Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII - Worth The Watch?

Pink Floyd has released a 4K IMAX remaster of their 1972 concert film, Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii, in which they played a couple of their hits in an amphitheater there. As a bonus for this release, they added some behind-the-scenes footage of them recording their next album: their international breakthrough, The Dark Side Of The Moon, whose review should be coming up soon.

There were two planned screenings: Thursday, 24 April 2025, and Sunday, 27 April 2025. Event Cinemas has offered more screenings up to 30 April 2025, though. I caught the Thursday screening, and was pleasantly surprised to see the IMAX theater of Queen Street nearly packed to the brim. Most of them seemed to be fairly old people, although the lady next to me seemed to be in her forties. That, alongside the Stardome Observatory screening of The Dark Side Of The Moon, serves as a good reminder that Pink Floyd is well and alive today, in New Zealand. The review for that is already out on Issue #4, by the way.

But anyway, the film. There are two parts: the actual performances in Pompeii and the behind-the-scenes footage of The Dark Side Of The Moon. I loved how they shot the performances, with the drums taking center stage. And the build-up to their first song, Echoes Part 1, was amazing. Heartbeats, just like the ones from The Dark Side Of The Moon, open the film, before cutting to imagery of Pompeii and the band preparing the amphitheater for their hour of performance. But the imagery itself has a lower quality. I get that this is a 1972 film, but the cuts to things from and around Pompeii feel way more blurry when juxtaposed with the performances, which look just fine.

But the songs themselves were pretty good, although the standout for me was their two-part performance of Echoes, bookending the film. It felt like a prototype/early version of what would become the sound and structure of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. But that's not to say their other songs weren't bad; they're great, and the performances are incredible. I didn't know the shrieking of Careful With That Axe, Eugene was done by an actual person, and while he was playing the bass, too. It's fun to see the band members move around different instruments and positions to continue their song, and it showcases that they are a well-oiled machine, which is always satisfying to see.

And the bonus for this being an IMAX experience is the sound design: it's phenomenal. It wraps the audience in the sound of music, with amazing performances given on screen, too. It sort of makes me wish for dedicated "cinemas" to music, where you can listen to extremely high-quality music only top-end speakers can give. In terms of music, of course, they'd master this part: it's Pink Floyd.

They also have behind-the-scenes footage of them recording The Dark Side Of The Moon, which is pretty interesting to see. It's fun seeing them mess around in the studio, coming up with different guitar melodies for their second half, and even seeing how they made On The Run. But that footage left quite a bit to be desired for me. I really wish they included how Clare Torry recorded her wailing in The Great Gig In The Sky, or the saxophone heard in Money and Us And Them.

All in all, it's still music performances. You pay to see Pink Floyd perform their old hits in the ruins of Pompeii. Or at least, their hits before The Dark Side Of The Moon came out and rocked the industry. So it's recommended for fans of Pink Floyd, or if you're interested in Pink Floyd and their older music. If you're not interested in Pink Floyd or rock music, you're better off saving your money and getting a ticket to another movie. I hear Sinners is good, A Minecraft Movie is trash, and I don't know anything else notable coming out.

One thing's for sure, though: if you want to watch it, you'd better get tickets fast for the Sunday screenings, either at HOYTS Botany Downs or Event Cinemas Queen Street. Because Pink Floyd is very much alive today, and the nearly full cinemas today prove it. Fortunately, as of 25 April 2025, they'll be screening it up to next Wednesday, or 30 April 2025. Maybe the success of tonight's premiere made them decide to extend it? I don't know.

But you need to watch this as soon as you can, if you plan on doing so.