It’s enough to wet your appetite, a dive into the clear, blue ocean. You can feel the cool water as mosaic schools of fish whizz past you, and a lazy octopus waves hello. Out of nowhere, a large green turtle slowly swims towards you. It seems friendly. You try going after it, but wait…you’re strapped to a seat.
This was what it felt like to watch a 5D underwater movie on a trip to Australia, a film experience that combines 3D with physical special effects that correspond to scenes. Here, seats move at will, perfume fills the hall, jets spray you with water and movie goers feel rather ridiculous wearing swimming goggles.
So when we heard about Delhi’s new 5D theatre hall Aura Magic 5D (at the ghostly empty Metropolis Mall, Gurgaon), we were excited about being silly again. We almost packed a bathing suit until we found out that a certain short titled Prehistoric Adventure was running that day. We’ll make no bones about it. Other options included Forest Adventure, Polar Roller Coaster and Strange Stories.
Shake It Baby
We bought a ticket and were ushered into a little theatre behind a shady red curtain. We settled into large seats with safety belts, and underneath each arm rest were metal rods to hang on to if the shaking got too much. Did we not mention? There’s shaking.
Our particular film (about twenty minutes long) didn’t have much of a plot: Disney-esque dinosaurs frolic, there’s an earthquake (seat shakes), a dinosaur sneezes on you (a spray comes out of nowhere), you’re trapped at the bottom of a cave, a beetle jumps out at you, and the plastic fronds under your seat move so realistically, it feels like you’re actually surrounded by insects. The visuals themselves were a little patchy and not as nice as the underwater films we’ve seen before, but the experience was fun, like being on an amusement park ride. And at the end, when the dinosaurs are in a field, there’s soft snow falling from the ceiling of the theatre, which actually melts on your jeans!
Do this as part of a mall jaunt, and certainly not more than once. Do it for a cocktail party story, do it for your kids, or maybe to win a new kind of seat. You know, for s(h)its and giggles.
Getting there: 2nd Floor, Metropolis Mall, M.G Road, Gurgaon, call 0124-4078787, Rs 180 per ticket.
