This review originally appeared on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s “Roll Film” movie review site (http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=219_0_6_0). Each film was also reviewed by my CBF colleague, Greg Borzo, who focused more on the bike content.
WIRED TO WIN
3 Wheels (if in Omnimax, 2 otherwise)
Any movie worth seeing is worth seeing in a theater, on a big screen and with an audience. Every time we watch a movie on cable or DVD, we’re watching a compromised version. Of course, in the real world, it’s impractical to limit our film-going to theaters, and it’s better to watch compromised versions of great films than miss them altogether. A film shot for an OMNIMAX theater, however, is a different story. Here the scope and scale of the screen is so vital to the experience that to view it outside that context means to literally be viewing a different film.
All this is a preface to my main point, which is that Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France is worth seeing, but only in its OMNIMAX format. As a film, it’s just so-so, but seen in its original format, there are scenes that take your breath away. A reminder - OMNIMAX is not simply a giant screen, as in IMAX. These movies can only be shown in specialized theaters, like the screenings we attended at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. The images are projected onto a domed interior so that the film takes up your entire field of vision.
Wired to Win is a short documentary with a split personality. It’s mostly Tour de France 101, describing the logistics of the 2003 race while showcasing featured riders. This is now the third Tour de France film we’ve reviewed (La Course en Tête and Hell on Wheels being the others), yet it’s the first not to assume a pre-existing detailed knowledge of the race on the part of the viewer.
When not on the road with Lance and friends, Wired to Win doubles as a very basic educational film. Computer graphics take the viewer through simulations of the human brain and how its electrical impulses affect the body and lead to our mental and physical functioning. Much time is devoted to the question of what makes us strive towards our goals despite great obstacles, few of which are more intense than those faced by Tour athletes.
Because Wired to Win only uses the Tour de France as a backdrop, the race itself provides only sporadic drama. Most notable is Lance Armstrong’s remarkable comeback after taking a nasty spill. French cyclist, Jimmy Caspar, suffers an injury early in the race, providing the filmmakers with an ideal opportunity to connect his recovery and return to the race with the science behind his motivation.
Were the film shown in a standard theater setting, all this would be informative, but not fascinating. What’s memorable is the visual panorama that OMNIMAX provides. A real "you are there" vibe prevails as the scenic mountains and countryside of France loom in front of and above your eyes. As the riders make sharp turns along the roads, the theater itself seems to tilt. What would otherwise seem to be cheesy graphics of brain synapses instead become a psychedelic 3D ride.
OMNIMAX is well suited to showcasing spectacles like Wired to Win. What would really be something is if some truly visionary filmmakers found a way to use the format to service the narrative as well as the visuals.
WIRED TO WIN
3 Wheels (if in Omnimax, 2 otherwise)
Any movie worth seeing is worth seeing in a theater, on a big screen and with an audience. Every time we watch a movie on cable or DVD, we’re watching a compromised version. Of course, in the real world, it’s impractical to limit our film-going to theaters, and it’s better to watch compromised versions of great films than miss them altogether. A film shot for an OMNIMAX theater, however, is a different story. Here the scope and scale of the screen is so vital to the experience that to view it outside that context means to literally be viewing a different film.
All this is a preface to my main point, which is that Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France is worth seeing, but only in its OMNIMAX format. As a film, it’s just so-so, but seen in its original format, there are scenes that take your breath away. A reminder - OMNIMAX is not simply a giant screen, as in IMAX. These movies can only be shown in specialized theaters, like the screenings we attended at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. The images are projected onto a domed interior so that the film takes up your entire field of vision.
Wired to Win is a short documentary with a split personality. It’s mostly Tour de France 101, describing the logistics of the 2003 race while showcasing featured riders. This is now the third Tour de France film we’ve reviewed (La Course en Tête and Hell on Wheels being the others), yet it’s the first not to assume a pre-existing detailed knowledge of the race on the part of the viewer.
When not on the road with Lance and friends, Wired to Win doubles as a very basic educational film. Computer graphics take the viewer through simulations of the human brain and how its electrical impulses affect the body and lead to our mental and physical functioning. Much time is devoted to the question of what makes us strive towards our goals despite great obstacles, few of which are more intense than those faced by Tour athletes.
Because Wired to Win only uses the Tour de France as a backdrop, the race itself provides only sporadic drama. Most notable is Lance Armstrong’s remarkable comeback after taking a nasty spill. French cyclist, Jimmy Caspar, suffers an injury early in the race, providing the filmmakers with an ideal opportunity to connect his recovery and return to the race with the science behind his motivation.
Were the film shown in a standard theater setting, all this would be informative, but not fascinating. What’s memorable is the visual panorama that OMNIMAX provides. A real "you are there" vibe prevails as the scenic mountains and countryside of France loom in front of and above your eyes. As the riders make sharp turns along the roads, the theater itself seems to tilt. What would otherwise seem to be cheesy graphics of brain synapses instead become a psychedelic 3D ride.
OMNIMAX is well suited to showcasing spectacles like Wired to Win. What would really be something is if some truly visionary filmmakers found a way to use the format to service the narrative as well as the visuals.
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