Nolan’s The Odyssey gives 4DX seats a three-hour workout
Variety staff tried Christopher Nolan’s Matt Damon epic in 4DX, where moving seats, mist and smoke turned Homer’s voyage into a bumpy theater ride.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Christopher Nolan’s three-hour The Odyssey is already a big-screen endurance test in 70mm and Imax. In 4DX, according to Variety, it becomes something closer to a sea voyage with cupholders.
Variety writers Pat Saperstein, Matt Minton and Tanya Fedak watched the Matt Damon-led blockbuster at Regal’s L.A. Live in Los Angeles to test the format, which uses moving seats, water sprays, wind and other in-theater effects. The 4DX system is available in nearly 800 cinemas worldwide, according to Variety.
The format got busy before Nolan’s film even began. Variety reported that the 4DX promo shook the seats and sprayed water, followed by bouncy trailers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day and a rerelease of The Fast and the Furious. A Navy recruitment spot also came with forceful motion, the writers said.
A bumpy trip to Ithaca
Saperstein wrote that the core 4DX effects during The Odyssey were seat motion, water and wind. He said the movement lined up well with the film’s shipwrecks and violent seas, especially during the Charybdis whirlpool sequence.
The water effects were milder than he expected, according to his account. Saperstein brought a hoodie in case the screening turned into a splash-zone situation, but described the mist as light enough to be refreshing. Halfway through, he used the seat’s water-off button so he could watch with fewer distractions.
He was less sold on every rumble. Saperstein questioned why the seats needed to lurch during smaller bits of screen movement, including soldiers entering a castle, and said the format may have been better suited to a less dense film.
One writer tapped out
Minton did not make it to the end of the 4DX screening. He wrote for Variety that he began feeling nauseated about halfway through, despite being comfortable on roller coasters, and left before the later water-heavy scenes he knew were coming.
From the portion he saw, Minton described the 4DX presentation as a mix of seat movement and room effects, with mist helping sell the scenes at sea. He also noted that dialogue-heavy passages gave the audience a break from the motion.
The price made him hesitate about returning. Minton said the screening cost $36 and compared that with his AMC A-List access to Imax and Dolby screenings at no extra charge. For Nolan completists, he suggested seeing The Odyssey once in another format before trying 4DX, so the story is easier to follow while the chair is throwing itself into the drama.
Mozzarella down, crowd up
Fedak, a regular 4DX moviegoer who had already seen The Odyssey in Imax 70mm, had the most enthusiastic verdict. She stocked up on snacks for the long runtime, but said eating became risky when her chair jolted and sent a mozzarella stick to the floor.
She wrote that the 4DX effects made the film feel more immediate, citing smoke during the Battle of Troy, movement during attacks by the Laestrygonians and seat impacts timed to arrow strikes. The strongest effect, she said, was the shared audience reaction.
Fedak reported gasps, shrieks, laughter between strangers and applause when Odysseus revealed his return to Ithaca. For her, the room’s energy turned the screening into a communal ride, not just another premium-format showing.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.