NASCAR: The IMAX Experience (2004)

61% of critics liked it
(44 reviews)
86% of users liked it
(1,141 ratings)

A sports documentary which captures the experience of driving 190 mph, in what has become one of the country's fastest-growing sports events--and as well, is one of America's most successful entertainment industries, NASCAR

Rating, Runtime: PG, 48 min.
Directed By: Simon Wincer
Written By: Mark Bechtel
Genres: Documentary, Drama, Sports & Fitness, Special Interest

In Theaters: Mar 12, 2004 Limited
On DVD: Mar 15, 2005
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
The movie makes an excellent primer about the world of stock car racing for fans and nonfans alike.
Janice Page, Boston Globe
NASCAR 3D will delight fans of auto racing.
Sara Gebhardt, Washington Post
An interesting behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's most popular spectator sports.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
Doesn't quite overcome its shameless self-promotion, but the film will satisfy the Lynyrd Skynyrd set while providing a decent explanation to those who are baffled by the sport's popularity.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
A 45-minute glorified infomercial.
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
This 40-minute film shows off the combined IMAX/3D experience at its best.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
A rather rote and superficial look at the NASCAR circuit.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
It turns out that racing around an oval track offers surprisingly few opportunities to exploit 3D effectively.
Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card
I wanted more time on the track, more passing, more actual racing. NASCAR (Stock car racing) implies "adrenaline rush" and I missed that in this otherwise solid documentary.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
The film is about as illuminating as the race cars' stickered-on headlights.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
This one does manage to put audiences in the action. And its brief examinations of the science of auto racing are pretty educational.
Ryan Cracknell, Movie Views
Part infomercial, part historical documentary, all in 3-D, Nascar 3D is best seen as a spectacle, something that exists for its format rather than its content.
Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
Gentlemen and ladies: Don your goggles!
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
In spite of flaws, for sheer size and bravado, it still deserves a look
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
Those vehicles sure are big, they come right at you, and they're in one heck of a hurry. For about 40 minutes, that's all you really need.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Offers a bit of NASCAR history, a smattering of engineering facts, glimpses of some of the sport's most popular personalities and a whole lot of hyperbolic chatter about the populist glory of driving really noisy cars in a circle at 200 miles per hour.
Erik Lundegaard, Seattle Times
Its rampant corporate sponsorship is messy and distracting, and the athleticism necessary to triumph is still less intriguing (perhaps because it's less visible) than the athleticism necessary to triumph in, say, baseball.
Bob Ehlert, Sacramento Bee
An uneven combination of documentary and demolition drama.