Like everyone else, I’d heard all the amazing things about Sphere over the last two years. I’d been wanting to experience it firsthand, but none of the bands that have played there so far have interested me enough to go and certainly not enough to pay Sphere prices to see them.
So I was excited when I realized that my next scheduled Vegas trip was only a few weeks after Sphere’s debut of the remake of The Wizard of Oz. I grabbed tickets early and was glad I did; demand has only gotten stronger after all the word of mouth about the show.
Two caveats. This review contains spoilers and is from the perspective of someone who hadn’t yet experienced the largest screen on Earth. If you’ve already seen a concert or movie there, some of this will be old territory for you.
I went to a 10 a.m. show and arrived a little before 9. There were plenty of kids and families at that hour and a handful of people (kids and adults alike) were dressed up in character; Sphere is encouraging people to don Oz costumes for their Halloween-weekend screenings. Doors opened between 9 and 9:15 and entry/security checkpoints went more smoothly than I expected. You don’t need to arrive as early as I did, but do give yourself some extra time. Merchandise lines are long and there are a few fun things to see in the lobby.
My seat was in Section 307, row 11, which was ideal: dead center and not too high up. I would have had a better view from one of the lower rows of my section, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be in the 200s; in the rear rows of the 200s, your view is partially blocked by the overhang from the 300 sections.
You have to climb down some very steep stairs from the concourse to the 300-level seats; if you’re prone to veritgo or dizziness, keep your head down, focus on the stairs, and wait to look around the theater until you’re in place. And no one, vertigo or not, should navigate the stairs without hanging onto the handrail for dear life.
The show itself was absolutely amazing all around. You felt like you were inside the movie. The best comparison I can make is that it’s like riding Soarin’ at Disney World for an hour-plus. At certain points, you feel like the theater is actually moving (it’s not, but again, if you’re prone to vertigo, maybe close your eyes for a few seconds during these sequences). The film is so high def that you can count individual pieces of straw during the Scarecrow’s scenes. The sound is impressive (though I did spot some minor lip-sync issues in one or two spots — barely noticable and not surprising, considering all the work they did to transform the original film).
And the effects … man! I can’t overstate how impressive they are. There’s not a lot of Disney/Vegas crossover in general, but this really was Disney-level Imagineering, like you’d get on a ride such as Remy or Rise of the Resistance: Apples fall from the sky during the forest scene, actual flying monkeys in the theater supplement the ones on screen, and the tornado scene causes the audience to break into spontaneous applause. I won’t completely spoil it for you. Suffice it to say, you’ll be very impressed.
Runtime is 75 minutes (the movie has been edited down slightly, though what’s missing isn’t particularly discernible), but budget some time to take in the post-show theatrics in the lobby.
Tickets are expensive (and dynamic — check the website for your preferred show and seat location), but I paid $150 to a company owned by someone I find distasteful to see a movie I own on video and definitely felt it was worth it.
Sphere’s website claims to have strict no-bag and no-photo/video policies, but I saw both violated with abandon and no apparent consequences, but your mileage may vary.
If you’re on the fence about this, don’t be. The Wizard of Oz lives up to all the hype.
