Looks fine without 3D

As most of you must have noticed, 3D has been making a huge comeback in the cinema. Once mainly perceived as a novelty, 3D is now being treated like a new art form. The persisting idea is that the technology will make movies more immersive and that it’s the next evolutionary step for the medium.

As for me, it’s done little more than cause headaches and eye-strain. In fact, I actually feel less immersed with 3D. For example, I went to see Avatar (which pioneered new 3D technology) twice; first in normal 2D and then in 3D. The 2D was no less visually stunning to me, and seeing it a second time I felt I missed things because of the 3D. The crispness of the graphics seemed affected and some of the colour vibrancy was sacrificed to the slight shading of the glasses.

Avatar does deserve some commendation, however, for not giving in to overly gimmicky uses of 3D. One of the first films I saw during the 3D revolution was Beowulf. Not only was it an awful movie, but it used 3D in the cheesiest ways possible. Oh look! Gold coins are flying at your head! And here’s a spear being pointed right in your face! It was impossible to take the film seriously.

Possibly the best use I’ve seen was UP. It’s the only movie I recall seeing in 3D that didn’t give me a headache. The depth seemed a little more subdued. It may have also been that the more simple shapes of the characters and settings were easier on the eye when combined with the 3D.

To be honest, my mind still lumps 3D in with other classic movie gimmicks such as the rigged seats for The Tingler,  plastic skeletons on pulleys for House on Haunted Hill and Illusion-O for 13 Ghosts. They weren’t using these tricks to tell the story (despite what their advertising may have said), they were using them to shock and thrill you. It sold movie tickets, put butts in seats and little more.

This is probably why I find it so hard to reconcile 3D as an appropriate format to tell more serious stories with. I also think that’s why 3D movies like My Bloody Valentine and The Final Destination (neither of which I’ve seen) don’t irritate me. They’re a throwback to 3D’s more gimmick-driven origins. Maybe when/if 3D technology progresses further I won’t feel that way. As of right now, I don’t think it’s strong enough for much more than kid flicks and horror movies.

I’m fairly sure that I am in the minority regarding 3D films, and that as time marches forward we’ll see more and more of them. It’s becoming increasingly hard to find 2D showings of movies available in 3D, especially when 3D is trumpeted so much in advertisements and trailers. I’ve even heard that 3D televisions are in the works for the not-too-distant future.

Time will tell all, but for now I’m going to seek out my movie viewing experiences in glorious 2D.