Suicide Squad in 4DX

Originally published in September for a work monthly newsletter

Suicide Squad in 4DX

It’s so easy to watch a film these days. For the price of a cinema ticket you can access any number of streaming services such as Netflix or Now TV and have access to literally hundreds of movies right at your fingertips. You can watch them anywhere you like too. At home, on the bus, while dealing with your personal business on the toilet even! With this ease of access, cinemas have to find a way to entice you out of the house and into the cinema seats. Cineworld Renfrew Street’s latest solution is 4DX, a way of not just going to the movies but “being in” the movies. At least, that’s what the adverts say. 4DX uses techniques like motion controlled seats, fog, lightning, smells and water to make you feel like part of the action. But is it worth the £16 per ticket? Does it add to the movie going experience or is it just another gimmick?

The first film showing in 4DX is “Suicide Squad” the latest film from DC comics. Starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot this is the story of Task Force X, a group of expendable super villains put together by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to do the governments dirty work. It’s the kind of work that’s likely to get you killed. If the mission doesn’t kill you, Amanda Waller might. Each of the villians have an explosive implanted into their necks which, with a touch of a button, will remove them from the team, permanently! Their first mission, use any means necessary to stop the potential apocalypse caused by a supernatural entity. With a team consisting of Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), Katana (Karen Fukuhara), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) they need to find a way to work together to save the world and their own necks. Oh and did I mention the Joker, played by Jared Leto, is running lose as well?

The film doesn’t stray far from the typical ensemble action film. Each of the team is given a chance to show what they can do then off we go to the big fight.  It’s a good fun enjoyable film but does 4DX do anything to improve the experience? Well, yes and no. The idea behind 4DX is to enhance the viewing experience and not distract from it. You should be aware the effects are there, but not be over powered by them. In the majority of occasions 4DX does this well. The breeze in your face during a car chase, the whole screen lighting up when lightning strikes, and the motion of the seats for instance really help to make you feel part of the film. But sometimes it’s too much. When there’s so much gunplay on screen I could do without the blasts of air from the back of the seat reminding me that bullets are being fired. All in all though, its early days for 4DX and as they learn how best to use the effects it could make that trip to the cinema worthwhile. Let’s face it, short of getting your mate to squirt you in the face with a water pistol, you won’t get the same experience watching Netflix! 4DX is available at Cineworld Renfrew Street.