A MEGA experience

Photo illustration by George Tuley and John Bruce/Caller-Times

The $1.5 million Joe Jessel MEGA Theater opened in March in the ship’s main elevator. The theater seats nearly 200 people, and every row is situated for maximum viewing via stadium seating. The busiest shows are at noon and 2 p.m.

Since it opened five months ago, a three-story tall movie screen inside the Lexington Museum on the Bay is drawing positive reviews from viewers and boosting attendance figures - even though one of the films is more than 25 years old.
   The two films playing on the 30-foot screen are "Mysteries of Egypt" and "To Fly!," a 1975 documentary about America's fascination with flight. The films are shown daily on the hour, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
   The $1.5 million Joe Jessel MEGA Theater opened in March in the ship's main elevator, but it wasn't the first choice among planners who wanted to add variety to the museum's offerings.
   Rocco Montesano, executive director of the Lex, thought about installing a laser show in Bay 1, a vacant, old elevator pit on the Lex's hangar deck, but he and the board of directors settled on the idea of a large-format theater similar to IMAX to fit the dimensions of the ship.
   The theater was named after Joe Jessel, the first museum board president who campaigned to bring the ship to Corpus Christi.
   The screen is 30-feet high, the maximum height that the Lex's flight deck would allow, and 44 feet wide. Multiple speakers are positioned throughout the room for the necessary digital surround sound, and the theater's high-back seats are roomy and comfortable.
   The house appears similar to the local Tinseltown and Century theaters - minus the popcorn and candy stands. The audience seating area is generically polished and antiseptically clean, especially when compared with its former incarnation as an unused

The U.S.S Lexington

elevator pit. But even still if you sit in the front five rows and look straight up, you can still see the old elevator, which is painted black and welded in place high above the seats.
   The theater seats nearly 200 people, and every row is situated for maximum viewing via stadium seating. Speaking of seating, the center seats in the fourth and fifth rows of the forwardmost section are the best seats in the house, Montesano reveals.
   The busiest shows are at noon and 2 p.m., but even then the house is only about half-full. The experience is aimed at comfort, and the films' short running times - each is under an hour - helps considerably.
   Flyin' films
   "To Fly!" is a film that was created in 1975 for the grand opening of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. It's the longest running film to play in one location (it's been shown at the Smithsonian for 25 years) and the highest-grossing documentary of all time with more than $113 million at the box office.
   The film takes viewers through the short life of America's in-flight experiments, from ballooning to commercial flight, with a cockpit view during loopty-loops, barrel rolls and cross-country journeys.
   The filmmaking captures the picturesque scenery with a keen eye - especially considering it was made more than 25 years ago. Because of its origins in the '70s, some of the material within the film is obviously dated, but the landscapes are timeless and the actual print is in pristine condition.
   The other film, "Mysteries of Egypt," is narrated by Omar Sharif ("The 13th Warrior"). The film was the first large-format film made by National Geographic. Egypt's wide-spanning deserts and colossal monuments are perfect subject matter for the big big screen, and this film doesn't disappoint.
   It glosses over the history of Egypt, starting with the winding Nile and continuing through the pyramids of Giza, the Valley of the Kings and the tomb of King Tutankhamen. It focuses on the Egyptians' concept of the afterlife, and the film impressively teaches while it entertains.
   Favorite flight
   "To Fly!" is definitely the favorite show among visitors, but "Mysteries" has its audience, especially among school groups, Montesano says.
   "I preferred 'To Fly!,' although the one about Egypt was very informative," said Bett Earley, who works in the finance department of Flour Bluff Independent School District. "But for actually feeling it and getting involved in the movie, ('To Fly') was more intense. The sense of being above the ground was a little bit more powerful, and you felt like you were actually in the vehicles that were flying, whether it was the balloon or the plane."
   Diana Zertuche Garza had more fun watching other viewers' reactions to the aeronautical acrobatics than watching the actual film.
   "We had a full house, and it was really funny to watch people closing their eyes and covering their faces," said Garza, who works in the Mayor's office. "It didn't make me dizzy, but I still enjoyed it. ... I want to take my kids, but I haven't had the chance."
   MEGA vs. IMAX
   Both films were shot on IMAX film and have been downsized to fit MEGA projectors. Audiences liken the MEGA theater to IMAX - although that's not quite right. IMAX is a brand, just as is MEGA - a Pennsylvania company taking on the Canadian-based IMAX, whose name has nearly become synonymous with large-format films.
   But unless you frequent IMAX theaters, you won't likely be able to see the difference. John Vanbuskirk and his 12-year-old son Brant have seen both, and they found the Lex's MEGA theater comparable to an IMAX theater near their home in Houston.
   "I wasn't expecting that big of a screen, and I liked the sound system and the way they had the theater set up," said John Vanbuskirk, 31.
   Disney is also on board the MEGA train. The media giant will soon re-release the animated "Beauty and the Beast" in the MEGA format, although Montesano said it will not likely end up on the Lex.
   A ticket to a MEGA film is $3 after the regular admission price to the museum. The Lexington does not sell movie-only tickets.Aside from the ship's transformation into a museum, the addition of the large-format theater is the biggest renovation in the Lexington's decommissioned history. About $1 million of the $1.5 million needed for the theater was donated and raised, most notably by a fund-raiser with former President George H. W. Bush.
   The current films will likely play through March 2002, and Montesano will decide at that time if he wants to replace one or both. Local visitation and membership numbers have increased (this July has seen an increase of more than 3,000 local visitors from last July), but Montesano is unsure if it's the MEGA theater drawing people in or the buzz around this summer's action flick "Pearl Harbor," which was partially shot aboard the Lex.
   "Some people think they're going to see 'Pearl Harbor,'" said the Lex's Jo-Ann Rodriguez.
   It's arguable that "To Fly!" was the "Pearl Harbor" of its day.
  
  

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