes you feel like you’re in the movie.” But does it really? Three intrepid Variety writers – two who had seen the movie before and one first-timer – set out on an odyssey to find out. The three sailed into Regal’s L.A. Live cinemas and were fortunately better-provisioned than Damon and his exhausted crew. Tanya stockpiled mozzarella sticks and Gatorade, while Pat smuggled in a peanut butter protein bar and a bottle of water for the three-hour tour.

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Pat was about to put in some eyedrops to prep for the long running time when the moviegoers suddenly embarked on the first stop of the epic journey: the trailer for 4DX. The seats heaved and jiggled, we were spritzed with water, we were shaken and stirred and primed for equally bouncy trailers for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Fast and the Furious” rerelease. The onslaught during the pitch for enlisting in the Navy was particularly jarring.

Then the film began. Read on to see who survived the hero’s journey.

Pat

The main selling points for 4DX are shaking seats and spraying water, with a little wind thrown in. The breeze sometimes felt like the person sitting behind me was ruffling my hair – but since it was my own co-worker, that seemed unlikely. During the many scenes of roiling seas and inevitable shipwrecks, the shaking met the action appropriately. Did it add to the experience? Kind of — we could certainly empathize with how battered and bruised Odysseus and his men must have felt after all those cursed voyages.

The water was not as bad as I had feared – I had prepared by bringing a hoodie in case of a full Sea World-esque splash zone, but the light spritzing was fairly refreshing. Nonetheless, midway through the film I took advantage of the “turn water off” button to enjoy Nolan’s ambitious filmmaking with fewer distractions. The shaking was particularly effective as the boat was being thrashed around by the whirlpool of Charybdis, one of several moments when it really matched the action onscreen. But did we really need to heave up and down every time a soldier marched into a castle? Just because you CAN shake the seats doesn’t mean you SHOULD every time there’s movement in the frame.

Overall, I enjoyed my first 4DX experience though perhaps a different and simpler film would have been a better choice. I might have liked a few more effects – the smell of pigs, or ripening cheese, perhaps. “We were all praying for forgiveness,” Damon intones in his climactic speech. In the case of 4DX filmgoers, it could be said that after three hours we were all praying mostly for our seats to hold still.

Matt

I will kick off my thoughts with a caveat — I couldn’t make it through the entire 4DX experience. I can handle pretty much any roller coaster, but three hours of movement… I’m no Odysseus!

I began getting nauseous about halfway through, and my stomach couldn’t handle the thought of experiencing the crazy water scenes that I knew were coming closer to the end of the film. But from what I was able to witness for myself, the 4DX experience was a fun, unpredictable mixture of movement happening in your seat and things happening elsewhere in the room, mainly some mist that helped set the scene when Odysseus and his men are out at sea. The audience also gets a necessary break from the constant movement during the more dialogue-heavy scenes, to be fair!

I don’t know if I would do 4DX again, especially considering the price tag compared to my beloved AMC A-List getting me into Imax and Dolby screenings at no extra cost, which both enhance the film with better sound. For “The Odyssey,” though, it was worth taking the journey, although I wouldn’t have shelled out the $36 for any other film this summer. If you’re looking to check off as many premium formats for Christopher Nolan’s epic as possible, I’d recommend watching the film once before you try out 4DX so you don’t spend your first viewing trying to parse through the very dense plot while trying not to get knocked out of your seat.

Tanya

As a frequent 4DX filmgoer (and someone who had already seen Nolan’s epic), I was fully prepared for an Odyssey-esque journey of my own. I stocked up on snacks to fuel my nearly three-hour voyage, but, much like Odysseus’ experience, eating proved to be a challenge. I attempted to dip my mozzarella stick in its accompanying sauce during what I had perceived to be a scene that did not require any motion, but our chairs suddenly jolted forward, sending my over-priced mozzarella stick to the floor. Sure, there were plenty of calmer moments to come throughout the film, but my fear of the upcoming action was enough for me to opt to stay hungry.

When I first saw “The Odyssey” in Imax 70mm, I thought to myself “This couldn’t get any better.” Seeing it in 4DX immediately proved me wrong. You’re not just immersed in the film — you’re living in it. You are battling with Odysseus’ men, dodging strikes from the Laestrygonians, breathing in actual smoke during the Battle of Troy, getting hit in the back in the same spots soldiers were pierced with arrows. You’re experiencing everything they went through — both the men of Greek legend and the actors themselves, which gives a newfound appreciation of the work that went into the film.

Above all, the best part of this experience is the energy it created in the theater. We had lived through the film together. There were subtle frightened gasps (and even shrieks of terror) during action-packed moments, and we collectively let out sighs of relief when those moments were over. I locked eyes with strangers, sharing laughs while we attempted to not fall out of our seats. We were actively in the film, and when Odysseus finally revealed he had returned to Ithaca, the entire theater erupted into applause. It felt like we had made it home too. Moments like these are hard to replicate.