What people don't get about a gimmick is that it can be popular and still be a gimmick. Popularity does not excuse the gimmick-iness of something. And 3-D movies do just that.
Remember Avatar? Remember how the first time you watched it in 3-D, trying to revel in the awe inspiring effects while battling the niggling feeling that you're stretching the amount of awe you are trying to squeeze out of the $25 per ticket you spent, only to realize the morning after you witnessed Pocahontas in space with Michael Bay as a secret consultant?
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| Getting sent to the realm of bad post-production. |
This is what I mean. Movies with either poor plots, poor use of 3-D effects done in post production, or both (e.g. Divergent 2) have flooded the market the past few years, and have produced a steady decline in revenue and movies released in 3-D. And while there are movies that do the release justice (Interstellar, Gravity) the balance weighs heavily on the side of hastily released 3-D versions of movies, in hopes that people buy into the gimmick that the 3-D movie must be good, no matter how it was made of what the movie is.
Clearly, a movie like G.I Joe is not a visual masterpiece nor does it try to cater to magnificent visuals that can benefit from 3-D. So even though revenues are boosted by 3-D ticket sales, the gimmick is still revealed: 3-D does not automatically guarantee a superior movie viewing experience. Post-production 3-D never works out well, as many a headache and stretched out shaky-cam shots can show.
As a final thought though, 3-D movies themselves should not be eternally damned. There is a place for them, but a very small space, that is only occupied by the likes of Metallica, Life of Pi, and Gravity as of recently. They just need to be considered for 3-D release before the movie is even planned.
Obviously we shouldn't watch bad movies. But what makes a bad movie, and what saves it? Is it 3-D? The director? The studio? The answer is yours, but it definitely isn't just one of them. Whether you think gimmicks are used or not, just decide if you're going to fall for them.
The beginning is very catching and drew me into the topic by relating to current block buster movies that most people are familiar with. I really enjoyed the topic because as a movie watcher you never really think it is that much better you just hear 3D and assume it is. I did have trouble finding what are the negatives about 3D movies other then the $25 tickets, maybe that could have been a little bit clearer. Overall it was a unique topic that made me really think about 3D movies and how they relate to standard movies.
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