Well it seems that I have already fallen far behind on the second post, so maybe I should re-think this blogging thing. The topic of tonight's post is the ever popular 3D debate. Now we all know that everyone and their mother saw Avatar in 3D (roughly 81% of its domestic take was from 3D screens) and for the most part, it was pretty much a visual explosion of awesomeness for the eyes. Despite the story flaws (Dances With Wolves in space) it delivered so well on every other aspect that all else was forgiven. Alice in Wonderland looked to continue the 3D trend, and despite the fact that it was much more critically maligned than Avatar, it went on to gross over a billion dollars worldwide.
We all know what happened next in Hollywood land. Studio execs saw $$ signs and began to order 3D for every major tentpole they had waiting in the wings. The first of these to come out was Clash of the Titans, and the 3D sucked the big one. It was a rush conversion, and it definitely showed through the dark blurred images and cardboard cutout characters (courtesy of bad 3D and a poor script). Yet, despite the backlash, studios continued to roll out the converted 3D.
Sure 3D can enhance the film experience when done right, but for some reason conversions are still running rampant. To add insult to injury, Hollywood considers 3D to be a premium experience for films, so now there is a $5 surcharge for a 3D ticket. I would be glad to pay this if I knew I would actually get this premium experience, but most movies that have been released in 3D have been pretty terrible. Guess what Hollywood, a shitty movie in the regular two dimensions is still a shitty movie in 3D. Its even shittier that people have to pay more to see just how bad it is.
Studio executives, I have a request. Give it a fucking rest. Not every movie needs to be in 3D. My Soul to Take? Are you shitting me? That movie had no business being made in general, so why even bother to convert it? Before you know it, every god awful rom com with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson is going to be released in 3D. I understand that the movie industry is a business. But if you executives look past the dollar amounts, you'll see that the attendance rate for these movies isn't as high when the money for the 3D surcharge is taken away. The revenues get bloated so on the surface it appears that people are flocking to the movies in masses. If the attendance rate keeps dropping, there won't be anybody to spend $15 on a ticket.
I know this entry seems disjointed, I'm still trying to process a lot of other movie news that has broken in the last week. Bottom line is this; studio execs, open your fucking eyes. If your going to release a movie in the third dimension, try to make it is filmed natively in the format and try to make a premium movie if your going to make us pay for a premium experience. The good people of this world can't take another that looks like The Last Airbender.
