Grand Canyon IMAX Theater — Restaurant in Tusayan

Corny, out-dated, and nonscenical. Not at all scientific or educational, which I guess I inappropriately assumed it would be with no description provided (and since this was National Geographic). This is the first time in my life that I ever wanted to ask for my money back...which was a substantial cost for a 30-minute movie (anout $12 pp). (Although I ran around town gathering couoons for "buy one get one 50% off"-note you only need one coupon for all the tickets)

The movie started (about 7 minutes late) with an abrupt shot of the river, which startled everyone with the sudden imagary, but showed Imax's capabilities, for 30 seconds.Then we cut and launched into actors playing out an elementary-shool level Indian attack at the canyon's edge...and then actors playing out river explorers. The narrative didn't make any sense, teasing that there were mysteries to be solved but didn't solve them...and actually didn't really make clear what the mysteries were! That Indian lived there and one of them made a toy horse out of straw? How about talking about that Super Unconformity of missing rock??

Not one word on geology or origin (other than suggesting that it could be God). About half way through they showed cool rapids shots, but it went on way way too long. Then the end finally gave us great aerial views of the canyon, but gave you too much at once and I just got desensitized. Updated with better music (like the Imax skydive movie I saw years ago) I might have gotten into that part more. I checked my watch 3 times just wishing the whole thing was over.

My 9-year old put it best when we were walking out of the theatre. He said, "That was the longest 30 minutes of my life!".

The movie would have been more appropriately named "Anthropology Adventures of the Colorado River" than "Hidden Sectrets of the...

Warning: this film does contain nudity with topless women and partial nudity of both men and women in loincloths. There wasn’t any posting of it at the theater so just incase it matters to others, mentioning it. This 37 something minute docufilm focuses mostly on the daring trip of Powell and his companions to travel through the canyon via the river. Seemed a bit pricey in retrospect with it being in the $15 range per person for such a short film.

We enjoyed the gift shop tho and ate there. The whole group we were with all said going to the canyon was way better than watching the film of someone else who did it and would have been fine without having seen it. Didn’t focus as much on the beautiful views of the canyon as was hoped, nor on really anything substantial that we walked away with that we didn’t already read on plaques in our hotel at the Squire Resort or in the Grand Canyon Visitors center located in the Grand Canyon (*entry to the museum at the canyon is free - included with the park entry fee). We recommend save yourself the money from the film and...

The Grand Canyon IMAX Experience is a must-do! The film combines jaw-dropping canyon views with fascinating history and Native American legends, giving context that makes visiting the Canyon itself so much more meaningful. We wish we had done this first instead of last—it would have enriched our entire trip. If you are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon, I can’t recommend strongly enough that you do the IMAX experience first. It gives you context, perspective, and a deeper appreciation that will make everything you see and do at the Canyon itself even more meaningful. This was easily one of the highlights of our visit, and we would do it again in a heartbeat! Tickets were inexpensive (and easy to buy online at a discount), staff was friendly from start to finish, and the lobby has a great gift shop plus a snack bar with lots of food options. The IMAX screen truly makes you feel like you’re soaring over the cliffs and down the Colorado River....