Okay so my general response to people when they say that their eyes hurt when they watch 3D is to suggest that they see whichever movie there interested in, in 2D. Most of the time this is a good suggestion, most of the time. With the advent of 3D conversions peppering the Cineplexes, it's no wonder people are getting raging headaches and dizzy spells. Most of the time if you've gone to a 3D film in the past two years, it's been one of those nasty conversions. So I cannot always recommend that they just go to the 2D film because if the movie was originally shot in 3D then they're going to really be missing something. And I'm of the opinion that if the film is shot in 3D then you will have an overall better viewing experience.
With only one exception, Alice in Wonderland directed by the quirky Tim Burton. In that one case I remember distinctly enjoying the conversion for only one reason. At the very beginning of the movie Alice is supposed to be marrying the wrong man. As the crowd of onlookers wait in anticipation for the sacred event, you see a long crowd of people filling the courtyard. This particular shot is breathtaking, and once she falls into wonderland greenscreen and good ol' fashion CGI save the day. Otherwise, all of the other conversions that I've seen have been mediocre to, "just OK".
But fortunately, there are the Avatars of the world. If there's anything we've learned from big Poppa James, do it right the first time and you make a lot of money. That's mainly the reason why Michael Bay shot Transformers three dark of the Moon from the get go in 3D. Say what you want about Michael Bay, he does make glossy eye candy that we can't get enough of. And if he had shot that movie in 2D and then converted it, it would've been a hot mess. Basically, he was saving his audience from throwing up for an hour and half by shooting it in 3D from the get go. There are so many great examples of animated films that just do 3D correctly. Still, I believe the film executives get it wrong when they think that all we want is 3D. All we want is good 3D. Content is king and audiences are starting to realize that they hate 3D conversions. But remember the audience isn't as technically savvy as you or I, so they think it's all 3D that gives them headaches. The executives better figure this out soon or they will lose all those juicy profits that they have been reeping from crappy 3D conversions
Now that's not to say that eventually some technological whiz kid that probably hasn't been born yet can't crack the code behind the 3D conversion process. But sadly that day has not yet reached us. Until that monumental day, the day when we can sit in our living room and have a television, no glasses, and or holograms, we are all in the same boat. Don't get me wrong, it's a small boat, a kind of crappy small boat that gets you nowhere and leaves you queasy near the end. But nevertheless, the same boat. If they shoot it in 3D, then go see it. If they don't shoot it in 3D, buyer be warned, one doozy of a headache may follow. This one is simple people, vote with your pocketbook.
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