QUICK TAKES - Nov. 5, 2009

Tom Hanks says viewers are in for a realistic “wartime experience” when the new film he produced, “Beyond All Boundaries,” opens at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans on Friday.

The film will be shown exclusively at the museum’s new Victory Theater, which includes “4-D” elements such as props, simulated winds and shaking seats. Images from Pearl Harbor to the wintry Battle of the Bulge are shown on a 120-foot-wide screen.

The film incorporates vintage film footage, animation and sensory effects so audiences can feel the rumbling of tank treads and booming of anti-aircraft fire.

“This is not just a widescreen movie,” said Hanks, who narrates the 35-minute film, as well as an introductory video that will be shown as viewers wait to enter the theater. “There’s actual things that pop up, actual elements that come into it that put you in the environment.”

Victory Theater was built for “Beyond All Boundaries” as part of a $300-million museum expansion that is expected to continue through 2015.

Two other additions -- a canteen that will showcase musical revues inspired by USO-style productions and a restaurant called the American Sector that will be overseen by chef John Besh -- are also opening Friday.