The Sphere: Postcard from Earth Review

October 31, 2024 / Last updated: December 5, 2024

I went to see the movie Postcard from Earth by Darren Aronofsky at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

I paid $150 for my ticket, taxes and fees included.

Was it awesome? Yes.

Would I recommend it to others? Yes.

Was it worth it? Hmm. More on that below.

My Video & Review

I filmed this video on YouTube which shows you lots of information. Or keep reading for all the highlights in text.

The Sphere: Postcard from Earth – Honest Review in Las Vegas

Sphere Overview

The Sphere in Las Vegas is the world’s largest spherical building.

It’s like a giant concert venue with the biggest IMAX screen you can possibly imagine.

It cost $2.3 billion to build. 

You’ve probably seen a lot of pictures of the outside of the building, like this:

Outside of the building

But the inside of the Sphere is what’s really special.

The inside stadium & movie theater features the world’s largest LED display. The screen wraps around the audience with 16K resolution and covers 15,000 square meters.

It’s absolutely incredible.

Plus there are 160,000 speakers so the audio is perfect at basically every seat.

There are 17,600 seats btw and all the seats have special technology that lets you feel the sound vibrations.

It feels like being in a giant planetarium where the walls can transform into any scene. 

Sphere Tips & Tricks

Here are some of my top tips if you’re visiting the Sphere for the first time:

WALK FROM THE STRIP: The pedestrian bridge from The Venetian provides the easiest access to the Sphere. It’s well-marked and temperature-controlled. But I took a rideshare to get there.

RIDESHARE: Uber or Lyft is super easy and wasn’t too crowded the night that I went.

GOOD PIZZA: See my video or these photos. The pizza was highly recommended to me by several people.

LOBBY STUFF: There are humanoid robots and other video art displays in the lobby. I found them mostly cheesy, except for the large video display which you’ll see when you go up the 2nd set of escalators.

BRING A WATER BOTTLE: You can bring an empty water bottle to fill at the drinking fountains inside if you don’t want to buy a $9 bottle of water inside.

BUILT-IN DRINK HOLDERS: The seats have built-in cup holders for your convenience.

STEEP INCLINES: If you’re sensitive to heights, note that the seating areas in higher sections have steep inclines. Those prone to vertigo might want to consider lower levels or bring motion sickness medication like Dramamine.

Steep incline

BEST SEATS: For concerts, aim for sections near the stage but not too far to the sides. For immersive shows like Postcard from Earth, seats in the 200 to 400 levels, specifically sections 205 to 207, 305 to 307, and 405 to 407, have the best unobstructed view of the massive LED screen. I was in section 207 and while I liked it, it was directly next to an audio / video control bank for the staff that was slightly annoying.

NO LATE ENTRY: The Sphere enforces a strict no-late-entry policy. Once the show begins, you will not be permitted inside. That being said, I think the start time was listed as 7:00PM, but the movie didn’t begin until 7:45PM.

BRING A JACKET OR SWEATER: The temperature inside is kept pretty cool for the comfort of large crowds and to maintain the technology. I had a light jacket and was happy to have it with me.

Postcard from Earth

What I’ll say about the Darren Aronofsky film Postcard from Earth is that it was very interesting and beautiful.

It’s a 45 minute-long nature video, basically.

It’s filmed at a pure 18K resolution which looks amazing on the screen. And it uses some interesting technology, like special scents blown through the theater, that surprised me.

For example: citrus scent when they’re showing an orange grove.

Was it a little cheesy? Yes.

But there’s no way I could have made anything better. And I enjoyed the beginning, which is sort of future- space-themed.

Conclusion

The Sphere is awesome. Anything you can imagine about the screen size, the resolution, or what the experience is like – it was even better.

Here are my quick tips:

  • 🚶 walk from venetian bridge for easy access
  • 🚗 uber/lyft also easy & not crowded
  • 🍕 try pizza rock: great pepperoni pizza
  • 🤖 cool video art on 2nd floor
  • 💧 to avoid $9 water bring empty bottle
  • 🥤 seats have built-in cup holders
  • 😵 bring dramamine if you get dizzy
  • 💺 best views in 205-207, 305-307, 405-407
  • ⏰ no late entry allowed
  • 🥶 bring a jacket, it’s cold inside

The stuff in the lobby is sort of a gimmick, like the humanoid robots. But the pizza was great. Thanks to my friend Neville for the tip!

But was it worth $150 to watch a glorified IMAX movie?

It was worth it once. And while I don’t think I’d go back just to watch a movie, I’d definitely go back for a concert.

THE END

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2 thoughts on “The Sphere: Postcard from Earth Review”

  1. I suspect you missed the pre-show lobby presentation with the four speakers and four rows of light on the floor. It was designed to display how precise they can get with the sound in the theatre. At one point they showed how you could move a mere 2.5 feet and hear the content in a different language.

    Reply
    • oh shoot I did NOT see that! great update- I will be sure to try this next time. Thanks Mike. Sounds like an amazing demo, to hear a different language only 2-3 feet away with precision sound at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The tech there is unreal. Truly state of the art.

      Reply

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