3-D Movies

We went to see Hugo last week, the 3-D version . . . for an extra $3 a ticket. Hardly worth it. Avatar revitalized this trendy technique in filmdom and I believe soon it will again be a thing of the past, just as it was in the ‘50s when the Three Stooges could fling pies at the audience. Hugo, like a lot of other 3-Ders, puts too much emphasis on the effects rather than on the story. The story was cute and well done, but I didn’t need snowflakes falling on my head and there seemed to be too many races through the train station just for the 3-D effects. The chintzy glasses are another thing. Soon, film technologists will be able to shoot a movie in 3-D without having to resort to audience glasses. Then, all films will be in this third dimension. And after that, we’ll probably have holographic films. The same will be true of 3-D television, which might well become holographic, the stories playing out right in our laps. The next development will be a headset for each individual, who, with eyes closed, will have a 3-D story almost near enough for him to join the action, to reach out and touch the actors. Science fiction has already suggested such a thing, and we’re living in a time when almost all s-f ideas are becoming reality.