Sunday, April 8, 2007

UA Colorado Mills Stadium 16 & Giant Screen

UA Colorado Mills Stadium 16 & Giant Screen
14500 West Colfax Ave.
Lakewood, CO 80401
303-590-1630
Fandango Page

Review by Jason Harbaugh from Home Theater Forum 04/08/07

(See also West Village Stadium 12, a sister theater across the street. Neither shows the same films. So new releases will be on one or the other.)

This is the newer of the two theaters and was built along side the new Colorado Mills mall in Lakewood, Colorado. It is a large 16 screen theater with 3 very distinct screens that almost always guarantee a good time at the movies.

Screen 10, their biggest screen is the 70mm (Imax) screen. While they can play Imax features here, it isn't the same as a true dedicated Imax cinema. The screen is smaller, and they can't boast the same sound capabilities. Most new features play on this screen and it is a wonderful theater. I happened to see the very first film and screening ever in this particular theater. It was Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. 100% packed house, the picture was gorgeous and the sound rocking. Needless to say, this theater had me at hello. The screen is a constant width, variable height. So 2.35:1 films will be smaller than 1.85:1, and then of course it opens up to its full height with Imax films. It is a very nice sized screen overall. The projector is quite bright and I have never had a complaint from anything I've seen there.

Screen 9 serves a dual purpose as it has a stage as well for kids productions. The screen in terms of 2.35 and 1.85 films is the same as the Imax screen. These two screens are their largest and what you want to see your movie on, with the exception of the 3rd recommended screen.

Their DLP screen is a tad smaller than screen 9 and 10, but the image quality is incredible. This screen is also possible of 3D.

All these screens have stadium seating from top to bottom. The seats are all tall with folding arm rests. Turn two seats into a cozy love seat with your date if you wish. No chance of anyone blocking your view as the stadium style seating is quite steep.

Sound quality is the same throughout most of the screens. I refuse to watch a film on the smaller screens so I can't compare them.

The lobby is quite large with games, customer service and of course concessions. Parking is available in the mall parking lot or in 4 story parking garage next to the theater.

20 minutes before the time on your ticket, an entertainment segments and commercials play. These range from trailers for tv and film, behind the scenes stuff, and other paid for ads. As soon as the ticket time hits, the official trailers start.

I can't think of a time where I was disappointed with the presentation of any film at this theater. Everything is in focus, sound levels are appropriate and the patrons are usually respectful. It is also one of the few theaters in town that will play catalog titles.

Overall, this is my number one choice for seeing a movie in the Denver metro area.

Screens 9 & 10 - Cinema Grade = B

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh man, how little you know about the Colorado Mills 16. It cannot play 70mm. It cannot play IMAX. It can't even lay digital IMAX (yet).

Anyway, the sound EQ in one of their big auditoriums (I think it is #10) is just awful, but that probably has a lot to do with the atrocious Klipsch speakers. Those are the worst and are designed for people who are nearly deaf in the 4-8Khz region. The sound here hurts my ears and I love it when movies are played LOUD.

Also, the exit doors in the lobby are usually locked shut. They can be opened if you slam your body against them really hard.