3D MOVIE Reviews
Five Star Maximum
Star ratings one to five for "modern" (1990's+) 3D movies.
Until 2008 or so, 3D movies could only be seen in Theme Parks or IMAX.
Now digital theaters offer several options: RealD, Dolby (Infitec) or XpanD (among others)
Another consideration is whether a film has been converted from 2D. Live action is much more difficult to shoot in 3D than it is to render CG (computer graphics) into stereo. Therefore, conversion is an expensive ($100,000 per minute) and time consuming process and while it offers flexibility, it's rarely as strong as "real" stereo. We consider conversion to 3D a lot worse than converting black and white to color! Of course, some may not even notice the difference!
One confession: I LOVE good computer graphics. The ability to create very realistic worlds and creatures is unprecedented in movie-making... and the art of doing so is one that I embrace whole-heartedly. Of course, the fact that CG lends itself to stereoscopic rendering doesn't hurt! Look at hair, skin, fur, reflections, transparencies... all these subtle nuances are so much clearer and true to life in stereo (and are pretty much impossible to recreate in a 2D to 3D conversion!)... I may be prone to grade CG films higher!
THEME PARK 3D - IMAX 3D - DIGITAL
IMAX 3D
SHREK FOREVER AFTER  Five stars - 2010 Dreamworks
How can I give Shrek Goes Forth (aka Shrek The Final Chapter) five stars and Avatar 4 and a half? Well, some things could have been better in Avatar, but this Shrek was just perfect! Laugh out loud comedy is rare, and this movie had me rolling. Great writing, hilarious sight gags, classic characters, spectacular visual design... it's all there! And of course the stereo was perfection (or as close as it gets!). I was hooked at the very opening, when we went from the storybook to the horse drawn wagon coming toward the viewer in amazing 3D! There were just so many scenes of artistic wonder, I mean I just loved it. From the spectacular scenes in Rumpelstiltskin's castle, to the sight (less) gag of turning the blind mouse around because he was applauding in the wrong direction, this was what an animated family movie should be.
HUBBLE 3D  Three and a half stars - 2010 IMAX/Warner Bros.
There are some simply mind-boggling shots in this film: seeing men floating in space above the Earth, working on the monstrous Hubble telescope, way bigger than life, was way worth the price of admission. A good chunk of the film, however, was lower res video and was certainly converted to 3D (which is fine, just not as compelling... obviously there was older footage that wasn't 3D, and maybe the interior shots were just too tight for the IMAX 3D camera). The cg scenes of going to the outer edges of space and seeing the web of galaxies in 3D were pretty awe-inspiring. This film should be a manditory field trip for all school kids!
ALICE IN WONDERLAND Three and a half stars - 2010 Disney
Expectations were high, of course- Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and 3D! Then the bad reviews, and rumors that the entire film had been converted to 3D after the fact. I'm not a fan of fake 3D, so I was apprehensive... The beginning of the film, mostly live action, was not looking so good- very little parallax and a slow start. But once into the rabbit hole, things started picking up: Tweedle Dee and Dum were fantastic, as were most of the CG cast. When I saw the smoke from Absolem the Caterpillar, I was sure that the CG was rendered stereoscopically! The fur on the rabbits was much too detailed to have been converted, as opposed to the hair on the lead characters, including Depp's Mad Hatter. Probaby the most disappointing character was Alice herself- the actress just wasn't engaging enough, though adequate. That said, I enjoyed the film more than I expected to- I think if the live action had been shot in 3D it would have been much better... (But how difficult was that have been with all the digital post done on the characters? Really, really difficult, I think. Probably better to just go full motion capture? On the other hand, who but hard-core stereophiles even notices this stuff? Is it worth it?)
AVATAR  Four and a half stars - 2009 Fox Entertainment
Of course, there was an immense anticipation for this film from the man who made the (5 star) TERMINATOR 3D in 1996 (not to mention the biggest selling movie of all time). James Cameron promised something special to his fans and his investors... and he delivered! I waited for the crowds to die down a bit, but the Tuesday evening IMAX show I attended was sold out, over 3 weeks and $1 billion after the official opening. This was a make it or break it 3D movie, and thankfully it's a winner. The 3D was not overused- some scenes actually appeared nearly flat. You don't want to overdo it in a 3D film that's almost 3 hours long (headaches aren't good)... I've not heard complaints. Though I liked the film very much, and was filled with wonder and awe at many of the fantastic places and incredibly human-like aliens, it didn't hit all five stars for me. Perhaps it was impossible to live up to the hype- perhaps I expected too much. I am thrilled that the movie that was destined to change the mind of the world about whether or not 3D is just a gimmick had done that very thing. Hallelujah!
UNDER THE SEA 3D  Four stars - 2009 Warner Bros
My first thought was, "Not another underwater 3D film!" But this genre is not only perfect for stereoscopic cinematography, but the amazing variety seems to be endless! Howard (and Michele) Hall managed to get more mind-boggling footage in this follow-up to "Deep Sea 3D", proving again that the natural world is so much more spectacular than any fiction. Describing the creatures that were captured by the huge 1300 lb. camera system is an exercise in futility- this is a film that just has to be experienced. Parallax was often overly strong (even at the very back of the theater) and some of the cuts are rather jarring, but just about this entire film is priceless... we are lucky to have this technology and these filmmakers who are able to share this wonderful hidden world with us. And we're lucky to have Jim Carrey narrate!
MONSTERS vs. ALIENS  Three stars - 2009 Dreamworks Pictures
I have no doubt that this was the most highly promoted 3D movie of all time, but was it worth the hype? Though the 3D was spectacular, overall the movie itself was a disappointment. There was a chuckle or two at most in this flat comedy... the writing was lame, and the character design mediocre. Visually it was a treat: several scenes, including Susan growing larger at her wedding, and the fight at Golden Gate Bridge, were lots of fun. The opening sequence of the flat 2D Dreamworks logo (as film) melting away to reveal the awesomeness of (3D!) space was brilliant. Unfortunately, this was a case of 3D saving an otherwise dull film... I wouldn't recommend it in 2D.
GRAND CANYON ADVENTURE River at Risk Three stars - 2008 MacGillivray Freeman Films
A respected 3D friend loved this film, but I had little to love about it. I thought I would be awed, but the cinematography was ok at best. The opening with CG splashes were fun! There was a guy shooting dual Hasselblad stills which was great to see, and a comparison of stereo images from 1873 and current times worked well. The aerial shots of the canyon, dams and cities were flat, I'd hoped for some hyper treatments. It looked like some of the rafting sequences were 2D! I thought overall the colors were muted and the lighting undramatic. Even putting the IMAX camera on a raft wasn't all that exciting, a bit too bouncy to enjoy on film. Add some jarring cuts and I left disappointed.
WILD OCEAN 3D Four and a half stars - 2008 Giant Screen Films
OK, I think underwater is a prime subject for stereography and there have certainly been a lot of 3D films done in the deep. This particular film, however, had such an incredible segment of "bait balls", shoals of sardines and the birds that dive into the water to feed on them along with the dolphins, sharks and whales. This was a spectacle of nature caught in IMAX 3D and edited to a symphonic soundtrack which had me weeping in awe... The schools of fish were mesmerizing in themselves, but the gannets darting into the water like cannonfire and the explosion of hungry sharks was just mind boggling. There were other nice touches- like kids in a sand castle shaped like a sardine can, the African villages and the boy who carved the fish from wood.
DOLPHINS AND WHALES 3D  Two and a half stars - 2008 3D Entertainment
More like a classroom treatment of these "cetaceans" than an entertaining documentary, Jean-Michel Cousteau simply presents the species- one at a time. Some nice closeup footage of these beautiful mammals, especially the manatee... unfortunately the parallax on much of that footage was way strong! Pretty straightforward film with no cg, but including the usual preaching about how these creatures may soon be history unless we all work together.
U23D Four stars - 2008 National Geographic Entertainment
An incredible concert film on a huge screen showcasing one of the best bands in rock history... how can you go wrong? The producers did an amazingly seamless job weaving this film together from multiple nights of footage. This is the first live action 3D in quite a while, and it executed beautifully. The cameras moved well, with a great mix of closeups, long shots and mingling with the sea of the energized, crazed crowd (I'm glad I could fly over the entire arena from the comfort of my IMAX chair, without tiers of frenzied fans blocking my view!). Composite layering was used extensively to great effect, including 2D segments. The filmmakers only touched upon some cg effects... the first one that really worked was when Bono drew in mid-air... loved it! Later came some text, actually lots of text- too much text. One sequence of raining letters worked, but overall that segment was just too distracting. Unfortunately, in this IMAX showing (where the smallest 3D lenses I've seen were introduced! Just barely covered the screen) ghosting was quite prevalent due to high contrast. At the credits there was a nice scene: a quick fly-through a loose wireframe city. When one thinks of the creative music videos that have been done in 2D over the years, one can imagine the potential for music and 3D. Hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg.
SEA MONSTERS Three and a half stars - 2007 National Geographic
Computer stereo continues to push the boundaries of realism... many shots in Sea Monsters are just spectacular. For 3D, it's hard to beat the "monster" splashing out of the ocean with a fish in it's mouth toward the audience. The aerial shots viewing the fish through the water's surface were so realistic, I have to believe it was live footage cleverly composited with the fish swimming below. Unfortunately many of the shots seemed quite similar, and there really is no story- it's no more than a drawn out vision of what prehistoric fossils might have looked like back in the day.
BEOWULF Four stars - 2007 Paramount Pictures
I was incredibly psyched for this... Robert Zemeckis again directs, utilizing absolute state-of-the-art motion capture/computer animation in stunning stereo. The visuals were spectacular! While the human characters weren't quite perfect, it was often so close as to elicit total awe and sheer amazement. Closeups of faces revealed unprecedented detail and complexity... Anjelina Jolie was stunningly accurate, and the male leads superb. The bodies and hands were also exquisite- I'm just astonished at how far this marriage of art and technology has come. Mind-boggling! As close to recreating humans as humans have ever done. The stereoscopic aspects were handled well, with a few more "comin at you effects" than maybe were necessary (the exagerrated spear in my face was a bit much!). The story was ok, and as good as the human replication was, in some scenes it just didn't work. But the woman scrubbing the table, she was pretty convincing! (I'm pretty sure at least some of her was animated by hand!)
Now that 3D films are coming out in multiple formats (this is the first!), shall I review the film in each??
DEEP SEA 3D Four stars - 2006 Warner Bros
There have been more underwater IMAX 3D than any other type, but this one is certainly the best. With the help of Warner Bros. backing, the production quality was top-notch, including a spectacular soundtrack. Not only was Danny Elfman's score wonderful, but the effects were sparkling and even funny! We meet some fantastic creatures and the moon jellyfish school is unearthly! The cleaning stations are wondrous... the sea turtles having their shells detailed by colorful fish is an unforgettable treat. Unfortunately the film suffers from excessive parallax in many scenes, which is nearly unavoidable in this environment... sit in the back. The last scene, with the right whale, was enlarged from a 16mm film and converted to 3D!
IMAX COUNTDOWN Five stars - IMAX
It's just a very short promo for IMAX 3D, but like nothing I've seen before! Starts with a standard "Academy" countdown (small), then goes to FULL SCREEN as the countdown continues sucking you completely into it's vortex of space! This is genius- if you're not convinced after this, you'll never be!
ANT BULLY Three stars - 2006 Warner Bros.
Yet another insect cg movie... too bad the story and characters weren't really worth it. The lead humans were tolerable, but the other "kids" were awful! The ants and other insects were nicely designed, but the story was so lame I can't imagine sitting through a 2D version. There were some really nice stereo scenes involving reflections (one in particular that was like a house of mirrors) but overall the parallax was a bit too strong (and we were sitting all the way in the back). I expected better from a film that got decent reviews.
ALIENS OF THE DEEP Three and a half stars - 2005 Disney
The second Cameron IMAX 3D film was better than the first ("Ghosts of the Abyss") but again way too many bad 3D shots! Seriously nasty window violations that were painful and embarrassing! I kept wishing he just did those shots flat instead... Luckily there was enough amazing 3D footage of incredible creatures in beautiful 3D to keep my jaw dropped for a good chunk of the film. The underwater heat vents crawling with life was mind-blowing! Computer graphics of aliens of the deep space looked great in 3D of course.
MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION Walking on the moon Three and a half stars - 2005 IMAX
The recreation of the lunar module and the astronauts bouncing around on the moon's surface was quite entertaining on the huge 3D Imax screen. I also enjoyed the amusing section where a roll down (silver?) projection screen appears with lots of 3D graphics (crude but fun) appear on the myths of the moon... kid's space drawings turn to 3D as well. A bit cutesy with the little kids who are going to be astronauts when they grow up...
WILD SAFARI  Two stars - 2005 nWave
It's hard to believe nWave has the gumption to put the audience in the back of a bumpy jeep looking at the back of the driver's head for about half the movie! Not only that, but as a cute "effect", they decided to FLASH the audience with a bright white light when the jeep driver is "taking photos" of the elephants at the beginning of the film. Thankfully they didn't continue that painful device throughout the movie! Some of the graphics were way too far out... On the bright side, there was some nice footage of the animals, especially the leopards. Unfortunately, since the cameras cannot get close, long lenses are utilized which tends to compress depth... so the environments exhibit great 3D, but the animals are a bit flat.
POLAR EXPRESS 3D FIVE stars - 2004 SONY Imageworks
Another amazing CGI stereo film- I believe this is the best 3D feature ever made. The movie may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the 3D is awesome, incredible! And when is the last time you saw a 3D movie as a top box office draw? Granted, most people are only seeing the film in 2D- which means that the film holds up quite well even without that amazing third dimension! This film was chock full of spectacular 3D scenes, as well as the most imaginative 3D thrill rides I have ever enjoyed. This wasn't a movie, it was an experience! I was riveted throughout.... Yes, the not-quite-human aspect of the characters was a little hard for many, including myself (a huge cg fan), to digest... but so easily forgivable, considering the spectacular 3D effects! What I witnessed going on up there on that gargantuan silver screen was absolutely mind-boggling. It's hard to believe the film was done in 3D as an afterthought~!? A local radio personality here in Boston who never liked animation or Tom Hanks was raving about the film... the 2D version! And I have never heard so much positive word-of-mouth about a 3D movie... people are talking about it as a must see! Sold out shows! This has got to be a major turning point in the history of stereoscopic filmmaking... the public likes it! My wife really liked it! And I loved it. A MUST SEE! (note: apparently the IMAX version of “The Polar Express” grossed $45 million, meaning that 35% of the film’s revenue came from only 2% of its screens!) NOTE: After seeing this film for the second time, I'm still amazed. For me, this is the most incredible marriage of art and technology EVER CREATED. Stunning.
NASCAR 3D Three and a half stars - 2004 Warner Bros
I didn't think I was going to like this film, not being much of a racing enthusiast (quite the opposite, really). But it actually turned out to be pretty good! Shots inside the car during a race, behind the scenes (including the incredible truck that takes the car on the second level with the service tools on the first level), and time-lapse photography all were pretty interesting. Quality of the stereography was quite good. My favorite part was the pit crew in 3D! Those are the guys that should be getting trophies!
SHARKS 3D Three stars - 2004 3D Entertainment
Another underwater adventure from the same French guys that did Ocean Wonderland. What is up with the talking sea turtle? Apparently they didn't figure out the first time around that it's really lame, the narration is awful. The music is pretty overdone classical. BUT, there is some absolutely spectacular footage of schools of fish! And jellyfish! And even hammerhead sharks! Though I found it odd that in the middle of the hammerhead sequence the movie reverted to 2D (2 same eye views) for about seven minutes. I talked to the supervisor who talked to the (weekend) projectionist- no one noticed or complained in 8 months. Guess I'm just a troublemaker! Oh, also some amazing shark "feeding frenzy" footage...
BUGS! Four stars - 2003 SK Films
Incredible macro stereo makes these tiny creatures seem gargantuan! There is an incredible sequence showing hundreds of baby praying mantises being born... they come down little strings hanging from a huge leaf. Absolutely fascinating! Apparently the spider coming down the web at the audience is a little much for small kids... my 6 year old niece and nephew hardly wanted to put their glasses back on after that!
OCEAN WONDERLAND 3D Two and a half stars - 2003 3D Entertainment
More underwater 3D... normally you can't miss with swarming schools of fish in 3D- and there are some good clips in this film- but there were so many seriously bad parallax / alignment problems in many scenes that it took away from comfortable enjoyment. The "host" sea turtle was pretty corny! One memorable scene of golden fish within an anemone, but overall less than exciting.
GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS Three stars - 2003 Disney
Disappointment from James Cameron after the incredible Terminator 3D offering. There are some high points- they are all digitally enhanced or generated. Some of the cg room recreations are fantastic, as are the 3D conversions of the old black and white photos (apparently intricate depth maps were created from 3d models made to simulate each scene). Unfortunately, some of the interior scenes of the sub were hard on the eyeballs due to extreme window violations. I know there are some restrictions for a 3d camera in tight quarters, but this was too much.
SPACE STATION Three and a half stars - 2002 IMAX/NASA
Some extreme parallax, but it's amazing how much they were able to pull off in the IMAX format out in space! Shots of crew members floating in front of you in 3D made you really feel like you're inside the shuttle along with them. The closest we'll ever be to being up there.
HAUNTED CASTLE  One and a half stars - 2001 nWave
Computer animation, but not nearly as evolved as what we might expect from Disney, Pixar, or PDI. There is very little semblance of a story- really an excuse for a ride-type 3D experience.
CIRQUE de SOLIEL Three and a half stars - 2000 Sony Classics
An excellent subject for 3d, this was not a documentary of regular performances but a narrative specifically written for the IMAX 3D vehicle. The narrative was a vague and somewhat corny story that provided an excuse for various scenes in which the troupe could show their costumes and aerobatics. Some highlights include a beatiful underwater sequence (a natural for through the window effects) and a scene of "living statues" that were floating on a giant leaf on a pond. One overhead shot was particularly effective, as the screen became the water surface and the statues jutted out into the room. I also liked the scene deep in the woods with very colorful characters in the misty rays of the sun. Unfortunately some scenes dragged, but it could be that European circus style~
CYBERWORLD Four and a half stars - 2000 Wireframe Films
This is what I want to see in 3D! The computer has allowed incredible freedom for fertile minds, and stereo is a natural by-product of 3d animation. Showcases of short films like this are the perfect outlet for creative pieces that might never otherwise be seen. In this grouping there is a wide variety of styles, highlighted by a sequence from the cg animation ANTS (by PDI, the same people who did SHREK) with Woody Allen and Sylvester Stallone re-rendered in 3D, and the absolute BEST 3D animated sequence ever (also by PDI): HOMER SIMPSON goes from the 2D cartoon world to the 3D cg world! It was originally done for the television show, but was re-rendered in high resolution and stunning stereo 3d! Not only is it one of the funniest Simpsons sequences ever, but the transition from 2D to 3D is a sight to behold. And when the 2D Professor Frink tries to explain what happended to Homer and speaks of "the hypothetical z-axis", it's the zenith of 3D hilarity. A MUST SEE.
GALAPAGOS Four stars - 1999 IMAX
Despite some heavy parallax in some land close-ups, we are treated to lots of great 3D footage on this lost island, as well as underwater scenes. The schools of fish work really well with this fish-eye underwater rig. Loved the shots of the submersible (how did the camera shoot it at the bottom of the ocean?), especially the "sucking up" of never before seen specimens. Film is dedicated to Noel Archambault, who died in a helicopter crash making this film. Noel was a great asset to the 3D community and a great guy. He is sorely missed.
ENCOUNTER IN THE THIRD DIMENSION Four stars - 1999 nWave
High rating mainly due to the 3D background and history... though there are some nice 3D effects and some pretty remarkable compositing effects, the storyteller is painfully unfunny. There is a particularly good effect where Elvira gets zapped and turns 2D (horrors!), falling down to the ground as a cardboard cutout.
SIGFIELD and ROY Four and a half stars - 1999 IMAX
Excellent vehicle for stereo presentation, the film includes scenes from the stage show as well as home life with the tigers. But most impressive are the computer graphics which work incredibly well and are very creative.
T-REX! Back to the Cretaceous Two and a half stars - 1998 L-squared
Story is a bit goofy, and who isn't tired of dinosaurs? The computer graphics are fine, but this seems to have been made as a cash in on Jurassic Park. Now if only Spielberg had directed it...
L5 First City in Space Two stars - 1996 IMAX
Lame story with uninspired effects. Disappointing.
ACROSS THE SEA OF TIME Four and a half stars - 1995 Columbia/Sony
Stereo fans should really like this film, which features a boy looking for his roots through his grandfather's stereoscope! He travels to New York City and there are many old stereo views blown up to IMAX proportions that hold up incredibly well.
INTO THE DEEP Three and a half stars - 1995 3D Sea, Inc
Underwater is such a great venue for stereo! This one is done particularly well, highlights include beautifully lit schools of fish and a lobster shedding it's exoskeleton.
DIGITAL Projection
All movies were seen in RealD, unless otherwise indicated!
Digital Projection
(2005 NPR News story on the advent of digital projection 7mb mp3)
DESPICABLE ME Five stars - 2010 Universal/ Mac Guff Ligne
Really didn't know what to expect, but was overwhelmed by this fun and different movie. For me, it had it all: sweet story, refreshing characters, great pace, fantastic stereo, superb animation! Where did these guys come from?? There was an avalanche of "WOW" moments, brilliant sets (the bank, the amusement park, both villians' lairs), and loads of laugh out loud lines. I had to wonder if I could give this the same grade as Toy Story, but I just couldn't think of any faults. The three guys that went with me also loved it- so I'm not crazy! We had to guess that the 2D version didn't include the fun "through the window" bits during the end credits~
TOY STORY 3 Five stars - 2010 Pixar/Disney
(Preshow! First, let me mention that this was the first time seeing RealD with the Sony 4k digital projection system... WOW! They've solved a major 3D projection problem: motion judder. Motion was so much smoother than standard 2k systems! Also, there were 3D ads for the first time- called "First Looks". The brilliant Samsung 3D TV ad we've seen on TV ["Dedicated to Wonder", where the guy takes a cube of water out of a huge aquarium] was here in 3D, even more brilliant!)
Pixar short: "Day and Night" Yet another wonderfully imaginative and unique animation, merging classic cel animation technique with modern cg imaging, beautifully capitalizing the stereo effect. Loved it. (Not to mention I did a live action stereo short about six years ago with the same title!)
Toy Story 3: I knew going in that this was going to be a Five Star movie, and they sure didn't let me down! Story, animation, lighting, color, character, humor, music, oh- and stereoscopy... ALL absolutely top-shelf. Did I say funny? Two routines that stand out were the Ken wardobe sketch, and the "El Buzzo" transformation. The only flaw I saw was the "2D" video setup at the beginning was a bit long... otherwise, Pixar managed to create yet another superb Toy Story for the ages. The detail and intensity of the "landfill from hell" was unexpected... I loved the resolution. Perfect! Thank you, Pixar, for lifting me so high for a few hours!
CLASH OF THE TITANS 3D (?)- 2010 Warner Bros
I believe this is the first feature film to be totally converted from 2D to 3D. The question is: should this even be considered a 3D film? If they "colorize" a black and white film, is it then a color film? Conversions are fake 3D, and though some can be decent, it's never going to be like the real thing... and all indications are that this one was particularly poorly done. Not worth a review as a 3D movie.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Two and a half stars - 2010 Dreamworks
First, the story is inane: Vikings have killed and been killed by dragons for hundreds of years, but it turns out they're really docile and make really nice pets! It just took one kid who was able to hit the nastiest of them all with his first shot (even though it is so fast that no one had actually ever even seen one). And when we do see it, it turns out to be so cute! Then the boy fashions a mechanical tail to replace the piece he lost when the boy brought him down- which allowed the boy to ride the previously feared dragon into the sky (even though it's too fast to be seen). I could go on, but issue number two: not funny! Not a chuckle, not a smile cracked. Didn't love the characters (well, the female lead, Astrid, was ok) but there was plenty of visual interest (even though I spotted a 2D background in the gorge where the dragon went down). Otherwise, no complaints about the stereo!
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Three stars - 2009 Disney
Hard to imagine that a brilliant director like Robert Zemekis, teamed with the funniest man on the planet, Jim Carrey, could produce this mediocre film! It's always amazing to see the progression of state-of-the-art motion capture cg- I loved the opening sequence where the book illustration turns to stereo 3D and then to cg stereo 3D... beautiful! Unfortunately, it was downhill from there... I couldn't help but think of things that weren't working... Flying over the rooftops, the chimneys and ornaments seemed so real, yet we flew right through them (wouldn't it have been more effective if the camera veered around them?). Old Scrooge is able to grab the back of a carriage and slide on the snow like a kid? Suddenly Bob Cratchit starts talking to the camera at the end? Character design was not especially good- I did like the shadow of the Ghost of Christmas future morphing to 3D as well as the morphing of many faces of the Ghost of Christmas Past. Scrooge's wife looked incredibly realistic as she was giving her parting words, but many characters still had a doll-like or otherwise odd appearance. Not sure why eyes so often looked crossed, and lip-syncing was not always on target. Compared to Polar Express, scenes were ho-hum (but that's a hard act to follow!).
TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2 Five stars - 1995/2009 and 1999/2009 Pixar/Disney
These classic, groundbreaking Pixar animations being re-rendered stereoscopically is an absolute dream-come-true. The third dimension (fourth, since the animation itself is the dimension of time!) brings even more life to all our beloved characters. Both films hold up incredibly well after almost 15 years. Toy Story was the very first feature CG film and is still absolutely one of the best on every level. I laughed solidly throughout both features, and relished every minute. That Pixar was able to dig up these now archaic files and match them to modern computers and software is nothing short of phenomenal. The only criticism is that perhaps they were a bit shy on the depth, but likely they thought it better to err on the conservative side. Considering these films weren't made with stereo in mind, some scenes seemed to be made for 3D- one that stands out is when Woody is being discarded, and falls into the pile of cards! Possibly since the 3D was an afterthought, it never felt gimmicky. We were also treated to a preview of TOY STORY 3 which looks great, but doesn't come out until June! Why they released both movies at once- and as a two for one, instead of spreading them out is quite a mystery. For most people, sitting through one 3D movie can be a bit of a strain. For me, it was a great treat! Thank you, Pixar.
CLOUDY with a Chance of MEATBALLS Three stars - 2009 Columbia/Sony
OK, I admit I didn't think I was going to like the movie before going in... didn't like the character design and I thought the premise was way too ridiculous. I know my sense of humor was intact, since I laughed at the (2D, unfortunately) trailer for Astroboy. However, I didn't once laugh at this "comedy" (though there was a clever pun about a meteor shower). The 3D was nicely done, with some excellent scenes: at the dock, the food avalanche and the Jell-O sequence. Hamburgers and hot dogs raining from the sky have got to look good in 3D! Hard to imagine sitting through this one in 2D...
FINAL DESTINATION 4 Two and a half stars - 2009 New Line Cinema
The good news is that the final destination in this film is a 3D movie! Unfortunatley, there's mediocre writing and acting in yet another piece that appeals to the basest instincts in humans by offering graphic scenes of grotesque mutilations and butcherings of fellow human beings (no matter how Rube Goldberg-esque or "humorous" the circumstances). The stereography and effects are generally quite good, especially the "x-ray" cg sequences at the opening and closing credits. I did notice for the first time, however, some polarization rivalry- likely due to the beamsplitter rigs used.
XGAMES 3D The Movie Three and a half stars - 2009 ESPN/Disney
Not having known much about these sports, I was really blown away by the BALLS these guys have! Absolutely, totally nuts. This has got to be exceptionally difficult action to follow- but they really did a good job with the 3D, despite what seemed to be some sync errors and frame judder. Much of the movie was intercut with 2D, but that didn't bother me much, it was almost a respite. The CG sections were imaginative and fun, and there were plenty of fun effects: slow motion, hyper, frozen multiple exposures, even floating x-rays showing the dozens of injuries sustained by one particular athlete. The film could have been a bit shorter, though the final skateboard competition didn't leave me sleepy at all!
G-FORCE 3D Two and a half stars - 2009 Disney/Sony
Forgettable and not funny, with characters that were less than cute (though the mole was, well, interesting!). Adequate 3D animation, but no laughs were elicited from this reviewer in this collaboration of Disney and Sony (soon to be a video game!). The live-action looked to be completely converted from 2D, and though I'm amazed they can do it as well as they do, it still never looks quite right (the average theater-goer will likely never notice). It's like colorizing a BW film: even though you can do a pretty good job, but it's not going to look quite right (and stereo is WAY harder to pull off)! Compositing had to be a nightmare, but was well-done... and a new, clever trick I'd never seen utilized was that objects would often "break out" of the frame top and bottom. Congratulations on some technical breakthroughs, too bad the movie was a bore.
ICE AGE: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Four and a half stars - 2009 Blue Sky
Started out slow, but turned into an hilarous, incredibly well-animated cg 3D film. The juggling choreography of Sid (one of the best cartoon characters in recent memory) and his eggs was spectacular, in the finest tradition of the master Warner Bros. animators. The scene going into the cave where they all breathe in the "vapors" (with very helium-like symptoms!) was brilliant. Scrat and his new girlfriend were funnier than ever in 3D (which was very well done, I saw no problems). Huge laughs throughout the movie, with the new (stereo-blind) character "Buck" adding a lot of hilarity. This was the first film I've seen with Master Image 3D glasses, apparently a Korean competitor to RealD...
UP Two and a half stars - 2009 Pixar
Am I a curmudgeon, like the star of this movie? Unlike the rest of the world, I really didn't like this Pixar release very much. The story was, well, schmaltzy. The characters were not endearing (the kid was ok) and character design was less than stellar (ok, I did like the "happy" dog, but the Ed Asner character's square head just did not appeal to me at all!). As far as the storyline being believable, it wasn't! OK, I can buy steering the house with sails, sort of... but after the little kid takes over, they somehow come down in the exact spot in South America (oh, the GPS!)?? The house somehow stays afloat even after a huge number of balloons are systematically popped (and with the huge bird on it), only to finally settle in the exact spot promised to the deceased wife? Dog collars that allow dogs to speak (and understand!) English? The old guy pulls up the dog, the bird, and the kid (though he needs a cane!)? I could go on... On the stereo imaging, I found no problems, but neither did I find any clever use of 3D... I'm not looking for "in your face" stuff, just some special moments which capitalize on the third dimension. I'm always amazed by the craftsmanship of Pixar animation, but this is probably one of my least favorite offerings. (It will probably get an Oscar!) Oh, the opening short "Partly Cloudy" was ok... it elicited a few laughs. My favorite part of the showing was the preview for TOY STORY 3!
BATTLE FOR TERRA Three stars - 2009 Snoot Entertainment
NOTE: This movie was viewed in the XpanD "active" glasses format. Only a handful of theaters are currently showing this system, which I found to be ghost and flicker-free and maybe a little darker than RealD... I also noticed some color desaturation, maybe 30%. The glasses were just covered in fingerprints, and I was told after the film that they just don't clean the glasses very much! Otherwise, the XpanD format works very well.
For a "no-name" computer animation production, I found a lot to like about this movie. Although the writing was barely tolerable and the quality of the animation merely mediocre, the stereoscopic aspect was done suprisingly well. Many of the scenes were very well composed for z space (certainly the flying aliens and spaceships had a lot to do with it, but even the views inside Mala, the lead alien's apartment, was nicely set). There were no "in your face" 3D effects (this was a re-render of a 2007 2D animation) which I didn't miss at all. Sound design was also suprisingly good, but cloth simulation was painfully non-existent!
CORALINE Four and a half stars - 2009 Laika Entertainment
Having done still stereo photography of stop motion sets years ago, I was really excited that someone was finally animating in 3D. Coraline utilized lots of digital post processing and some cg, and the results is one of the best stop motion animations I've ever seen. The sequences in the "other" world are just stunning- surreal and fun. Before going to the "other" world, I thought the 3D effect was quite thin, but once through the portal, the effect became strong, but not obtrusive (except for one shot of the "other" dad's hands off the piano, which was totally appropriate- and one good "in-your-face" shot in expected!). I wondered if it would have been more impactful if the real world was totally 2D (or if Henry Selick, the director, thought of that and rejected the idea). Though I really enjoyed the clean, crisp digital projection, I realized that I still prefer full computer animation. Though stop-motion has a wonderful, unique look, it is limited in what can be done compared to pure cg, which is practically unlimited. But what they did do, fantastic.
MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D Two stars - 2009 Lionsgate
The trailers and ads were brilliant, the live action 3D was decent, but I am not a fan of a film that is proud of it's "graphic brutal horror violence and grisly images throughout"... especially potent in 3D. Isn't there enough murder and brutality in real life? (This was my first Dolby 3D film, the projection was especially dark, and it wasn't just the film!)
BOLT Five stars - 2008 Disney
Is there anything better than a great stereoscopic cg movie, well presented? Just about every artform is represented: painting, sculpture, music, animation (dance), storytelling and if you're lucky- humor. There is so much to rave about in this film- from design to lighting to story to characters to action to... having fun with Hollywood movie making! And the breadth of detail is just astounding! The animal fur, the iridescent feathers of the pigeons, the iron bars on the bridge... the list goes on, and the digital stereo brings it all out so vividly. Disney finally got it right, with a lot of help from Pixar, it seems. 3D-wise, it was just great- with so many beautiful reflection/transparency effects... specifically the hamster "ball" (which was brilliant on so many levels)! "Rhino", the hamster, was utterly hilarious (whoever thought "I'll snap his neck" could be one of the funniest lines ever?!). The treatment of the travel across the Waffle map was a treat in itself. I enjoyed it just as much the second time I saw it, and I'm sure I would again.
FLY ME TO THE MOON Two and a half stars - 2008 nWave Pictures
Though there were some nicely designed CG sets, this movie would have been dreadful in 2D. Mediocre design/animation, lame script (one line was almost funny) and forgettable characters. The 3D looked pretty good throughout, overlooking the extreme parallax and infinity at the window. But the RealD system kept ghosting from being a problem at all. Images looked bright, steady, crisp. The recreation of the Apollo 11 spacecraft and moon landing were the highlights of the film (though the human characters were only tolerable).
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH Two stars - 2008 Walden Media/Warner Bros.
If this were a 2D movie, it would be among the worst movies I've seen. Luckily, the 3D was well done! As a saving grace, there was a funny antique stereoscope reference... too bad the scope was missing the crosspiece! Otherwise, amongst the awful direction and dialogue I did get one laugh, perhaps you'll know where. This was yet another 3D movie with a T-Rex for the kids... and several unnecessary "screen poppers". Those will look great on the 2D screens! I went on opening night, and to my surprise there was applause at the end... perhaps the 3D actually saved it.
U23D Four stars - 2008 National Geographic Entertainment
First time I went to a 3D film in two different formats... I'd already seen this in IMAX. There was less ghosting in the RealD version, but there was more ghosting in this theater (Woburn, MA) than the one that I'd seen Hannah Montana in (Framingham, MA). This screen was curved- not sure if the silver surface was less than optimal at this theater...? This time around I really appreciated the artistic use of layering compared to the Hannah concert. I had to go out twice to get the manager to crank up the music! Apparently in a multiplex the volume can be problematic if it bleeds into the next room! (IMAX doesn't have that issue.) There were a few spots of 2D I noticed, but it really didn't matter- with the myriad of layers, the 2D/3D interplay was just fine. Pity promotion is minimal, the theater was almost empty on Sunday night's showing. This is an historic 3D movie... very exciting, indeed.
HANNAH MONTANA 3D Three stars - 2008 Disney
This movie was not easy to sit through having recently seen U23D! She's cute enough, but the bubble gum music was appealling mainly to girls under 12! The stereo was well done, including a couple of really nice (cg?) effects- the guitar player throwing the pick at the camera, and the drummer bouncing his stick up to the overhead camera. Pyrotechnics and confetti shots worked great... nice opening credits as well. A few closeups of the star onstage exhibited way too much distance parallax. It was great to see the stereo camera rigs, especially the "spider boom". I didn't mind the 2D cutaways of the behind the scenes shots... made the concert seem more special (though I'm sure it was done purely for technical than aestetic considerations!). This film really showed off the quality of the RealD system- concert footage is going to be high contrast, yet I saw virtually no ghosting, as opposed to U2 at IMAX, where I saw lots of ghosting.
MEET THE ROBINSONS Three stars - 2007 Disney
Spectacular 3D! Loved the opening Disney "signatures" and the rain sequence, but unfortunately I found the characters, as well as the character design, disappointing (with the exception of the villian). The cg models looked like talking plastic dolls complete with plastic hair and plastic clothes, and I found myself unengaged in the story. There were some bright spots, like the puppet wife (great idea, visually wonderful but not all that funny) the spray paintings and the dinner scene... but without the 3D I would have been seriously bored. (I think the last Disney movie that had a real laugh for me was Aladdin). One chuckle did escape over the hypnotized frog ("...master") but I was irritated by several references to the boy's invention being "all shiny", which it clearly wasn't...?? Disney's lame robot reminded me of the amazing Blue Sky ROBOTS- and how I'd wished that would have been in 3D! One odd tech glitch: during the food fight scene the entire pictue seemed to go very grainy for 30 seconds or so... Also, this is the third local RealD screen I've seen- the first not to exhibit the silver spray blothiness I'd detected on the other two.
MONSTER HOUSE Four and a half stars - 2006 SONY Imageworks
Great! A well done cg film that really shows off the quality of the RealD system. Much more parallax than the previous release (CHICKEN LITTLE) but not so much as to be uncomfortable. Even my wife enjoyed the entire film even though I had to drag her to see it! I saw zero ghosting and the circular polarizer freedom nails this stereo projection system as the best ever for large audiences. The movie was well written with excellent human cg characters... story lent itself beautifully to the stereo treatments. The script had plently of laugh out loud jokes for the adults and the visuals were unlike anything seen before in 3D. Sony scored big with this feature- I think they're certainly giving cg king PIXAR a run for their money!
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 3D One and a half stars - 1993 Disney/ 3D 2006
After seeing the 2D-3D conversion segments in the SUPERMAN film, I had hoped that this would be better. Unfortunately, the first feature length film digitally converted to stereo was woefully disappointing. On the other hand, it's quite amazing that they can do it at all! And my friends who came with me really thought the 3D was good! If there was some miracle conversion process that actually worked, the 3D could have been spectacular... but I just kept thinking how good it could have been. Like colorizing black and white, it's never going to be right, but a lot of people won't notice. And dimensionalizing is a lot tougher than colorizing! ILM did the conversion.
A few things they did well- a few minutes of teaser at the beginning, done in cg (not stop motion, as the original animation) that looked great. They also added cg snow at the end (how? did they paint out all the original snow??) that always works, and a "sparks" effect when Santa takes off. Luckily there was a PIXAR short to see: KNICK KNACK. I had seen this in 1989 (early cg!) at SIGGRAPH in Boston in STEREO and it changed my life! Great to see it in 3D again.
CHICKEN LITTLE One and a half stars - 2005 Disney
The first film released in the revolutionary single projector digital system! But- Little is right... that's how much "3D" there was in this movie! I also had little interest in the story... The GOOD news is that the system works beautifully! I was worried about ghosting (since what I'd seen of circular polarization exhibited more ghosting than linear) but high contrast areas looked very clean (though there were little high parallax instances to really test!). Bright, sharp and stable with good saturated colors and contrast ratio. The main complaint about the system is that the screen (which had been painted silver?) exhibited a somewhat mottled, uneven surface... I found this quite distracting in the brighter scenes.
As for the movie itself- I was quite disappointed in the amount of parallax allowed in this motion picture... during the film I just kept thinking that this might as well be 2D! Having done lots of kid shows in 3D, I know that kids LOVE strong 3D (it's only the adults that have objections!). DISNEY should know better- they have been running great 3D films at their theme parks for years! Absolutely no one stayed- except my friends and I- for the best 3D in the movie, an "extra" scene which was tagged on at the very end, after the long credits!) I did notice near the end of the film a couple of short segments where the parallax looked GOOD~ I have to wonder if these were the ones rendered last minute by Disney? This may have been my least favorite CG film... I didn't find the characters engaging, the jokes were flat, the story a snore.
THEME PARK 3D
PHILHARMAGIC Four and a half stars
DisneyWorld Magic Kingdom
Dual 5p 70mm film 30x150 screen. 6k xenon lamp Projectors at 90 degrees.
The theatre features a beautiful gold procenium embossed with dimensional musical instruments. As we don our "opera glasses", the curtain opens. Shortly after the film begins, Donald Duck loses control of the musical instruments- suddenly all goes to black: Big eyes open and a 3D match lights, and we are treated to a Beauty and the Beast rendition of "Be Our Guest" in PANORAMIC 3D! (Actually, the wide center of the screen is stereo, the extreme sides are 2D... the film seams show, but not terribly). The procenium has discretely disappeared as have the side curtains. This clever format eliminates the stereo window problem (at least on the edges, where it really matters)! The entire film is computer-generated in flawless Disney fashion. When an apple pie flies into the audience, we also SMELL the pie! (This is the only olfactory effect I know of at any 3D film). There is a lovely underwater scene with Ariel, a Lion King sequence featuring some imaginative 3d animated design, and a flying carpet scene with Donald jettisoning through the villas. There are the usual spritzings, which people seem to like, but I can do without them! I was surprised that they went with film for this very new attraction... there were already several sections that exhibited extreme wear. I'm a sucker for good cg, and the 3D is used very effectively in this film.
HONEY I SHRUNK THE AUDIENCE Three and a half stars
DisneyWorld Epcot Center
This film tries to make it appear as though the 3D image is a real stage set up for an Inventor of the Year award presentation- everything appears as life size. They even go so far as to have a "video assist" tv monitor off to the left side for close ups (2D, of course) of the primary actors. The glasses are our "safety goggles"- we need them, since the crazy inventor (Rick Moranis) crashes his flying machine into the neon sign above and 3D shards fall into the audience. A ray gun that is supposed to shrink luggage inadvertently points at the audience- now suddenly we are looking at people on the stage as giants... all we see are their feet and ankles. The impression is that we, the audience, have become tiny! This notion is reinforced by what appears to be a child's fingers holding the edges of the screen, supposedly the exterior of the box that the audience is sitting in! The child gently puts us down, and the "giant" actors have to get down on the floor to speak to us. Finally, we are enlarged to "normal size', but the coup de gras is that the dog has also become enlarged- unfortunately the 3d composite is poorly done. Otherwise, a very clever idea for 3D. There are some cg effects used to good effect, but they do look old. I wonder how they shot the huge stage set- everything looked perfectly straight, no wide angle distortion was noticeable. Also starring Eric Idle.
SHREK 4D Four stars
Universal Studios CA and FL
Digital Projection
This is the first theme park digital stereo projection, and the format was extremely impressive! They call it 4D because of the special seat effects (wind and water) but it should be because they use four digital projectors! Apparently, the use of two projectors for each eye is not only brighter, but smoothes out pixelization (aliasing). The image was spectacular! Bright, crisp, clean, and rock steady! Without glasses it was clear that alignment was perfect throughout, something I don't think I have ever seen in film 3D. Of course, the animation was all digitally generated, and as such they are able to control 3d effects very well. However, at the CA park the water effect left big 3D droplets on my 3D glasses! The storyline wasn't particularly fun or funny, but the 3D was phenomenal. NOTE: The anaglyph DVD (Shrek 3-D) looked suprisingly good on a digital monitor.
IT'S TOUGH TO BE A BUG Three stars
DisneyWorld Animal Kingdom
The highlight of this 3D film is the opening: the curtain has a pattern of butterflies on it, and as the film begins they surprisingly spring to life and fly off the curtain! (Sorry if I spoiled it for you~). We meet all the regular computer generated characters from A Bug's Life, including a large animatronic model of the evil grasshopper. Cute enough, but nothing exrtaordinary (except for the bug shaped glasses).
THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN Five stars
Universal Studios Islands of Adventure
This is the only 3D ride film I've been on (I know there are others), but it absolutely HAS to be the best. We're talking about 13 different 3D screens and plenty of effects. Right off the bat the computer generated Spiderman hops out of the screen ONTO the front of the ride car- you see, hear and feel it. The screens are virtually invisible, as they so seamlessly mesh with the physical environment which appears to be New York City. A bridge along the wall merges with the screen bridge, we are later in a huge sewer pipe looking into the 3d sewer pipe with Spiderman as a giant water villian comes up behind him and reaches for us- naturally we get a little wet. A pipe is hurled at us and we are knocked along... Another villian tries to torch us with a heat gun, and we feel it! An awesome effect happens when we appear to be rising between skyscrapers, we see it in 3d in front of us, aided by the lit building windows on either side of us slinging quickly downward... it appears that we are tipped over the edge of a skyscraper- all the buildings are sideways! Suddenly we are in a freefall toward the ground- thank goodness Spiderman's web catches us just in time and all is well. Incredible 3d, great effects and total interaction makes this a MUST SEE. The engineering is a marvel... this is as good as it gets.
TERMINATOR 3D Five stars
Universal Studios
This is the only 3d film I know of to integrate live action and animatronics along with the 3d film... they did a spectacular job! The original cast is utilized, and James Cameron is co-director. Film production is top notch, and cg integration works seamlessly. The film starts out on the center screen, and later envelops us as two side screens open up for surround 3d! One of the highlights is when Arnold rides his motorcycle right through the screen and literally into the audience! Of course, it's now another actor playing the Terminator, but it works surprisingly well. Lots of live action sequences in the audience make this 3d attraction another MUST SEE. (note: on the Terminator Special Collector's DVD set, there is a whole chapter on the making of Terminator 3D. Highly recommended!)
HAUNTED LIGHTHOUSE 4D Two stars
Sea World CA
Mostly live action, with a few cg sequences when the ghost kids turn into wacky gremlins that spice up this otherwise fairly dull offering. In this showing there was even a section around five minutes long that reverted to 2D! No one at the venue could tell me whether this was a permanent or temporary phenomenon. The best part of the film is the opening sequence which effectively brings to 3d life the illustrations which I assume accompany the book by R L Stine.
MUPPETVISION 3D Three and a half stars
DisneyWorld MGM
Early live action of the popular Jim Henson creations... some "in" 3D jokes makes it fun. The highlight of this presentation is a Miss Piggy sequence where she blows bubbles into the audience, and 3d bubbles mix with real bubbles in the audience space. Great effect! Otherwise, the usual cornball, cute Muppet hi-jinks.
|
