We headed out to Cineworld for the opening day of the movie Sinners in IMAX to review the movie directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther). The film stars Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther, Creed) in dual roles as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, who are trying to escape their troubled lives. Upon returning to their hometown for a fresh start, the brothers discover that a greater evil awaits them.
One of the many things that gave me excitement about seeing Sinners was the first trailer that was released. The editing of the trailer really had me chomping at the bit with anticipation to check out the movie and to see it in IMAX, as it was filmed with IMAX cameras.
Sinners opens with a young boy arriving to a church, he looks like he has been beaten up and as he walks into the church the congregation stops singing and the preacher tries to find out what happened, we then go back a day to find out what has occurred to leave this boy in such a state.
As we leap back, we are introduced to Smoke and Stack, both played by Michal B. Jordan, with some great editing and effects to bring the two brothers on the screen together as they pass a cigarette to each other with a floorless effect. This has you believing that we do have twins on the screen.
The film is a slow burn for the first half as we find out a little more about the brothers and why they are looking to buy the barn, but with any good story there is more to what meets the eye and later in the film we have a great moment in the story that brings more into the purchase of the building. But I won’t go into that as I don’t want to spoil it for you.
With the brothers getting together with friends and townsfolk to bring a night of Blues music to the community we are introduced to the players of this movie that will have you tapping you feet to the music and feeling the heart of the music pounding through the seats in the IMAX with the amazing soundtrack from Ludwig Göransson (The Mandalorian, Tenet, Black Panther). With the slow build-up to the fateful night, we are introduced to a stranger claiming to be chased down by Indians and needing shelter. This is the start of the evil that tries to enter the barn with the brothers and the townsfolk.
I have to say that the slow start to Sinners works perfectly, there is a sequence in the movie that has Sammie (Miles Caton), the boy we were introduced at the start, performing with Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) as Sammie plays we are given a voiceover that mentions that the music pulls in the past and the future. All I can say is this scene in the film gave me a big smile on my face with the visuals, music and how the sequence plays out, enticing the vampire Remmick (Jack O’Connell) to the building and giving him a task of something that he wants.
The fight for survival ramps up the movie, and we are given some rather blood-thirsty scenes that just look amazing on the IMAX screen, with several sequences opening up to IMAX’s E.A.R. (Extended Aspect Ratio) to pull you into the scenes you are watching.
I wasn’t expecting “Sinners” to unfold the way it did, but I’m really glad it turned out that way. The slow build-up prepares you for the final part of the movie, which is so intense that it had me on the edge of my seat.
The cinematography in the movie from Autumn Durald Arkapaw is stunning, and adding the IMAX Expanded Aspect Ratio scenes, which have around 25 minutes throughout the movie, is a superb touch; those moments pull you into the scenes and get you more engulfed in what is happening on screen.
The cast is great to watch, Michael B. Jordan brings enough to the brothers that you can tell them apart, and they aren’t just carbon copies of each other. Mile Caton is a joy to watch as he takes us through the story, and Delroy Lindo is always great to see on the big screen. Hailee Steinfeld, who plays Mary, was brilliant, and Jack O’Connell was a bit of a scene stealer with his portrayal of Remmick.
After seeing Sinners in IMAX, I have to say that for me it was the best option, with the exception of IMAX’s EAR scenes, Sinners was shot using a particularly narrow aspect ratio (2.76:1 vs. the standard 2.40:1), allowing IMAX’s Expanded Aspect Ratio scenes in 1.90:1 or 1.43:1 aspect ratio appear dramatically larger, resulting in a heightened immersive experience. Sinners was shot with IMAX film cameras, delivering a resolution 10x better than standard 35mm film.
If you have an IMAX near you, then this is the format that I would recommend you see Sinners in as your visuals are crystal clear and the sound is stunning.