3-D

What I have to say on the topic of 3-D isn't exactly new, but having spent a small fortune watching The Avengers in 3-D, only to constantly take my glasses off during the first hour or so of screening to be able to see what was happening I felt the need to weigh in on a discussion that's been going for the last seven years or so, with the introduction of supposedly "new and improved" 3-D technology. Since the reintroduction of 3-D movie viewing within the last ten years or so, I've only seen a handful of 3-D films, and of that handful I've only truly enjoyed an even smaller handful, i.e. it was only in very few instances that my viewing experience was significantly enhanced by the additional viewing dimension. It's easy to say that 3-D should only be used when it can somehow enhance the experience, but considering that movie-making is obviously by and large a business it's pretty much a given that the extra revenue gained from a relatively cheap 3-D post-production conversion will always be a preferred option for filmmakers, as opposed to actually designing and shooting a film in 3-D or (gasp) not presenting the film in 3-D at all. That, of course, doesn't make it right. Fortunately, it seems that the folks with real integrity when it comes to 3-D seem to be rewarded the most richly, with James Cameron, who has effectively set the standard for truly excellent 3-D presentation with Avatar, sitting pretty at the top of the heap. Probably the best example of 3-D tacked on for extra cash is the global smash hit The Avengers. As much as I loved that movie (and anyone who's followed this blog knows that I do) the added on 3-D added absolutely nothing to the viewing experience save perhaps for the last fifteen to twenty minutes. In fact, it detracted from it by making about a quarter of the film so dark that I had to take off my glasses to determine what was going on, such as the chase at the beginning and the Thor/Iron Man fight scene. As far as 3-D viewing experiences go, it's not the worst I've ever had (that "honor" is reserved for the third Chronicles of Narnia film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the post-production conversion of which was so obviously an afterthought that it's downright offensive), and clearly Marvel has spent a lot of money on this film, but even for a conversion they could have done much better; Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, which came out two years ago and which was likewise converted to 3-D, made far better use of the format even though it was a far inferior film overall. Watching The Avengers in 3-D I honestly couldn't help but smell the decision-making of a bunch of suits rather than an actual creative choice by the filmmakers themselves. Ultimately I think it's up to audiences to reject poor 3-D switchovers in favor of 2-D and to reward good 3-D jobs. Pixar, for example, quite frankly deserves to be pilloried for the virtually non-existent 3-D of Toy Story 3, which, while shot in 3-D, is second only to Dawn Treader on my crappy-3-D-experience list (especially considering it's one of the two 3-D films I've seen to give me a headache). The 3-D of that film added next to nothing to the experience, and the following year, Pixar did not get my extra money for 3-D tickets for Cars 2, nor are they likely to ever get my extra money for a 3-D film again. For all my love for them, did not get a penny out of me for the 3-D presentation of Captain America last year, especially not after the awful experience I had with Thor. The good news is that for all of the cash it's making, The Avengers isn't making as much off its 3-D format as Avatar did, or a number of other 3-D films of the last year or three. Audiences seem to be learning to be a little more discriminating with their hard-earned money, and I would really encourage that. Avoid crappy 3-D, conversions or otherwise and reward the well-wrought 3-D. Not only that, but a number of films released in 3-D have tanked at the box-office in the last coupe of years or so, like Mars Needs Moms, Alpha and Omega, Wrath of the Titans, Happy Feet 2, Cats and Dogs 2, Gulliver's Travels, Conan the Barbarian, and so on and so forth, demonstrating to studios that 3-D is not a surefire, idiot-proof way to ensure the profitability of their films. It's up to us, then. Let's tell people we won't waste the money we practically bleed for every day on shoddy 3-D and force filmmakers to either put up decent 3-D or shut up.