On DVD: Alice in Wonderland and the Other 2010 Movies That Made Us Hate 3-D
Unless your 3-D movie this year was about piranhas or jackassery, odds are that the stereoscopic effect prompted headaches more than it did enthusiasm. Case in point: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (now available from Walt Disney Home Entertainment), a movie that would have been merely annoying and underwritten screened flat, but wound up having the extra misery of those glasses and those blurry effects with the 3-D that was added to it in post.
(Admittedly, based on my recent exposure to 3-D DVD, Alice may wind up looking loads better on your home system than it did in theaters, but that's still 108 minutes in a movie seat I'll never get back.)
Alice in Wonderland was hardly alone in underwhelming audiences (who were forced to pay extra for the privilege of 3-D) this year; here are some of the other titles that made most audiences get a shudder when the words "in 3-D!" popped up in trailers and on posters:
Clash of the Titans: Like Alice, Clash was converted from a 2-D movie to 3-D during the post-production process, and Clash made Alice's wobbly 3-D look like Avatar by comparison. The flat-out looniest moments involved Liam Neeson's face seemingly floating inches in front of his head.
Alpha and Omega: Unless you're a parent, you were probably spared this dreadful cartoon about teen wolves mating (sorry, "howling" -- it's a family film) that was made not one whit better with the addition of 3-D.
Step Up 3-D and Tangled: The 3-D wasn't so much bad in these Disney movies as it was underutilized. If we're gonna have to pay extra and wear the damn glasses, we should be getting lots of, respectively, feet and hair in our faces.
The Last Airbender: Just for being The Last Airbender, mainly, but also for having zig-zaggy 3-D that looked almost as patched-together as Clash of the Titans'.
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Comments
I completely disagree about the inclusion of Step Up 3-D on your list. The plot of the movie may not have been remotely deep, but it was literally the first time I thought 3-D was pivotal to the film. It added so much to the movie, especially in the battle sequence with the puddles. I found the 3-D in it to be much better (and relevant) than in Avatar, actually. Just an opinion, but underutilized is not the word to describe the 3-D in Step Up at all.
You're right on with Tangled, though. They barely did anything with the 3-D in that except for the lantern sequence at the end. Kind of useless.
Totally agree with Josh on this one. The dance battle where the woman does the incredible hand-jivey stuff right into the camera was freakin' awesome.
Didn't mind Alice, but I actually asked for my money back after Clash. Only 3.50 though-- I was willing to eat the cost of the shitty movie, but that 3-D was actually offensive. Wound up having to write the theater chain, 'cause the manager wouldn't cough up my money. They sent me free tix and the general manager of the theater sent a letter actually apologizing.
Keep those cards and letter flowing, kids.