By Maria Cortes
Staff Writer
American cinema is being taken over by one phrase: 3-D. The majority of the movies we see come equipped with those dimension-warping
glasses that are meant to transport us and, supposedly, give us a more intense
movie experience. The problem with this plan is that everything is now in 3-D. Horror movies, action films, romantic comedies, even movies about animated
fluffy animals discussing the importance of friendship are all in 3-D.
Is
this necessary? Does it really intensify our viewing experience? Or is it just
a clever gimmick to make certain films more interesting than they really are?
There is a simple way to answer those questions on your own. Look at the most
recent 3-D releases and see if the effect actually made a difference.
“Star
Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menace 3-D” was one of the most anticipated
movies of the year. Fans of the series were thrilled when they learned the movie
was being re-released but the fact that it was re-released in 3-D made it all
the better. Unfortunately, the only thing 3-D worthy was the opening scene
explaining the world of Star Wars.
Max
Nicholson, a writer for the popular gaming website IGN, said, “If you do end up
giving it another go, I would stick to the 2-D version. As cool of an idea as
it is, Star Wars in three dimensions simply does not live up to the hype.
But…Star Wars in theaters still definitely does.”
The majority
of the films released in 3-D are unnecessary. Did we need the blood in “Saw
3-D: The Final Chapter” to be two inches from our faces to know that it was a
gory movie? No. Did we need the piranha’s in “Piranha 3-D” to be nipping at our
ears to know that it would be a bad movie? No. It’s time that we put down the
glasses and go back to 2-D.
