User reviews

There would be no point in denying that "NASCAR: The IMAX Experience" loses a little something in its transference to the small screen. However, it's still an eye-popping documentary for both die-hard racing fans and those viewers who know little or nothing about the sport - although the hardcore aficionados might wish there had been a little less talk on the soundtrack and a little more action on the racetrack to make the experience a more compelling and complete one.

This comes as a bit of a surprise, especially considering the fact that the film was originally shot in the 3-D IMAX format. One might reasonably expect that the movie would be little more than a succession of speeding cars and hurtling objects aimed directly at the stunned eyes of the audience. Not so, for the movie actually spends far more time on the nuts-and-bolts, behind-the-scenes aspects of NASCAR than on the racing itself. The film provides a brief background on the organization's less-than-savory moonshine roots, then proceeds to fill us in on various aspects of the sport itself, including the construction, specifications and testing of the cars, the training of the pit crews, the loyalty of the fans, etc. It also takes time out to honor the memory of the late racing great Dale Earnhardt, although due to the film's rather meager 49 minute running time, the tribute, like virtually everything else in the movie, comes across as a little more halfhearted and perfunctory than, perhaps, in all good conscience, it should.

To get most of the racing shots, director Simon Wincer strapped his camera crew into vehicles of their own in order to provide audiences with an experience as close to the real thing as possible. The majority of these sequences come in the last ten minutes or so of the film. As with all IMAX productions, the clarity and beauty of the picture is, indeed, a wonder to behold, with the colors literally leaping off the screen in many-hued splendor. Even without 3-D glasses and a two-story sized screen, this is a great visual experience. Now if they could have just shown a little more racing

I really liked what was in the movie, but what ruined it for me was how short it was. Although at least 5 minutes of the movie is spent looking at fans (most particularly American women) i believe it was very informative and interesting. If you need time to kill before a date then this is a must see. If you enjoy big crash scenes, constant action, and hot shot rookies you will not enjoy this. As strained in the summary this movie was intelligently produced but needed more time to be further gone into, in other words perhaps a further explanation of a few things would make this movie better. I know its a imax movie and was made to be short but i still stand by opinion. Worth the trip to the video rental place, but not the video store.

We saw the NASCAR 3D IMAX movie in Nyack, NY. I was somewhat disappointed in that much of the live racing action was not in 3D, but was super-imposed as a window. The movie itself was about an hour long, not much for 10 bucks. Basically, it's a historical review of NASCAR. I'd think you really have to be into NASCAR to entirely enjoy it. However, those that haven't seen a 3D IMAX movie will be impressed. There was a positive too. With the admission ticket you could take a free "ride" on the NASCAR silicon raceway. This normally retails for $8.50. They don't advertise it though. So, if you're at the Palisades Mall, or have a virtual NASCAR facility in your area you may want to check it out.

As a die hard NASCAR fan, this movie was unbelievable! The images look so crystal clear, you could almost feel the the texture of the asphalt as you ride along. Great 3D effect, though towards the end I had a slight headache due to eye strain. The sound was the most authentic reproduction of a NASCAR race I've ever heard. The engines roar as loud and beefy as being at the track. Certainly a must see. Even the non-NASCAR fans will enjoy it and perhaps become interested in the greatest sport in the world. Only one thing that bothered me about the film was the fact that there are certain things that you wanted to see in focus... that weren't (hence the eye strain headache). If you can get a seat in the back of the theater...perhaps the eye strain would be less. Other than that... it's the best IMAX movie out there now. A must see, and I'm buying a copy when it hits the shelves on DVD. Not just 2 thumbs up... all ten digits up!

Nascar 3-D: The IMAX Experience is truly an experience that I will never, ever forget. This is actually the first movie I have seen at an IMAX theatre and believe me guys, I did not regret driving 100 miles to see this. This has got to be one of the most incredible experiences that I have ever... experienced!! And the 3-D picture made this movie 10 times better because I sometimes forgot it was only a movie and I actually thought the cars were gonna hit me!! I even braced for impact!! It was just so real that... I still can't believe it!!

Nascar 3-D: The IMAX Experience was not only an enjoyable movie to watch. It also touched me in a way that I never felt before. Since the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001, I have respected Nascar and the drivers a lot more. While I watched this movie, I kept flashing back to the moment when Earnhardt hit the wall on the final turn of the Indianapolis 500. I am still haunted by that moment. And I probably will be for a long time to come.

In conclusion, all Nascar fans need to see this movie. You will really enjoy it for not only the action but also for the science behind Nascars and how they work and for many, many more things. This movie is not just for Nascar fans. I believe everybody will enjoy this film. My sisters were 4 years old at the time when they saw it and they were having the time of their life!! So go see this movie. You will enjoy it immensely and you will remember it for a long, long time.

First of all I am not a fan of Nascar, I do follow the odd Formula One race, but living in Europe, Nascar is something I may happen to see playing at five in the morning on one of the sport shows, or is a sport I prefer to play on the Playstation. As a cultural phenomenon, a thrill sport, or a symbol of national prestige (as so many American sports tend to be) it goes entirely over my head.

Now Nascar IMAX was something I was looking forward to, yes I actually thought that the promise of seeing these races in 3D would make me appreciate some of the dynamics of the sport. Alas no, or at least this is not the movie that will achieve this end. The movie is slow, with very few action scenes, doesn't look that great in 3D and is heavily dependant on dialogue. These should be basic no,no's for an IMAX movie, and yet some bright spark continues to invest heavily in such banal material.

I do long for the day when IMAX equipment will be put into the hands of a true master of cinema, I remember watching Nascar thinking, "with all this technology, all this money, the best they can do is deliver a weak documentary about racing cars?". I guess IMAX could be the next frontier of cinema, and with the way cinema is heading, this can not come any sooner. Alas, Nascar IMAX is not the one that's gonna take IMAX to the edge. So I guess the IMAX gauntlet remains unraised. Any takers??

VVVRRRRRrrroooommm! The thunderous sounds at a typical NASCAR race should be unforgettable for anybody that has seen a race on TV or live at the stadium.

The excitement of watching cars drive around at almost 200 mph is lost on some, but for some people it's become almost a religion.

NASCAR, an acronym for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, is the subject of the latest IMAX phenomenon, "NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience." However, the film seems to be made primarily for educating the general public.

Not that that's a bad thing. The film deals with all possible aspects of NASCAR racing, so even NASCAR enthusiasts might learn something. Director Simon Wincer, the man that brought us the "Lonesome Dove" miniseries, brings us a film that makes us almost all of us care about the sport, NASCAR fan or not.

The script, written by Sports Illustrated NASCAR correspondent Mark Bechtel, is typical documentary fare, with interviews, stock footage, and a lot of factual information.

The first half of the movie deals largely with the history of NASCAR. The movie opens with a dramatized chase through the North Carolina wilderness, thus setting up the evolution of the sport that would eventually become NASCAR.

Following the discussion of the 1947 conference that laid the foundations of NASCAR, the film goes on to talk about some of the (relatively) early NASCAR greats: Junior Johnson, Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and of course, Dale Earnhardt.

Yes, they do have footage from the 2001 race that killed NASCAR's greatest star. Though they don't actually show the crash, they do make reference to it. Anybody watching the film with a more-than-mild interest in NASCAR had better expect an emotional reaction. The crash serves as a bridge linking the first half to the second half: How NASCAR Works.

This film goes through everything you can think of, from the engineers in garages building car frames and engines to the pit crews training 38 out of the 52 weeks a year.

The film discusses the importance of teams, how a typical race works, and even what the fans are like. People that know nothing about NASCAR would learn a lot from this film.

Okay, so there¡¦s nothing really special about the script, but that's not where this film excels. "NASCAR 3D" makes the most of the IMAX technology, and the filmmakers know it. "NASCAR 3D" is one of the few IMAX movies that have the IMAX specs right on the poster.

The film's remarkable cinematography puts you right into the action. Cars zoom past camera placed on the track. Cameras inside the car allow you to see what the driver sees. Aerial shots show exactly what a mob of 120,000 people looks like. The list goes on.

The editing job is top notch. Rapid editing gives viewers the impression that there is a lot more going on in the race than cars racing around a racecourse. An impressive sequence where stock footage of a crash is repeated all over the screen can best be described as awe-inspiring.

The IMAX sound technology is put to good use. The sound of roaring engines is strong enough to rumble the seats. Good luck in finding that same effect in movie theaters.

However, there is a surprisingly large amount of relatively quiet moments present in the film, so the rumble effect isn't used that often. This isn't actually that bad. After all, there is probably a limit to how much a person can stand to be vibrated.

The technological strengths of this movie make up for the blandness of the screenplay, making "NASCAR 3D" one of those rare documentaries that can keep viewers interested the whole way through.

If you're already a NASCAR fan, then "NASCAR 3D" is probably near the top on your must-see list. Well, I'm not so sure about what everybody had expected, but I suppose it's safe to say that it lives up to everybody expectations. If you're not a NASCAR fan, then "NASCAR 3D" is still a worthy piece of entertainment.

So "NASCAR 3D" is must-see material. The problem is finding a theater that plays it, as there are only 75 IMAX theaters in North America carrying "NASCAR 3D".

I got a box of 20 IMAX movies at a Christmas gift exchange and this was the one with the least amount of appeal to me. I've never been interested in sports or cars. In watching cars race, there's no thought required, no deep meaning. You're just supposed to be impressed by shiny fast things. This is a movie about racing cars so it will be of little interest to me.

A lot of it is talk, or the movie focuses on the mechanics of making the cars. All of this might appeal to people interested in mechanics, but not me. Some of it talks about the fan base. I heard these people say NASCAR is great, but I still don't see why. There are only a couple interesting facts of science sprinkled into the film, only a couple of attention-grabbing crashes. Nothing to get too excited about.

Not only to you get to see, hear and sometimes feel the excitement of being at a race:

You also get to see things from the drivers perspective.

One thing that I really liked was Keifer Sutherlands commentating and getting the chance to learn a lot about this great sport.

If you haven't been to a race, you cannot appreciate the power of the awesome 800 horsepower engines.

The sites, sounds and smells of being at the track are something that you have to witness in person at least once!

I really hope this movie is released for DVD - that's where it belongs when it's all said and done!

Who has been to the IMAX lately? well I certainly haven't, but I decided to go because I'm a really big fan of Nascar and with it being on a larger 3-D screen for all the effects and what not, I think they out did themselves by putting this film into an IMAX version. I ended up taking my son, he's really into the racing like, so he really enjoyed the different atmosphere for the 3-D experience. Atfirst I couldn't recognize the voice of the narrator but then it dawned on my that it was Keifer Sutherland that was the voice. I'm surprised to see him in so many movies now-a-days. If I'm right, I think I saw a tv preview that he's on Taking lives? He's getting out to adventure in a wide range of movies it seems. I'd see this movie if my son wanted to see it again.

First, I confess I'm a HUGE fan of the IMAX format. I also admit to being a fan of racing (although I also admit I'm not a huge fan of "go straight, turn left, go straight again...repeat for 500 miles" type racing). Having said that, if it's got some kind of propulsion unit and goes fast, I'm there!

So, it didn't take much incentive to get me to travel from central NJ to Exit 24 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to see this movie. Even the thought of shelling out $55 for the five of us to see it (advanced purchase tickets via Fandango) didn't dissuade me. Was it worth it? IMHO, you bet!

The 3-D effect has been perfected. You are there. If you don't like loud noise, don't go! I've never been to a NASCAR race, as our two adult fan-sons have, but they tell me the noise at the track is so loud, it's palpable. Even IMAX's multi-thousand watt setup doesn't really do it justice, they say. I think I got the idea, though.

Kiefer Sutherland performs his lines well. The script is pretty much secondary to the action, although there are some moments of genuine nostalgia (perhaps even melancholy) triggered by some of the images.

Funny footnote: just as the picture was beginning, two rednecks in the audience started shouting at each other, "I can't hear the daggone movie cuz your kid's jabberin' away!" "Oh yeah, come over here and say that!" My sons said "Gee, it's just like in the grandstands!" At least they didn't start shooting....

Of course, once the action starts, who would have heard a gun go off?!

The lights went down, and the IMAX presentation started. We activated our goggles, and the guard rails came down. It felt a little strange at first, the weight of the goggles, the feeling of being strapped in by the bar, more like a roller coaster than a movie... Then the movie started, and what a ride! A documentary like no other, "NASCAR: 3D" captured race history to raceday in a method so akin to natural storytelling, that my jaw was permanently dropped. Placing the viewer behind the driver at 230+ miles per hour, in the grandstand, in the pits, and behind the scenes makes you feel like you are more than just there, it makes you feel like you are in the race and part of the history. See this movie. It's a true movie experience.

If you love stock car racing, you'll absolutely LOVE this movie... if you don't love stock car racing, after seeing NASCAR 3D, you WILL -- you won't be able to help yourself! It's so seductive I'm ready to hop the next flight to NC, and head out to the races myself. This is a sharply produced, technologically AMAZING, visually stunning sensory immersion that's been executed with the same grace and precision as the jaw-dropping choreography of a NASCAR race pittstop. Call me PENELOPE!

PS: AWESOME soundtrack,

The coolest 3-d I've ever seen. You want to be at Daytona? How about sitting in the middle of the track as Gordon, Stewart, Junior, Busch, Kennseth and the rest of the crew blaze right past you doing 190. Talladega, Rockingham. It's all here. It is a real rush and literally puts you right in the middle of all things that are Nascar. And the things that make Nascar great. Truly the 3-d must be seen to be believed. I'm going again. A great flick. The only problem I have is it moves a little too quickly and tells you a little about everything. Keifer Sutherland does a good job as the narrator, but his monotone voice is a little too subdued. I'd rather have DW calling it. Boogity Boogity Boogity! I'm above a casual fan, but not a diehard and I absolutely loved it.

What a great film! Being from Australia, I was not a huge fan of NASCAR racing but I'm certainly aware of how big it is in the States. If I come across a NASCAR race on cable I will usually stop and watch it 'till the end. It's always great racing but TV just does not do it justice. I was not prepared for how exciting this film would be. From the first explosive sound of the engines starting to the closing credits, there was not one second of wasted film. I was fascinated by the celebrity of the drivers, the skill of the pit crew and the technical brilliance of the engineers, not to mention the passion of the spectators. If I ever get to the States I will visit one of the big circuits and revel in the spirit of the sport. NASCAR 3D on IMAX....Worth every cent.

If any does not watch nascar races and would like to know more about this is the movie to see. If you can not afford to go to a race or do not know where the races are you NEED to see this movie. Go see the movie it is real. I feel that this movie is the true way nascar needs to be seen on the BIG screen and very LOUD. The 3D effects rock you could reach out and touch the cars that have 800 horsepower the sound of 12000 watts of digtial will shake you in your seat. I have been to a real race in Texas and ther is no other event that would come close to being there live as this movie brings you closer to the action behind pit wall and in the middle of the track. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!

I kept wanting to touch the images, especially in the opening sequence. This movie just has to be seen to be believed. It literally picks you up and sets you right down onto the track. I thought I was sitting on that banked oval!. The sound was excellent also as I kept turning to tell some patrons to be quiet. Then I quickly found out the voices were part of the 'surround' dialog. Ear-blowing as well. The sound could have been a bit louder, but you can't have it all. And Keifer Sutherland's narration was, well--Keifer Sutherland. You can't go wrong with him in any role. I could sum this film in 5 words or less, but IMDB needs 10 lines for my review. What can I say? I give N3D a perfect 10 as a 'documentary' movie. Now I want the IMAX 3D experience at home...dang!