The Tameside Radio presenter and avid film fan transports us back to 1999 (remember then?) and talks about different viewing experiences when you take in a movie at the cinema...

Imagine a world long before the pandemic. Oh, what a glorious thought. No rows about face coverings or Covid passports. No headlines about illicit Zoom quizzes and gatherings whilst London was in Tier 3 restrictions. A less polarised time in many ways.

I rewound back to 1999 this week at Cineworld Ashton and went to see the original Matrix film. 

I wanted to familiarise myself with it before the new Matrix Resurrections movie, which comes out next Wednesday, and again features Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, neither of whom seem to have aged as rapidly as I have in the intervening 22 years.

As well as reliving the days of Nokia banana phones and floppy discs full of classified information being exchanged for thousands of dollars, I wanted to experience a new (ish) way of watching a film - 4DX. I’ve seen trailers for it and been a bit sceptical, especially since I watch Bohemian Rhapsody on Screen X and found it a little underwhelming.

To explain, Screen X is a ‘wrap around’ screen experience, where some of the action takes place to your left and right as well as in front of you. I found that gimmicky and, well, a bit rubbish. 4DX, however, is a different story!

I was quite relieved to be watching the Matrix alone at a Tuesday lunchtime screening, as I giggled my way through the experience. The seats move rather like a rollercoaster, and various other things happen to awaken your senses and make you feel like you’re in the movie. A helicopter takes off and you feel a rush of wind blowing into your face. A fight scene explodes on the screen and you feel a prod in your back, a bit like a child kicking your seat. Guns fire with gusto, and there are blasts of air in your ears!

There is always a danger I’ll have a mini nap at a lunchtime screening, as I get up very early for my Tameside Radio breakfast show. 

No danger of that at a 4DX screening! The only thing missing was water, which apparently does spray in your face at some films. I was quite relieved about that to be honest. There was also a bit of smoke a couple of times too.

In short, if you pick the right film, I’d say this really enhances the cinema experience and makes it a bit more like a trip to a theme park! 

The new Spiderman has broken all records in terms of pre-sales, according to Ana the super friendly Starbucks manager at the cinema, and this is a film that’s showing in 4DX. It’s a really clever invention and, whilst I’m not sure I’d want to see every film in this format, it’s definitely worth the uplift to your ticket price in my opinion.

As for the original Matrix, much like its stars, it has aged remarkably well. The action scenes still look fantastic, and even though I knew what was about to happen, it was still a cracking watch.

There are more classics showing between now and Christmas too, with Elf returning to the big screen, along with It’s A Wonderful Life and perhaps the ultimate festive movie... Die Hard. 

A recent poll showed almost half of people surveyed don’t think it’s a Christmas film, in a result almost as divisive as Brexit. I’m afraid they are wrong. What could be more seasonal than Bruce Willis in a dirty vest shouting ‘Yippee Ki-Yay’?

Next week I’ll be looking at my top five movies of the year, and making some predictions for some of the big films coming in early 2022. 

I’ve loved getting back to the cinema, as you can probably gather, and I hope against hope that it can continue, with sensible precautions such as face coverings. It’s a small price to pay to keep the big screen experience.

Finally, a word on Walk The Line. Has it proved that this style of TV is dead in the water? I used to love the X Factor and The Voice on a Saturday night, but having tried twice to watch Simon Cowell’s latest entertainment show, I’ve concluded it should never have got past a pilot episode. 

I’m not entirely sure what Dawn French is doing there, and the whole thing is just a bit of a mess. No wonder he’s stayed behind the scenes. I’d have pressed my red buzzer about ten minutes into the first episode if it was a Britain’s Got Talent act.

You can listen to Alex every weekday from 7am to 11am and on the 'Super Scoreboard' show on Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm, on Tameside Radio 103.6FM. 

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