First off, I need to admit that I got that great title from a website called Cinema Blend. They review 3D films and tell you how well the 3D is utilized. Here is their review for The Avengers:
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/3D-Or-3D-Buy-Right-Avengers-Ticket-30660.html
Trailer after trailer is playing these days promoting the upcoming summer tent-pole films. Almost all of them end with "See it in Real 3D" or even "See it in IMAX 3D". I must say that I've never really been a fan of the experience of seeing 3D movies. I recall being very impressed with the 3D in "Coraline" but that is about it. I have seen plenty of movies though where it simply just dimmed the image, made me feel awkward to be wearing glasses, and made me more curious about what the image looked like without my glasses on than with them.
As you can expect, I go out of my way to find non-3D showings. Not only are they usually cheaper and less attended, but they are more enjoyable. Recently, I drove 30 minutes to see a 2D screening of "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters". I could have driven considerably less and seen it in 3D or even IMAX 3D but that was not what I wanted. I didn't want to see an awkward computerized re-tooling of a film. I don't want to do that so badly that it usually makes me have to wake up incredibly early (well... relatively incredibly early) to go see the 2D screening of something. "Jurassic Park" was only playing at 11am in 2D. I got myself out of bed to see that instead of seeing a fake-converted 3D mess.
This is not to say that I always shy away from 3D. I recently saw "Jack the Giant Slayer" and the only showtime I could make was 3D. It did look pretty good but it was natively shot in 3D by a director who knows what he is doing. I still firmly believe it did nothing to add to the enjoyment of the movie though.
The problem I come upon as a "film critic" is that I don't know if I SHOULD be seeing 3D movies or 2D movies when given the option of both. Which is the director's true "vision"? If I review a 2D version of a 3D movie, am I truly reviewing the same movie? People were amazed and astounded over the 3D presentation of "Avatar". I only saw it in 2D and it more than likely would have only gotten 2 stars from me. Was I missing something not seeing it in 3D. Did I see the same movie as most of the 3D viewers?
"Iron Man 3" and "Star Trek Beyond Darkness" are coming out in the next few weeks. They are both being released in IMAX which is something I'm frothing at the mouth to see. IMAX's increased resolution and booming sound will no doubt help both films. Unfortunately, both films have been post-converted into 3D. They weren't filmed with 3D cameras. They are being run through computers in order to create a fake 3D appearance. I've seen movies like this. They are more often than not, disappointing. Variety critic Scott Foundas found the 3D conversion of "Iron Man 3" "unremarkable" and suggested viewers "see it in 2D and (they) will miss little, but keep a few extra dollars in (their) wallet" (http://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/iron-man-three-review-1200413714/). "Star Trek Beyond Darkness" director J.J. Abrams has come out and said he had no interest in making the movie in 3D and that:
“The studio said, ‘You have to make it in 3D if you’re going to make it, for economic reasons. But my feeling was I didn’t like 3D. So the idea of doing Star Trek in 3D was ridiculous. But that was very helpful in some ways, because it let us work with stereographers and the 3D crew in a way that didn’t assume we just loved 3D.” (http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a449669/jj-abrams-i-was-forced-to-make-star-trek-into-darkness-in-3d.html)
So why should we pay more for a dimmed presentation that many find disorienting and that the directors didn't truly want in the first place. A lot of time it comes down to convenience. I am lucky enough to be able to find a 2D showing of "Iron Man 3" for Thursday. There is no such thing as a 2D IMAX showing though. The 2D showing will no doubt be on a smaller screen than the 3D showings. I'm basically limiting myself in the presentation because I am choosing the 2D. More and more, theaters are only previewing the 3D version. It seems that critics often are only being shown the 3D cut. Most recently, "G.I. Joe Retaliation" was released a day early but only in 3D and IMAX 3D. I had to wait until the next day to see and review it. That one day could make a large difference in terms of readers (not that I have those now but in a hypothetical future).
I will continue to find 2D showings but will continue to have that little voice in my head that questions if I'm doing the right thing.
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