Koreans put the Pow! in Panda

Just when we thought 3D was dying off, a gang of Korean boffins has gone one dimension further

Just when we thought 3D was dying off, a gang of Korean boffins has gone one dimension further. A cinema in Seoul has screened Kung Fu Panda 2with rocking seats and synchronised special effects such as fog, wind, strobe lights and smells that complement the action on screen.

“The seats have massage chair motors so that they punch you (lightly) in the kidneys or bottom when Po gets hit or falls down,” one punter commentated. “At the end, bubbles floated down from the ceiling to simulate fireworks – hilarious and well worth the 18,000 won ticket price.”

To be honest, this sounds more like a modern take on the gimmicks that William Castle, 1950s horror impresario, used to promote films such as

The Tingler

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and

House on Haunted Hill

. They didn’t catch on.

Donald Clarke

Donald Clarke

Donald Clarke, a contributor to The Irish Times, is Chief Film Correspondent and a regular columnist