May 17, 2013 - Scott Jentsch

Attended the 7pm show of Iron Man 3 on 5/15/2013 in UltraScreen 2. Movie started at 7:17pm.

When seeing blockbuster movies, I usually seek out the UltraScreen at the Majestic, as it's probably the best presentation available in Milwaukee (not perfect, but probably still the best). Some movies call out for big and loud and Iron Man 3 is just that kind of movie.

Because the Majestic offers upgraded food selections at the concession stand, and my past experience has been pretty good with them, I skipped eating beforehand so I could sample something new of their menu. This time, I chose the chicken sandwich for $8.95. Like the other items I've had, it was pretty good, even though it should be for almost $9 for a sandwich and fries.

An unpleasant surprise was that they've increased their concession prices again. I don't recall if the sandwiches are more expensive than in the past, but they seem to be.

A junior soda, which is probably 16 ounces, cost $4.25. That comes to $27.50 per gallon!

A 20 ounce bottle of water was also $4.25, which is also incredibly over-priced. I understand that theater's make their money from the concession stand, but at the rate they're going, the public needs to start saying enough is enough and stop encouraging them. There were quite a few employees standing around doing not much of anything, so maybe concessions could be lower-priced if those extra employees weren't standing around idle. (Ever hear the phrase, if you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean?)

All that aside, the presentation once the movie started was acceptable. The blue haze present on the bottom of the screen during the pre-show thankfully disappeared once they switched to the previews. The picture quality was pretty good, but not as sharp as it should have been given that it's projected digitally. This seems to be a characteristic of the UltraScreen though, and it's not bad enough to avoid; mainly because focus and sharpness has always been a problem for theaters in Milwaukee.

While the sound quality did not exhibit any problems, I would have liked a little more bass. This was an action movie afterall, and there were plenty of opportunity for the floor to shake, and I didn't get that feeling at all. Sub-bass can rattle your insides, like the bass drum in a parade, and there wasn't that level of sound performance present in what will arguably be the biggest action movie release of the summer.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

The majestic is a little more pricey, but you don't see car after car dropping off teenages. Yeah..if you want that go to the hillside. We couldn't get a ticket to the avengers at any show time at the majestic. At hillside we walked right in. Says a lot

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

Too expensive. Lack of attendance should be the indicator. I only go here to meet friends who seem to forget the expense until they pull out the wallet. I'm always trying to get them to go some place else. Meeting a friend who is visiting someone at Waukesha Memorial Hospital tonight.

Would you recommend this theater to others? No!

Aug 3, 2011 - Scott Jentsch

Attended the 11:30am show of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2D) on July 28, 2011 in UltraScreen #2. This was a film-based presentation (not digital cinema).

After the lackluster presentation of Super 8 in UltraScreen #1 in June, I was hesitant to return to see the last Harry Potter movie. I knew it was going to be a darkly lit movie, and I felt that the dingy greys and stair light reflections would really affect my enjoyment of the movie.

After being assured by the staff that UltraScreen #2 did not have the silver screen that is needed for 3D in UltraScreen #1, I then felt a sense of curiosity to find out if the experience in #2 would be better.

I am very happy to report that both the picture and the sound in UltraScreen #2 were very good!

While the house lights were still a little high for my taste (especially the exit signs and downlighting over the upper exits), the screen did not wash out as much as it did in the other UltraScreen. We sat about three rows from the back of the general seating, in the center, and I think moving down a couple of rows would have helped to not see the exit lighting as much without getting too low in respect to the screen.

I was very glad to notice that the stair lights did not reflect off the screen, which was much more annoying than a general loss of black level. Theaters are forced to keep their ambient light at a certain level so that people don't fall in the darkness, so I get that, but then I expect the theater to do everything in their power to keep that light from affecting the image any more than necessary.

I'm hoping that someone from Marcus will see these comments and check out the two UltraScreens for themselves. If they aren't going to rip out that awful silver screen in #1, then at least they could do something to keep the stair lights from acting like flashlights on the screen. Until they do, I will avoid seeing any more movies in UltraScreen #1.

The framing issue noticed during Super 8 was not present on this presentation, which was also welcome. There's really no excuse for not getting the image on the screen properly

Harry Potter had a better soundtrack than Super 8, and the sound system was able to keep up and it even produced that low-end rumble in your gut that it should when there's something big going on (explosions, etc.).

I'll have to see more movies there before I can give the sound system an "Excellent" rating, but I would say that my first impression was very good. Kudos to the staff that maintains and adjusts the sound equipment in that auditorium!

This visit was purposely timed around lunchtime so that I could get a meal before heading into the auditorium. The cheeseburger and fries that I ordered were very good, and the box that it is served in makes it very easy to carry and hold in the theater. I would rate the quality of the burger above most fast food restaurants, which helps to justify the higher cost that one pays.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

One of the nicest theaters I have been to. I love their Ultra screen, it's worth the added expense.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

Jun 17, 2011 - Scott Jentsch

Attended the 6:25pm show of Super 8 on June 16, 2011 in UltraScreen #1. The movie started at 6:37pm after trailers and the policy trailer was played.

The sound was quite good. Super 8 has some very quiet moments, but then some very loud moments, and everything sound-related was very good.

The picture, however, could use some work.

During the policy trailer, I noticed that the image was shifted low on the screen, to the point where the text on the bottom was cutoff by the bottom of the screen. I hoped that it would be corrected by the theater staff, or it was just an issue with the previews that would correct itself, but that didn't happen. Fortunately, it wasn't noticeable to the point of being annoying during the movie, so I wasn't going to miss the movie to bring it to someone's attention. Something so obvious shouldn't have to be brought up by a customer, though, as the theater staff ought to be able to see a problem like that and correct it without being prompted.

The second problem with the image was annoying, and that was the reflection of lights in the auditorium on the screen. This caused blacks in the movie to be more of a dark grey, and each side of the screen had a reddish tint that I thought was being caused by the exit lights on the lower level. After the movie, I looked to see if that was the case, but the exit lights are actually green, and farther off to the side than where the reflection was happening. The only thing I can think of that caused the reddish tint was the orange stair strip lighting, as those lights (while small) have a direct line of sight to the screen.

The screen looked very reflective, moreso than I remember from the last time I attended the UltraScreen (which was probably Iron Man 2). Even then, I remember thinking that the black levels were way too high, but I attributed that to the house lights being too bright during the show (which I believe they were). This time, the house lights seemed OK, but the reddish glow at the bottom of each corner of the screen was very distracting.

For a movie that has a lot of dark scenes, this "grey instead of black" problem diminished my enjoyment of the movie.

When you pay $11 to see a movie, you should expect a top-notch presentation. I would say that the UltraScreen #1 at Majestic achieved this with the sound, but was not even close with the picture. They need to work on minimizing reflections on the screen to improve the quality of their presentations.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

I love the majestic, and the VIP seating is really fun. What I DON'T like is that they don't post the movie times until very late on MONDAY for that FRIDAY's shows. Especially for the day after Thanksgiving, it makes it very hard to plan for what time your movie is playing. I can only guess that the Majestic is losing a lot of business to the Ridge. Poor planning on the management's part.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

My husband and I love the theater and go on a regular basis. However last night we went to see Paranormal Activites 2 and paid for the Reserve Seating. We paid the extra money for the seat and was satisified.

The problem is when the usher left and came back and asked people for their ticket stubs for the reserved seating they did not pay for the seating. She told them to leave the area but did not make sure they left all they did was move down the row. No one ever came back to look over the seating. There several people that came in after the movie started and sat in the reserved seating without their tickets being checked.

I feel if a customer pays for the seating and others come in without paying is a little rude and I feel like the place ripped me off the $15 extra dollars I paid. There should be some better control. I am not satisfied and felt like I was taken advantage of. Thank you for time.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

This theater is really nice. So nice and still new since 2007. But I am baffled as to why such a new facility is not more wheel chair friendly. I have a really good friend I take to the movies who is in a wheelchair, we always need assistance at this theater. The push button exits are a perfect example. They have them, but they don't work. I have to wait for someone to assist.

Also, just as general advice to all theaters, people don't leave the handicapped seating for the handicapped. If you see someone arrive in a wheelchair, to a busy full movie theater, please offer them help to find appropriate seating. Most likely they can't get out of the chair to climb the stairs to an open seat.

More than half the time we see movies at this theater we have to sit separate because folks that don't need it sit in the handicapped areas.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

The theater complex is very attractive and well maintained. During the barrage of ads and previews which occur before the feature presentation, the screen image was very unfocused. I called the theater from my cell phone to as that this be rectified, but the problem persisted until the main attraction started. Not a serious problem, but definitely annoying. I also wish that the theater could identify which movies were being played on which screen. I go out to the movies for the BIG Screen experience and would probably choose not to go to one of the smaller screens.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!