In the IMAX version of “Sinners,” some sequences were shot specifically for the large format, and they fill the entire giant screen with Coogler’s visuals. That includes the unbelievable musical sequence that lets the energy of the juke club transcend time and the eclectic span of Black music stylings, as well as the film’s bloody final battle, which is where the aforementioned killer moments unfold.
Advertisement
When everything comes to a head, Stack has already been turned into a vampire by Mary, along with Smoke and Stack’s friend Cornbread (Omar Miller), and the town market owner Bo Chow (played by Yao), the latter leaving his wife Grace (Li Jun Li) distraught and angry. In fact, Grace is so upset that she puts together a Molotov cocktail and shouts, “Come on in, motherf*****s!”
Now that the vampires have a confirmed invitation, everyone else in the juke joint is forced to prepare for battle, grabbing whatever they can to defend themselves before the horde charges into the club. In this moment, as Smoke, Grace, Sammie, Delta, Annie, and a woman named Pearline (Jayme Lawson) arm themselves and stand in a line ready to fight for their survival, the film’s aspect ratio suddenly expands from the standard wide screen into the full IMAX frame, creating a visual ramp up to the blood-soaked confrontation that’s about to begin.
Advertisement
The line-up of characters and the lead-up to this fight created such a badass moment that I couldn’t help but clap my hands and lean forward in my seat, as many audience members in my Chicago screening also clapped and cheered. The moment reminded me of a similar IMAX expansion in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” where the frame also expands as Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) prepares for her own battle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5hRiWSdp8I
It’s a similarly thrilling moment that leads to an action-packed fight that shoots blood in every direction as the club burns around them, creating a fiery glow around the entire sequence. Stakes puncture through vampires’ chests and backs, Remmick has his body burned with holy water, and it’s an all-out brawl that unfolds on the expansive IMAX screen, making “Sinners” worth seeing on the trademark format. So you’d do well to see where the closest IMAX screen is, even if it’s not one of the few legitimate IMAX screens out there.
