The novelty of 4DX movies risks reducing film-going to the level of a glorified theme park ride

Inside Film: ‘The Matrix’ is about altered states, artificial intelligence and disappearing down the ‘rabbit hole’ – but when marking the film’s 20th anniversary you don’t necessarily want to be distracted by the 4DX effects of random rumbles, jolts and blasts of air

Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity and Keanu Reeves as Neo in ‘The Matrix’ (Rex)

It was hard not to feel a little seasick during a 4DX screening of The Matrix (1999), re-released this week to mark the film’s 20th anniversary. “Don’t buy any open-top drinks,” audience members were warned in advance by the publicist. The seats, they were told, were going to be rocking and vibrating, so any beer or coke was bound to spill – unless the lids were fastened very tightly.

As soon as the credits rolled, the special effects began in earnest. Whenever there was a gunshot on screen, you felt a little whoosh of cool air above your ear. When rain fell on Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, damp drops landed on your arms. Then you began to fear the worst about the state of the plumbing in the basement cinema (which was, after all, very old). During the kung fu sequences, when Keanu’s Neo was working out with Laurence Fishburne’s Morphius or facing off against the lethal Agent Smith, it was hard to avoid the suspicion that a hyperactive kid was in the row behind you, kicking you persistently in the back. If there was lightning, it was accompanied by sudden strobe flashing on the cinema walls. When a helicopter crashed, you could have been forgiven for thinking that Leicester Square had suddenly found itself at the middle of the San Andreas fault line.

One effect that didn’t work at all was the scent. But so many spectators were eating hot dogs that the smell of fried onions, sausage meat and ketchup kept everything else at bay. 4DX has been around for several years now but is still being marketed as a revolutionary new experience, “3D on steroids” and the “ultimate state-of-the-art technology”, as it has been called. In fact, it’s a modern-day version of fairground gimmickry that is as old as cinema itself.