When I am asked to explain what critics actually do, the best answer I have is this: we say what we saw.

What I mean is we describe what we experienced — what the movie, or painting, or song, or whatever became when filtered through our senses. In doing so, we invite you to come along for the ride, to decide for yourself what you see.

In my two decades writing criticism, I’ve rarely run across something that refuses to let me see it just one way, but one such resistor is “The Wizard of Oz” at Sphere in Las Vegas. Perhaps you’ve heard about it: the beloved 1939 film starring Judy Garland, widely considered one of the greatest Hollywood classics, has been stretched and morphed and adapted to fit the enormous dome-shaped venue. Being in Sphere feels like perching inside a massive bubble, only it’s lined with an IMAX screen that’s pulled over your head, and a bit behind and down the sides, so you have to swivel like a bobblehead to see it all.

It’s primarily been a concert venue, hosting acts from U2 to the Backstreet Boys. “The Wizard of Oz” is the first attempt at adapting an existing movie for the place — including a partnership with Google that sparked controversy over the use of artificial intelligence technology ahead of its premiere on Aug. 28, with a planned run through March 2026.

I headed west for the premiere, having heard a lot of opinions about the whole thing. But my job is to see what it is I see. And as I sat in my center seat, head twisting, forehead wrinkling, dodging foam apples and flying monkeys, I couldn’t see it just one way.

So here instead are three ways of seeing “The Wizard of Oz” at Sphere. I’ll let you decide.