Summer in London doesn’t just mean picnics in the park, hazy evenings at the pub and (let’s face it) slightly warmer rain than usual. It’s also blockbuster season, when the major Hollywood studios unveil their flashiest, smashiest, most lavish product. And this summer, those big movies are going to feel more epic than ever, as Dolby Atmos makes audiences feel like they’re not just watching a film, but right there inside it.
Rather than blending sounds together into a murky sonic soup like traditional speaker systems, Dolby Atmos can project up to 64 simultaneous noises independently, creating a crisp, distinct but all-encompassing sonic landscape that more closely matches our real-life experience.
Already in cinemas are three movies taking full advantage of this immersive sonic experience: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, ‘Tomorrowland’ and ‘San Andreas’. The near-wordless post-apocalyptic chase movie ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ relies entirely on visuals and sound for its relentless impact, so choose Dolby Atmos if you want to hear every crash, skid and heart-stopping explosion.
Be whisked away to Disney’s ‘Tomorrowland’ in the company of crackpot scientist George Clooney and feel like you’ve really stepped into the world of the future. Or duck under your seat as San Francisco comes crashing around your ears in OTT disaster movie ‘San Andreas’, the film that proves conclusively that even history’s most massive earthquake is no match for the power of The Rock.
Not that most of us have a great deal of experience when it comes to, say, battling mechanised nanobot warriors from the future, as Arnold Schwarzenegger is called upon to do in the sci-fi sequel ‘Terminator Genisys’. But we’re pretty sure that, in the unlikely event of that happening, Dolby Atmos will have prepared you to know exactly what it would sound like.
Or if you’re looking for something a little more family-friendly, take the kids along to Pixar’s incredible ‘Inside Out’, a heartwarming comic adventure that takes place entirely within the mind of an 11-year-old girl. But if you leave the film with an unexpected desire to weave loom bands and watch ‘Friday Download’, please don’t blame Dolby Atmos.
Two massive Marvel movies will also exploit Dolby Atmos to its full potential this summer. Enter a painstakingly created world of microscopic sound in ‘Ant-Man’, as Paul Rudd’s unlikely superhero is shrunk down to the size of an insect. Was that a helicopter or a wasp that just flew over?
In ‘Fantastic Four’, join a team of high-school kids who teleport to a parallel dimension and return with amazing powers. Trust us, you’ve not experienced a fantastical, effects-crammed good vs evil punch-up until you’ve heard it in Dolby Atmos.
And there’s more. ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ promises a more gritty, down-to-earth take on the international spy genre, as Tom Cruise goes head-to-head with rogue terrorist organization Syndicate. Filmed in Vienna, Marrakesh and right here in London, this will truly be a globetrotting adventure in Dolby Atmos (only with more bullet-crazed bad guys than your average package holiday).
We’re back on home turf once again in Guy Ritchie’s Cold War thriller ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ Based on the classic ’60s spy series, this promises ice-cool action, snappy dialogue, ultra-sharp suits and some finger-popping classic tunes on the soundtrack – feel the beat in your seat with Dolby Atmos.
Or if that’s just too old-school, why not go back to the future – or forward to the past? – with bizarre comedy adventure ‘Pixels’, in which Earth is invaded by alien life forms disguised as ’80s video game characters. Hear every bleep, blurp and infuriatingly catchy 16-bit arcade anthem in the sharpest sound possible – but again, don’t blame Dolby Atmos if you end up whistling the theme from ‘Tetris’ for a week afterwards.
Find a Dolby Atmos cinema near you or go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/locations.
