NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience (PG) (40 min.) - Bring your earplugs to this gigantic tribute to one of America's most popular sports. Warner Bros. enters the IMAX game with a can't-miss proposition, offering millions of NASCAR fans an inside peek at racetrack culture in the most enormous, loudest movie format. For gearheads, this is heaven.
Director Simon Wincer (Free Willy) takes viewers from sleek garages where these automotive beasts are created and into the pits and roll cages for distinctly different yet unavoidably linked examples of speed. Longtime NASCAR fans may consider some of the material old hat, but some fascinating footnotes explain the physics of racing, such as drafting behind other cars, or simple variations that can make a difference on shorter or higher-banked tracks.
The movie begins with a brisk history of stock car racing, from its roots on Daytona Beach through the long list of heroes, from Junior Johnson to the Petty and Earnhardt dynasties. Risks are made clearer, and personalities make their consequences more tragic. The movie democratically dishes out reverence for today's stars, not wanting to offend anyone's loyalties.
Above all, Wincer captures the pageantry of NASCAR, from its colorful uniforms and sponsor logos to the idol worship proudly demonstrated by millions of fans. The weekly gatherings of race enthusiasts in campers on the infield, a commune of carburetor buffs, are enticing to witness. This movie could make a NASCAR fan out of anyone, even those wags who wonder what these drivers would do if they had to make a right turn. Grade: A
