May 17, 2013 - Scott Jentsch

Attended the 7:10pm show of Looper on 10/16/2012 in screen #15. Presentation was a digital "MDX" show.

While the sound was acceptable, the image quality was not. There were issues with a curvature of the image as it went across the screen (horizontal lines and text suffered noticeably), and during certain scenes, you could see blockiness in the image. This was especially evident in bright daylight scenes, where it almost looked like a poor HDTV broadcast that was breaking up.

After the movie, I mentioned it to the manager who promised to follow up with a technician. He offered a pass to return, which I have yet to do. I'd be curious to know if the problem was ever corrected, or if it was unique to this showing, or what.

There is nothing spectacular about the auditoriums here, but for the most part, the presentations are usually acceptable. Kind of like eating at a basic fast food place; you get acceptable food but it doesn't leave a lasting impression, and it's difficult to go out of the way for.

I would love to see Marcus Ridge get an UltraScreen installation. The theater is well-placed for it, and it would be nice to have an upgraded experience at this theater.

Oct 27, 2011 - Ron Higgins

As of Oct. 26, 2011, all screens except one have been upgraded with digital projection equipment, but there are still some quirks being worked out. Screen #20 (if facing the front of the building from the outside, it is at the front just to the right of the entrance) has not been converted, as it is the screen that will be replaced by a pizza place once those renovations start (in 2012). Since that screen is being left to die (so to speak), it's best to avoid it if possible, as they will be reluctant to put much effort into maintaining it. Unfortunately, screen #20 is where I saw a movie, and while the 35mm print was in good shape, the Dolby Digital sound was poor.

Jul 14, 2011 - Ron Higgins

Attended a showing on Screen #9 on July 13th, and noted a problem with distorted audio from the fronts (behind the screen). Noted it a couple of times during the feature because it affected dialog. Also noted it in the music that was played over the closing credits. Alerted the manager-on-duty to the problem. Unfortunately, he gave me the impression that little could be done about it. They report the problems to "corporate", but it's up to corporate to send someone to fix the problems, and this location seems to be low on the list. Hopefully that isn't the case.

Grate for later releases!

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

Jan 9, 2011 - Scott Jentsch

Attended the 7:10pm show of "The King's Speech" on 1/8/2011 in auditorium #5.

This is probably the first time in a very long time that I have attended twice in such a short period of time.

Prime time on a Saturday night is a good measure of how a theater can handle crowds, and they did a pretty decent job of that. Upon seeing the long lines at the box office, I used the kiosk and shaved a few minutes off the wait that others were spending in line.

The concession line went quickly, and the staff was quite friendly. An assistant manager was working one of the lines and he was chatting people up about what movie they were seeing while he was preparing their order (without delaying the process, thankfully). We had a coupon for a free complementary popcorn, which was a small white bag that was smaller than a kid's lunch bag. The 16 oz bottle of Aquafina water cost us $4.00, which should be against some sort of state law regarding unfair pricing...

The theater was quite full when we got in about 10 minutes before the show started. The stadium seating section of the 232-seat theater was pretty much filled except for some side seats, so we sat in the last row of the sloped seating on the floor.

The screen was larger than I expected, at about 28 feet wide, and it was mounted pretty low. This means that the people in the row ahead of us would have blocked our view if I had not sat straight up in my chair.

Sound was OK once the previews were done (sound during the previews, esp. the Marcus policy trailer, was horrible), but since this was largely a talking movie, the sound system wasn't stressed by this presentation.

The picture, on the other hand, was a little more problematic. The projected image was positioned too high and too far to the left by approximately 6-8" causing a blank space at the bottom and to the right of the image, and an equal amount of overlap onto the masking on the left side and top of the screen.

Also troubling was the amount of "jump" in the image. Jump is the vertical movement of the projected image, and it was very noticeable. Eventually, I was successful in ignoring it, but problems like this make me wish that Marcus would convert to Digital Cinema if they can't project film any better. Overall, the image was quite soft, but I think that was a result of the jump and not a focus-related issue. It will be interesting to see how the cinematography should have looked when it's released on home video.

After the show, I mentioned the framing issues to the same assistant manager that was serving concessions before the movie. He said that he would check on it, so hopefully future presentations in that theater are improved.

At $9.50 for each ticket, I'd like to see a better job done of presenting a movie. This particular movie is getting a lot of Oscar-related buzz (and rightfully so, it was a good movie), and it would be nice if the quality of the presentation were up to the level of the quality of the movie.

If you plan on going to the Applebee's, which is in the parking lot of the Ridge Cinema, be aware that it's quite busy on Friday evenings (and possibly other times as well).

We got there at 6pm tonight with a party of four, and we waited about 40-45 minutes for a table, which was right on target with what they told us when we got in. The waiting area was packed with people (it's a small area), so be prepared to wait, get jostled around every time someone wants to get in or out of the door, and feel a refreshing chill every time the door opens in the wintertime.

After about 15 minutes, I called over to the Texas Roadhouse to find out what their wait was, and it was about 20-25 minutes. We decided to wait it out at Applebee's.

We ordered food and drinks immediately after being seated, (the service was acceptably prompt even if my wife's salad was full of brown lettuce core), and we left the restaurant soon after finishing our meal at 7:50.

If you are planning to see a movie after dinner, plan accordingly so that you don't miss the show!

Dec 23, 2010 - Scott Jentsch

Attended the 6:40 show of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 on 12/22, in auditorium #8.

The staff was friendly. A junior popcorn and regular soda was $10, ouch! The regular soda was way too large for one person to drink, but I had a coupon for $3 off a $10 concession order, so I had to upgrade the soda to meet the requirement. Considering the taste that the popcorn left in my mouth after the movie, maybe I should have stayed with the smaller soda and chosen the high-priced Midwest Airlines cookies instead...

Screen #8 is quite small. I estimate that there were about 90 seats, with only four rows in the stadium seating section. The screen was quite small at 26 feet, and it was mounted very high -- too high for comfort. One would have had to have been in the back row for your eyes to be level with the bottom of the screen, which still places the viewer too low for comfort. The single entrance means that anyone entering or leaving the theater from the right side must walk in front of everyone in the stadium seating section, which is bothersome.

Sound was OK, with good split surround effects during the movie. Unfortunately, a light fixture on the right wall rattled whenever low bass was present (thunder, explosions, etc.).

Picture quality was an average Marcus film presentation. Given that the print was several weeks old, it was in pretty good shape. Overall, the picture was too soft for my taste, but they got the masking right for the most part (about 6-9" vertical overlap).

I expect more, considering the $9.50 price for a Wednesday evening presentation of a 5-week old release. If I were to place a value on the experience, I would say that it was worth about $4.00, which would have been in line with the $5.00 Spotlight Movies price that Marcus normally puts on movies this far into their release, but conveniently suspended because of the holiday week.

This theatre is 29 mi. from our home and we always come back. We have tried the closer, smaller theatres, but the can not match, the comfort, large screen, selection of movies and cleanliness that we find at the Ridge.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

Oct 24, 2010 - richardbrowne

"Easy A" on October 14, 2010. The Ridge is almost always clean. The staff is more than pleasant. Even though it's kind of awkward to get a three-sentence review by the ticket taker when there's people behind you, that's a nice touch.

I would like to see the Ridge be more than just a mega-plex showing the latest commercial films. As many screen as there are, more independents a la Downer/Oriental would really be a plus. All of the audience are not airheads. Some "thinking" films do sell.

The edifice needs an update. It is looking worn.

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!

They need to add an UltraScreen to this theater!

With UltraScreens in Brookfield, Mequon, and Sturtevant (Racine), the SW Milwaukee area is noticeably missing an elevated viewer experience.

The screen size and sound quality of the theaters at Ridge are unremarkable, so I end up going to Showtime Cinema instead because the ticket prices and concessions are cheaper. I'd gladly pay a few $$$ extra for better sound and bigger screens that people in other areas get to enjoy nearby!

Who agrees?

Shows a wider selection of films, often only place I can see older movies!

Dec 31, 2009 - Scott Jentsch

Saw Avatar 3D on 12/30/2009 in screen #1.

The 3D glasses were in good condition, with no water spots on the lenses from the cleaning process. An employee was stationed at the entrance to the auditorium to hand out the glasses when you went in and collect them when you left.

Showtime was publicized as 6:30, and the previews did start at about that time. The actual movie began at 6:40, which isn't too bad compared to past experiences.

The picture was pretty good, with no noticeable issues, but I thought the sound could have been turned up a little higher. This is probably done on purpose to prevent complaints from those with sensitive hearing, but I kept wanting to turn up the volume during the action scenes!

The bathrooms were clean and the theater in general looked well maintained. I skipped the concessions due to prices that were higher than I cared to pay.

Overall, a good experience!

Would you recommend this theater to others? Yes!