These days, it’s all about three-dimensional entertainment.
Just about every other movie that comes out is in 3D.
At first I thought it was just for films like “Star Wars” or “Jurassic Park,” but it seems motion picture companies are relying heavily on this technology for different types of films.
My niece, Kendoll, loves the movie “Madagascar 2.” At 2 years old, she can sing the movie’s signature song, “I Like to Move it” as clear as the next 10 year old. I just love it.
Just as I became excited to hear moviemakers are making a third sequel of that film, I saw the “3D” in the corner of the advertisement for it. I, for one, think the first two movies were just fine without the three-dimensional effects.
Don’t get me wrong. I like 3D movies, but I think we are on 3D overload.
I am not exempt from the excitement that comes from buying a movie ticket and getting the cool pair of black shades. When the clerk hands them to you, you feel like you’re about to enter another world. I guess, in a sense you are – a world where objects seem like they are two feet away from your face or a world in which you are dodging meteors just as the astronaut on the screen is.
My first 3D experience was at Sea World in Sandusky, Ohio. The glasses were paper and had red lenses. Since Sea World’s main attractions are Shamu, the famous whale, and other sea life, the 3D film I viewed showcased those animals and more. From battling rocking waves on a pirate ship to dodging killer bees that seemed like they were close enough to sting you, it was fun.
I recently saw the latest sequel in the “Men in Black” movie series. No surprise, it was in 3D. It seemed fitting since the audience is not only able to admire Will Smith but also laugh at comical quips from extraterrestrial beings and dodge flying darts from the bad guy.
I have to admit I jumped a few times from the action because it seemed so close. It definitely made for a memorable movie outing.
The more advertising I see announcing the coming of 3D movies, the more I wonder if it will ever get old. Then I was inclined to see just how old the concept was.
I found out it is already old but has been re-mastered with time. 3D films have existed in some form since 1915 and were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema, according to an online source. IMAX, a theater company, helped fuel a worldwide resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s.
Film critic Roger Ebert once wrote “I’m not opposed to 3-D as an option. I’m opposed to it as a way of life for Hollywood, where it seems to be skewing major studio output away from the kinds of films we think of as Oscar-worthy.” In that May 2010 Ebert column, he argued the gravitation toward 3D films is a waste of good dimension and is driven largely to sell projection equipment and add a $5 to $7.50 surcharge on already pricey movie tickets.
I don’t feel as strongly as Ebert, but two years later, the movie-going experience is still inundated with 3D. There is no doubt it can be entertaining, but sometimes a single viewing dimension will work just as well.
