By Kate Medema

Guest Writer

Grand Rapids residents who may never climb Mt. Everest, visit outer space or come face-to-face with African wildlife will soon be able to experience the next best thing.

On Friday, November 16, after three years of development, Jack Loeks Theatres will invite the general public to the first IMAX theatre in Grand Rapids.

``If you can't go to Everest, you can get a better sense of what it looks like from IMAX than from any other source,'' said Calvin College Communications Professor Carl Plantinga.

Located at the corner of Knapp Street and the East Beltline, the complex will offer 17 state-of-the-art commercial theatres as well as the IMAX Theater, which will be the largest in West Michigan.

Calvin College Film Professor Bill Romanowski said that the IMAX theatre ``promises to be a unique cinematic experience in Grand Rapids that previously you could only get in cities with high tourist attraction.''

Land-marking the greatest motion picture quality available, the IMAX experience invades the viewer's peripheral vision and provides the sharpest picture and sound techniques ever invented.

``You can find yourself feeling like you are part of the movie. If the camera is flying around in an airplane, you feel like you are there with it,'' said Calvin College Sophomore, James Bandel Kite, III, who has seen two IMAX films.

The secret to the film quality is found within a single projector with a ``Rolling Loop'' film movement that advances film in a wave-like motion, allowing for a picture and focus that far exceeds standard films.

The IMAX screen is ten times larger than a regular screen and about eight stories high. With slope of about 300 stadium seats, every member of the audience is promised an equally engaging experience. ``All you can see is the screen...everywhere,'' said Kite.

The initial selection of IMAX features will be shown until the end of the year and consist of a rotation of three films. The first, titled ``Elephants,'' will be an African wildlife adventure film; ``Everest'' features an expedition to the top of the mountain, where the filmmakers actually managed to transport their camera; and lastly, ``Cosmic Voyage,'' documents an exhibition in outer space.

Calvin College Senior Mark Lantinga saw ``Everest'' at an IMAX in Chicago. Describing a helicopter ride that scales mountainous cliffs, he said, ``it really feels like you are going off the edge too.''

In January, the IMAX adaptation of Disney's ``Beauty and the Beast'' will play alone for the following few months. To provide an educational element, Disney is producing a supplementary textbook for teachers about the film and the science behind it.

In the spring, ``Space Station'' will be the first 3-D IMAX to come to Grand Rapids. The film, which was the made by sending specially adapted cameras to a real space station, will be viewed by an audience wearing special 3-D glasses. The effect will be a virtual, gravity-free excursion in outer space.

Lantinga also saw a 3-D IMAX film at a theater in Barcelona, Spain that featured basketball player Michael Jordan. ``I could have sworn he was right in front of my face,'' he said.

This type of motion picture is not only known for its superior entertainment value. ``IMAX will be good for business, but it will also serve a lot of educational needs,'' said Plantinga.

Most IMAX films are produced by a coalition of museums and national parks and is commonly displayed in institutions such as museums, science centers, planetariums, and theme parks. In Grand Rapids, the IMAX will serve as an addition to the variety of hands-on educational venues that have recently been added to the community.

``We were persuaded that the educational objectives of IMAX films needed to be brought to Grand Rapids,'' said John Loeks, the president of Jack Loeks Theatres and owner of Celebration Cinemas.

In addition to the Frederick Meijer Gardens, the VanAndel Museum Center and the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the IMAX adds another educational component to the area.

Loeks has already informed schools of what will be available to them and plans to arrange for groups to come at a lesser cost. He is also in the process of putting a funding mechanism together in alliance with the YMCA.

Loeks projects that the IMAX theatre will be a success.

``We think we are going to be opening a theater which is second to none,'' he said.

IMAX was first invented in Montreal, Canada, in 1976 by a small group of filmmakers and is now headquartered in New York City, and Toronto, Canada. Today, about 60 percent of IMAX theatres are found in North America.

The IMAX Corporation has received several awards, such as the Academy of Scientific Achievement Award in '86, the Award of Excellence by Canada's Minister of Communications in `91, and an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement in '97.

General admission for the standard theaters will be similar to the prices of other theaters in the areas, about $7.75 per adult. The IMAX theatre will cost $8.00, although Disney demands $9.00 for their productions.

Discounts will be provided for students with less money to spend on entertainment. There will also be special prices for children and seniors.