Is 3D Better Than 2D?

3D movies have started to become pretty popular in the theaters today. So I have to ask if watching a movie in 3D makes the experience better. Personally, I don't think so. I strongly dislike 3D because I think that all it really does for you is make you pay a couple extra bucks and put on some glasses that don't even have that desirable stylish affect. But then again maybe I'm just biased because 3D movies just don't make my eyes pop. 

It would be really unimpressive if I didn't have any research to back up my argument, so here it is. A study was done by L. Mark Carrier of California State University on 400 film viewers. The participants watched one of three films either in 2D or 3D. They were then asked to explain their responses to the movie using a list of 60 words. For example, words like "enjoyment," "anger," and "rage" were on the list. The responses varied very little from the people who watched 3D and those who didn't. Carrier's study resulted in the conclusion that, "3D movies do not allow viewers to experience more intense emotional reactions, are no more immersive, and do not offer any advantage over their 2D counterparts in terms of enhancing the ability to recall a film's details." These results didn't surprise me because 3D movies have never really improved the experience for me while watching a film. In fact, the only movie I can remember specifically seeing in 3D is Avatar. I know I have seen others in 3D but unfortunately I don't remember which ones. 

Also, this study along with several others had results that pointed to the effects of 3D causing headaches and eyestrain in a small amount of viewers. In fact, my mother has this problem. Whenever we see a movie in "glorious" 3D she gets a headache. It doesn't happen to me, but I've heard from other people that they have this problem too, so I think it's definitely another factor that should be considered. It can really ruin a movie if while watching you feel like someone is dropkicking you in the head the entire time. 

I also dislike the way that producers are bringing old films back to the theaters with the biggest hook that, "It's in 3D people so now it's completely different!" Beauty and The Beast, Star Wars Episode 1, and The Lion King are just a few examples. I feel like they are just trying to make a few extra bucks by exploiting the 3D train. My biggest fear is that producers will see how financially risk free re-releasing a movie in 3D is, and end up turning film into an industry in which less original content is created because films that have simply been converted to 3D dominate the market.

Really, I just think that 3D doesn't make a film better. It's all about what the movie brings to the table in terms of dialogue, action, comedy, and suspense; not whether random objects pop out at you a little bit. If theaters didn't charge more I wouldn't care about seeing the movie in 3D over 2D, but even a couple extra bucks seems totally unnecessary to me. Do you like 3D more than 2D? Does 3D provide a different experience for you?  

See you guys next week with another post... in 2D!

Kenneth

Also, if you're one of those people who get headaches from 3D movies, the guy in this video has something that may be able to help.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=2d+vs+3d+movies+&oq=2D+vs.+3D&aq=2C&aqi=g-C4g-mC2&aql=&gs_sm=1&gs_upl=6249l7409l0l9918l6l6l0l0l0l1l102l494l5.1l6l0

My source:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/aug/11/3d-no-better-than-2d