Why would anyone see a movie more than once?

After a bad experience, I once swore I would never watch a movie in the cinema again.

I'm a little embarrassed to say that this year, I've seen three movies twice in the cinema.

My excuse is that they were in different formats. I saw The Avengers and Prometheus in 2D and Imax 3D.

Yesterday, I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 3D HFR after already seeing in Imax 3D. I almost fell asleep a few times the second time around.



But I was curious about the 48fps High Frame Rate technology after reading a lot of criticism for the new format.

Some viewers complained that it was too "realistic", making them nauseous. Others griped that it made the movie sets look like movie sets, which takes you out of the movie.



I would compare HFR to watching Blu-ray after a lifetime of watching standard-definition DVDs. It's like watching a giant giant high-def TV in the cinema.

Which I guess is the problem for some people. They don't want to watch TV in the cinema. They want to see a "film".

It's ironic because for years, TV has been trying to look like film and now a film is made to like TV, albeit high-def TV.

I actually prefer the HFR format. Everything is shinier, sharper and clearer.

I don't see it being applicable for all movies though, just like 3D isn't, but I would like to see more of these big CGI special-effects extravaganzas made in HFR. I wonder if that is likely after the technology's mixed reception.



Now I just have to resist the urge to see The Hobbit in Imax 3D HFR.

I definitely won't be able to stay awake the third time around.