In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus and his men arrive on a beach in search of provisions and find an unpleasant surprise in the form of angry giants, who proceed to kill a bunch of the men.
Much like the Greeks’ deadly surprise, a handful of unfortunate moviegoers are sailing blindly into treacherous waters with fateful consequences. Some people accidentally went to see “The Odyssey” in 4DX, not realizing that the chairs shake and water sprays at them throughout the nearly 3-hour film.
I became aware that people were suffering through this mistaken adventure when a friend of mine told me it happened to him. This friend (who requested to remain anonymous due to a desire to conceal his recreational drug use as an otherwise respectable adult with a job and family) took a small dose of weed gummies and some magic mushrooms and went to see the movie by himself — and ended up begging Zeus for mercy.
He bought a ticket to an IMAX showing through the Fandango app, but when he showed up, he realized it was for a totally different theatre across town. The young ticket taker took pity on him and let him into a showing starting soon, which happened to be the 4DX version.
“There is so much action where they shake the seats, moving them up and down, side to side,” my friend said. “Even though the shakes only come in doses of seconds, you are probably in for a solid seven-ish minutes of seat shaking. That may not sound like a lot, but it is. It takes a toll on your body.”
Like Odysseus’s journey after the land of giants, things went from bad to worse. The shaking of the seats made him spill the wine he bought at the concession stand (potentially offending Dionysus).
4DX experiences in theatres have expanded in the last decade, which require special equipment and seats. This month, you could see “Minions & Monsters” or “Moana” with shaking seats and spraying mists. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” later this month, will also be in 4DX.
Variety sent several of its writers to see the film in 4D, and the experience was mixed. “You’re not just immersed in the film — you’re living in it,” wrote someone who loved it. Her colleague, however, became nauseated and left the movie early.
My friend’s narcotic-fueled journey may have been unique, but he’s not the only person out there who accidentally saw the film in 4DX. On social media, I found a handful of accounts from people who made similar mistakes, whether because they didn’t know what 4DX meant when they bought the tickets or didn’t notice it when purchasing through an app.
Tim Matishek thought he had bought a regular, non-IMAX ticket when he went to see “The Odyssey” at a theatre near New York’s Union Square this week by himself.
“I certainly thought the chairs felt off, and was surprised they didn’t recline,” Matishek told me. “I don’t mind regular seats, but I figured a Regal had them in most theaters.”
It was only when his seat started moving during the trailer for the new “Spider-Man” movie that he fully understood what he was in for. He was not happy.
It seemed like most of the audience was excited for it — or at least expected it. However, he did notice that one man left 15 minutes before the end of the film, during a climactic final fight scene where the chairs were shaking nonstop.
I asked him if he had ever been to a 4DX theatre before. “Never, and I never will again,” he said confidently.
