Getting up at 5 am for a 240-mile drive to the cinema would normally be considered foolhardy, but when an IMAX 70mm screening of The Odyssey is the destination, the trip is well worth it.
This crazy scheme was cooked up at 11 pm on a late July weekend.
Having already seen The Odyssey on a standard cinema screen, and been blown away, the hunt was on to find an IMAX 70mm screening.
The only problem is, only three screens of this kind operate in the UK.
Two are in London, the BFI and the Science Museum, where IMAX 70mm showings of The Odyssey sold out through to the end of time.
The other is in Manchester, the Vue Printworks.
I live on the outskirts of Southampton.
Still, at least there were available showings and some seats in the second-to-last row for an 11:30 am screening seemed like a good idea.
But who could I rope into my daring scheme?
Luckily, Jason – who you may have seen chatting all things The Odyssey on an episode of Film News Blitz’s A Friendly Film Take podcast – was up for the challenge.
Even better was his willingness to drive.
So after a 5 am alarm, we set off from the south at 6:20 am, and a smooth Sunday morning drive saw us arrive in Manchester with almost an hour to spare before the screening.
This gave us ample time to take in the quite impressive 20-screen Vue Printworks cinema, order a big batch of popcorn and watch in awe as a member of staff prepared the gargantuan IMAX film reel ahead of our screening.
And then at 11:30 am we excitedly scurried in to take in an IMAX 70mm presentation for the first time.
A cinematic picture filling an entire wall from top to bottom and side to side is one thing, but in a 10-row auditorium, it’s akin to chucking on a virtual reality headset and beaming yourself straight into Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece.
The detail in the IMAX painting brought The Odyssey to life in a profound way, almost like a series of grand paintings had burst into movement.
Nolan’s daring and successful attempt to make a grand epic was all the more realised with the larger image on screen too.
It really was awe-inspiring, living up to the bill and casting any thoughts of tiredness by the wayside.
So, despite the story being familiar, the film’s set pieces known, watching The Odyssey in this way was so thrilling, it felt like watching it for the first time once again.
And on the four-hour Odyssey home, there wasn’t an ounce of regret, just time to dwell on an incredible cinematic experience.
This is watching The Odyssey the way Nolan intended.
READ NEXT – Film opinion: ‘Dune: Part Three’ could be the best film of 2026
