Quentin Tarantino, a guy who still watches his movies on VHS tape, wants to bring back old school filmmaking, and he's done it again with The Hateful Eight. But is the special roadshow engagement worth the more expensive ticket price, or should you stick to a standard digital screening?
Like with Tarantino's Grindhouse, The Hateful Eight calls back to a filmmaking tradition, in this case where movies would be shown in limited theaters before the wide release. It became much more of an event than just seeing the film at your local multiplex: programs were handed out, there were no previews, and the movie featured an overture and an intermission. Tarantino attempts to send moviegoers back in time with The Hateful Eight, and so he has emulated this roadshow experience to a tee in 100 theaters around the country. The digital versions sans all these gimmicks is now playing too, though, meaning you have the option to seek out the special showing or go for the more stripped down one for a lower price.
Each ticket to the roadshow version of the film comes with a special booklet similar to the program you'd receive when seeing a stage play. It includes behind the scenes images, character descriptions, a two page article describing the filmmaking process, and a character poster that differs depending on which booklet you get.
Once you find your seat, you'll discover that this really does feel more like seeing a Broadway show than seeing a movie. The theater is completely silent, absent any first look promos or Coke commercials. The instant we reach showtime, a title card that reads "OVERTURE" comes on screen as Ennio Morricone's beautiful score plays for several minutes. Once the music ends, the lights dim and the picture begins. No trailers. No ads for the theater's concession stand. Nothing. Oh how refreshing that is.
From there, The Hateful Eight is projected on 70mm, the special format it was also shot in. First of all, the fact that it's even shown on film is somewhat special, as the vast majority of theaters have now switched to digital projection. In the rare cases that film is still projected, it's done on 35mm rather than 70mm, the latter format allowing for a much crisper and more detailed image. Tarantino also shot The Hateful Eight in what's called Ultra Panavision 70 with an extremely wide aspect ratio of 2.76:1 compared to the typical movie's 2.39:1. In layman's terms, just imagine extending the rectangle shape of a film way further to the left and right, giving Tarantino additional space to work his magic.
The stunning nature of what the trailers hype up as "glorious 70mm" is immediately clear from the opening establishing shots, and the snowy mountains have a beauty to them that's unique to the look of pictures flickering through a projector. But if you forked over the extra cash specifically for 70mm, you might be a little disappointed when after these opening shots, nearly the entire rest of the movie takes place in dimly lit interiors, which hardly shows off the power of film. It's a bit strange Tarantino made use of 70mm for The Hateful Eight of all movies when even something like Django Unchained, with its dozens of locations and handful of amazing set pieces, could have utilized the technology more effectively.
There's a novelty to seeing 70mm projected, and given the headache the roadshow experience has already caused theaters, this will likely be one of the last movies shown that way. It may be worth seeking out for that reason alone, but that might not be quite enough for the average person to justify the higher ticket price.
What does dazzle, though, is the extremely wide 2.76:1 aspect ratio, which affects the way we view the story all throughout. Most of the movie takes place in one location: a somewhat large haberdashery full of interesting characters. Yet with more room to work with than usual, Tarantino can include so much in the frame that he normally would not have room for, resulting in shots with several characters on screen that would be far too crowded for a 2.39:1 image. We always have a very firm understanding of where everyone is in relation to one another, and we can often see a good majority of the cabin in view at once. This just adds to the theatrical quality, as what we're looking at more closely resembles a large stage over a cramped image optimized to fit small screens. That simply wouldn't be the case if Tarantino had not opted for these special lenses.
About halfway through the film, a climatic sequence takes place, after which the picture dims, the lights come on, and the word "INTERMISSION" fades in. This is an important addition that isn't just there as a throwback. The 10 minute break naturally gives everyone an opportunity to talk about what they've just seen, and the packed showing was buzzing in the hallways about the previous 90 minutes - or really, the previous five, when something insane had just occurred. Imagine an intermission after the bar scene in Inglourious Basterds. Breaking up the movie and giving the audience a breather does legitimately benefit the pacing in a big way. Without these two distinct halves, it might be much more of a slog to get through.
The last difference between the two versions is that there is about six minutes of extra footage in the roadshow screenings, including additional landscape shots and extra beats like a small bit involving a plucked chicken. If you really are committed to seeing the full movie without any cuts, this is the one you'll need to seek out, although the average viewer will hardly notice anything is missing from the digital release.
The roadshow engagement of The Hateful Eight is playing for another week, and seeing as it's only in about 100 theaters, you'll probably have to make a bit of a trek to get to a screening.. Is that necessary? Or can you just stick with your local multiplex and see the digital version? Overall, it's a mixed bag. The 70mm aspect of the film isn't actually all that impressive given the claustrophobia of most of this story, but the Ultra Panavision format is undeniably appealing and contributes to the theatrical quality. Seeing the roadshow version allows you to be swept away by this overwhelmingly giant and wide image that you can't get at your typical screening, and that's definitely the biggest draw here.
The whole thing also just feels like such a special experience that we will likely never have again. Even if you end up not loving the movie as much as some of Tarantino's past work, it's a fun night out, a unique event, and a throwback to a time when seeing movies was more special than it is today. To see the digital version is to see just another film.
If you're a huge Tarantino fan, then, the roadshow is a must. If you're a bit curious about seeing a movie in a different way and are interested in the novelty, you probably won't be disappointed. If you're going solely to marvel at the beauty of 70mm, you may be disappointed, and if you're just a casual moviegoer looking to see that new Kurt Russell western and aren't into all these theatrics, the digital version is the way to go.