Variety is always a good thing.
If every single movie had the same aspect ratio, fims would get visually monotonous. Granted, I was thrilled when Spielberg returned to the 2:35:1 ratio in
Minority Report (and slightly disappointed when he went back to 1:85:1 for
Catch Me If You Can and
The Terminal), yet not every movie needs to spread it's images across so wide a frame. In fact, one of my favorite moments in
Kill Bill Vol. 2 was when The Bride is lying tied up and helpless in the back of Budd's truck, and Tarantino briefly collapses his Panavision frame to a 1:33:1 "Academy" ratio, which helps punch up the claustrophobia and tension of the scene (I only wish he kept it going throughout the entire burial sequence
). Would
Casablanca have been any noticably better if it were shot in Cinemascope (which hadn't been invented yet, but it's just an example)? There are plenty of 2:35:1 movies that
don't make particularly good use of the width of the image (especially in recent years). Personally, the
last thing that affects my enjoyment of a film is what aspect ratio it was shot in (unless I'm seeing a scope film in full-frame
).
The Nightmare Before Christmas was animated in 1:66:1, yet it's every bit as visually "packed" as, say,
Raiders Of The Lost Ark, which is 2:35:1.