Don't know, everybody seems to bash 3D these days. When I watched Avatar I thought it was pretty awesome and didn't get any headaches either. Maybe it's no good having a 3D TV at home and expose ourselves constantly to fake 3D every day, but watching a movie every now and then in the cinema can't be that bad.
Edit: Also, all these people are just speculating, there's no science backing up any pro or anti 3D claims. I would be careful giving Nintendo 3DS's to small children, that are still developing vision, but as I said I don't think watching a 3D movie every now and then is a bad thing if you enjoy doing so.
As much as I hate the recent spate of 3D movies, I don't think it has anything to do with the technology, but more about how poorly it is applied. I say this because Avatar, at least for me, was simply mind-blowing; it was easily the most immersive film I've ever watched, but mainly because the 3D was done tastefully, subtly, and with care. You can give me as much hand-waving sudo-science to try to convince me I'm not supposed to have liked it, but it won't change my mind; Avatar in 3D literally brought tears to my eyes.
I'm not sure how 3D can catch on when so many people seem to have an adverse reaction to it. Lots of people I know who saw Avatar in 3D complained of headaches or feelings of motion sickness. I don't have true stereo vision so the whole effect is lost on me anyway. It just ends up looking blurry and distorted to me. I'm much more interested in 2K displays personally. That's something everyone can appreciate and enjoy.
I'm stereo-blind, so 3D movies annoy me more than anything. It always annoys me when people want to go see a movie in 3D and I have to decline since it will give me a headache 15 minutes in.
Which is more likely, that 3D makes no sense to most people, or that you're one of the few which has problems watching 3D movies? I do know a few friends which thought Avatar 3D was "nothing special", but most of us thought it was great in 3D, easily worth the reduced light.
I agree that a lot of bad 3D movies are put out there now, and I think the current hype will fade. But I have no doubt that the technology has advanced far enough that 3D is here to stay this time.
Do you mind if I side-track a little and ask people's opinion of 3D in general?
I've seen two movies in 3D in the past year - Avatar and Toy Story 3. While Avatar was fun, and Toy Story 3 exception, I didn't feel that the 3D really added much to the experience. In particular, the colour for Toy Story 3 seemed dimmer than normal. I also where glasses, so I sometimes had reflections obscuring the picture.
I understand that 3D is being hyped as the next big thing to get after a big flatscreen TV, so I'd be interested to hear what people here think of it.
This is a great point. Theaters are pushing 3D because it means more money for them. Apparently Avatar was amazing in 3D, and theaters used that fact to make a lot of money off of underwhelming 3D experiences.
I saw Tron in 3D and suffered very mild side effects -- facial tension and a headache that went away after a few glasses of wine. The 3D effects weren't enough to make even those mild side effects worth it. I'm not even sure the 3D effects were a net plus for the experience without considering the side effects. Add a 40% premium on the ticket price, and it was a great deal for the theater and a lousy deal for me.
Until the technology changes fundamentally, I'm starting to think 3D movies are like heroin: we'll see a periodic resurgence and decline as the lessons fade away with one generation and are relearned by the next.
Except there are studies coming out about the harm to developing eyes and such. The point is that we're not meant for 3D. 3D though is a great way theaters try to "add value" to movies forcing us to pay more. Tangled was playing ONLY in 3D in theaters around me xept for like 1 showing. Guess which is the only showing I could take my daughter to. She would throw the glasses off in 15 minutes due to headache an thats the end of the movie for her. Was that worth an extra 10 bucks a ticket?
Like any new tech, makers want to convince us this tech is the way to go. So study more, and give us the old school alternatives.
I have never bothered to use the 3d part of my tv and I have yet to enjoy a 3d movie at the theaters. I'm kinda surprised this fad has lasted this long.
There are several things that bother me with the current 3D craze.
First - and I'll admit this makes me biased - I'm blind in one eye. This means that it doesn't matter what technology they use, I'm not going to be able to see the movie in 3D.
Second, the only movie I tried to watch in 3D (in the last 10 years), was Coraline. It was a great film, but having to wear the glasses meant the film was very dark.
Third, I've yet to talk to anyone who didn't come out of the film without either a headache or at least a somewhat spacey feeling. The technology strains your eyes, and while I don't believe it causes any lasting damage, it still leaves you worn out after the film. Or maybe my friends and I are just too old.
Still, as far as I'm concerned, as long as you have to wear special glasses, 3D movies aren't likely to be considered a normal part of going to the movies.
I saw Avatar. Criticisms of the plot aside, I loved the 3D. I wanted to see it with my partner. But when I talked to her about it, she said that 3D films make her nauseous.
So now, it seems like every movie coming out that is possibly even worth seeing is in 3D. I can adjust to the experience, but my partner can't, and this is a problem because going to the movies is one of the few options we have for a quick date away from the house and baby.
Like Ebert, I'm fine with 3D as an option. But I hope it doesn't become the dominant form for decent movies. I'm hoping that the studios continue offering the alternate non-3D option for each movie they release.
The main problem with 3D tv was the content. 3D really only works with bad movies like resident evil. You are not going to have need or want 3d in a movie that is an oscar contender.
Regarding 3D - a lot of people have slightly (or completely, for example me) different eyes. For these people, 3D movies cause headache and it's not a pleasant experience overall - the last time I visited a 3D cinema, I wasn't even able to look at the projection without my eyes hurting, thankfully it was just a short educational sketch.
Do you mind sharing what you love about 3D movies? Even ignoring the glasses and the fuzziness (and the headaches and the blurry vision in my case) I can't find one positive thing about it.
re: 3D movies. Signs are starting to show that movie goers are not merely indifferent to 3D but are starting to avoid it when given the 2D option [1]. Definitely not a good sign for Nintendo's bet on 3D technology. Brings to mind how many reviewers of the Zelda Ocarina of Time 3DS version talked about switching off the 3D features since they added nothing to, if not detracted from, the overall experience.
After having seen Avatar in 3D, I felt no need to see it in 3D again and I totally agree that I'm not going to any more 3D movies until the next significant tech improvement occurs. The same is true for most people I know. However we had to go see Avatar in 3D to come to that conclusion.
I have always been curious if all the people saying they don't like 3D actually experience the discomfort they describe or just want to look fancy like old wine geeks. I myself have watched just 2 movies in 3D: Avatar and Resident Evil: Afterlife - both of them looked visually awesome and caused absolutely no discomfort to me. I would certainly love to watch Interstellar and Blade Runner 2049 in 3D, that's a huge pity that's not possible.
The horrible thing about watching something like Avatar in 3d is looking at parts Of The shot youbare not meant to, they are blurry and you end up with a headache.
Edit: Also, all these people are just speculating, there's no science backing up any pro or anti 3D claims. I would be careful giving Nintendo 3DS's to small children, that are still developing vision, but as I said I don't think watching a 3D movie every now and then is a bad thing if you enjoy doing so.
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