MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL is a followup to the 2014 live-action feature with Angelina Jolie on the wing once more as the titular dark fairy. As a special treat, the film has been carefully crafted in 4DX format to deliver an unmatched way to dive back into the enchanted world. Given the opportunity for an advance press review, we immediately took flight to seize the opportunity.
The film itself will certainly meet a varied response when it hits theaters this Friday but there’s a certain magic to this franchise and having it enhanced by 4DX is a great way to enjoy it further.
It really must be said that short of a safety spiel and a lap bar, the 4DX experience is practically a theme park experience in its own right. On first glance, it doesn’t seem entirely different than what you’re used to in a modern cineplex but these plush comfy sweats offer more than meets the eye with a wide range of motion and also the ability to vibrate.
MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL is not just a fantasy movie but also an action adventure and there’s a LOT of action courtesy of the motion-enabled seats. The motion of the seats is used with distinctive effect to create movements that vary between sweet and serene such as Aurora and Phillip’s enchanted engagement to harsh and downright seat belt-worthy when Maleficent’s fury is unleashed. Another feature we’d never experienced before with other 4DX films we’ve seen was pokers in the seat used effectively for a few brief moments in clever ways.
But moving seats aren’t the only effect to make this journey special. This is a multi-sensory experience that can include gusts of wind while swooping in and around turrets of the castle; sprinkles of water from waterfalls in the enchanted moors; puffs of smoke/fog giving an extra layer of dimension mysterious landscapes; hot air blasting on our necks while iron-workers forged their tools, and bubbles adding a sense of magical wonder in scenes with the fairies. One effect we found particularly effective was the use of scent effects which gave the theater a floral scent every single time we found Maleficent using her magic. It was a pretty neat effect to have her iconic green smoky magic also associated with a scent, it’s a clever usage of the effect that absolutely added to the film without distracting.
Plus, although we didn’t notice their usage for this picture, 4DX theaters are typically also equipped to deliver additional effects including snow and strobe effects.
You might have seen a ScreenX mega widescreen presentation or noshed on over-priced eats in a dine-in theater, but if you haven’t experienced a 4DX format picture before, you’re truly missing out on a really fun way to enjoy blockbuster movies.
MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL opens in theaters on Friday in several formats including 4DX which you can learn more about here.
