Today we have a guest blogger: Scott Hinze, Web Content Producer here at Blockbuster Online.
Monsters! Aliens! Commercials! They’re all popping out of movie and television screens in 3-D this year. Some call it a gimmick. Others believe it could revolutionize the way movies are made and consumed. But regardless of your personal tastes on the eye-popping phenomenon, one thing is clear: it’s coming right for us!
Before this year’s over-hyped Super Bowl ads, even before Disney’s Captain EO, 1950s America was captivated by 3-D’s anaglyphic images in titles like Robot Monster, Kiss Me Kate, It Came from Outer Space and the original House of Wax. Half a century ago, it was no fad — in theaters across the country, the 3-D movement was seen as just as viable a step-up in the viewing experience as color and sound. During the Cold War, as people became nostalgic for the innocence of the sci-fi flicks of the 50s, a new wave of 3-D movies hit theaters, pairing the flinch-inducing effect with the super-popular horror genre to produce Parasite, Friday the 13th Part 3, Amityville 3-D, and Starchaser: The Legend of Orin. There was, however, a massive gap between 1991’s Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare and 2003’s Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, when emerging computer graphic effects artists weren’t experimenting with 3-D. But once Hollywood’s computers were upgraded, IMAX and conventional theaters began to see profits in making the expensive conversion to support 3-D films. The trend slowly continued with releases like The Polar Express, Chicken Little, Beowulf and other big-budget animated movies.
This year, 3-D flicks have captured the attention of movie-goers (arguably) more than any other time, and the heads of both DreamWorks and Disney have caught on. Both animation houses will now be making all of their releases in 3-D. For 2009 alone, My Bloody Valentine 3-D, Coraline, Jonas Brothers, Monsters Vs. Aliens, Battle for Terra, Up, Ice Age 3, Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince, G-Force, Final Destination: Death Trip 3-D, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Disney’s A Christmas Carol and Avatar will all be available in full 3-D glory. Grab your glasses and prepare for low-flying objects — this “gimmick” doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere.
