The odd thing about reviewing NASCAR: The IMAX Experience is that I was interested in it to begin with, considering that I dislike driving and am uninterested in cars in general. However, I do admit to getting a big kick out of car-racing video games, enough to be interested in learning a bit more about the sport of car racing, especially when the IMAX format holds the promise of making it look and sound exciting.

The 48-minute program starts with a quick introduction to the origins of NASCAR (which stands for the National Association of Stock Car Racing – as I'm sure pretty much all the viewers of this film probably know already, even if I didn't) and its evolution into the big-budget spectacle of the modern day. The most interesting part of the film takes viewers through a typical race day from start to finish, as well as letting us see what goes on behind the scenes as the cars and engines are built, tested, torn down, and rebuilt. Some consideration of the culture of NASCAR is included, as the film dwells both on the enthusiasm of the fans and on the dangers of the racing life.

It's a fun, flashy, visually impressive film that lives up to its promise of putting the viewer in the driver's seat. The racing segments are fun to watch, and it's interesting to get a sense of the scope of the NASCAR scene, and what's involved with getting the cars on the track. I suspect that fans of NASCAR will be more appreciative of the interview segments than I was; for me, these were just assorted drivers of no particular relevance to me, but to fans, they'll be well-known celebrities and thus much more worth paying attention to.

Where NASCAR: The IMAX Experience is weakest is in its informative content. Sure, this is an IMAX film, so it's primarily a visual spectacle, but it would be nice to learn a bit about the topic as well. The film doesn't even explain any of the basics, like what makes NASCAR different from other kinds of car racing, or how long the races are. There's a brief mention of how the drivers use the effect of drafting behind each other, but no explanation of any other tactical moves, leaving me somewhat confused about some of the action in the race clips that are shown. I'd have been very interested to learn more about the way that corporate sponsorship works, since it's so in-your-face (the film is practically a commercial for the NASCAR sponsors!), but this is also left unmentioned.

All in all, I found NASCAR: The IMAX Experience to be worth watching, if extremely fluffy; fans of NASCAR will find it even more content-light in terms of new information, but the coolness factor of seeing famous drivers and exciting racing action will undoubtedly make up for it.

The DVD

Video

NASCAR is presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio; however, despite the notice that the image has been "formatted to fit your screen," there is no reason to be alarmed. IMAX films like this one have an original aspect ratio of approximately 1.43:1. That's close enough to 1.33:1 that the minimal amount of cropping on the sides of the image has no appreciable effect on the viewing experience. It's not exactly the original aspect ratio, but it's close enough for me... and I'm pretty picky about original aspect ratios.

The image itself looks excellent. Colors are bright and vibrant, and the film's color palette is filled with lively colors. The picture is crisp and shows a nice level of detail in both close-ups and long-distance shots.

Audio

If you want to really get the most out of the audio experience of NASCAR, watch this when the neighbors aren't home. The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack packs a massive punch, and the surround channels are used to maximum effect in the many scenes involving the cars racing on the track. Engines growl and rumble all around you, so you'd swear you're right in the middle of the action. The intense surround action really makes NASCAR a memorable viewing (and listening) experience. The one fault I'd find with the audio mix is that it's not perfectly adapted for home viewing. If you have the volume level set so that you can hear the narrator properly, the action sequences will not just be loud, they'll be "scary loud".. "neighbors pounding on your walls loud." It's a volume mix that's perfect for an IMAX theater, but it's a bit too intense for the typical home theater; I ended up turning on the dynamic range compression. Overall, though, the sound is fantastic.

Spanish and French subtitles are available.

Extras

I was hoping for something substantial in the special features department, but it's fairly light. Still, NASCAR fans will likely be interested by the driver profiles and the five-minute segment of clips from "NASCAR's closest racing moments." One very nice touch is that the DVD includes a small insert booklet with the 2005 NASCAR racing schedule.

Final thoughts

NASCAR: The IMAX Experience isn't the most content-free IMAX film I've seen, though it does come close. That's a shame, since it would have been easy to toss in a few nuggets of information about NASCAR racing to help out those viewers who aren't familiar with the car racing scene. Even so, the film manages to succeed as a fun, fluffy viewing experience, considered mainly as an exciting visual spectacle rather than a documentary. I'll give this DVD a "rent it," with a positive spin: though it's probably not worth a purchase, if you're interested in the subject, this is a DVD that's worth actively looking for as a rental for fun afternoon of vicarious thrills.