Earlier today I wrote about James Cameron mentoring Spider-Man director Marc Webb on shooting films in 3D, since the former has had a little success in that department. Aside from Spider-Man being shot in 3D, though, a whole host of films are scurrying to apply the 3D model in the wake of Avatar absolutely exploding at the box office.
In the immediate future, we'll see films like Clash of the Titans and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows being converted to 3D, while other blockbusters – like Spider-Man, Transformers 3 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- entertain the idea of shooting in 3D from the start. I'm sure a lot of studios will be watching to see how well the 3D conversions do with audiences, because if those take off, expect a whole bunch more films to convert to 3D prior to hitting theaters later this year.
But while studios rush to figure out a way to make all their big, action-ish films in 3D, is there really that much of a demand for it? Sure, Avatar looked fantastic…but it was shot in 3D and took four years to make! My concern is that studios will try to figure out the cheapest and fastest way to generate 3D off the conveyor belt, and that it just won't look as good as Avatar. That nothing will ever look as good as Avatar because no one is insane enough to spend that much time putting in that much detail. Thus, we'll be left with cheap imitations that, eventually, will become cheap expensive imitations that are better off skipping for the less expensive 2D version.
Or maybe you like 3D no matter how it's packaged? Studios want you to believe that 3D is the future of entertainment, but is 3D really the future of your entertainment? Are you that blown away by the technology, or will you easily give up on it if the next set of 3D films don't even come close to the type of moviegoing experience Avatar provided?
Sound off in our special Fandango poll below, and definitely leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Erik is a leading movie commentator who has worked for outlets such as AOL Moviefone and Movies.com.
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