I’ve seen two of the five IMAX 3-D films released this year. The first was Superman. It was an “okay” movie, great on the IMAX screen, but the 3D was often a bit hokey. This could have been from bad CGI or the fact the 3D was added in a remastering process rather than being part of the original production build. Like most 3-D films you only put on glasses for part of the show. Recently I went to Disney and saw the standard 3-D fare, Bug’s Life, PhillarMagic, etc. Those had some great 3-D effects, but the quality and clarity of the films left a lot to be desired. I saw some previews for Open Season when I saw Superman Returns, and it caught my attention.
After I got over the sticker shock ($11/ticket) I was glad I went. You really have to see it to understand how it looks. The best analogy I can give is it was like watching a CGI film on a high definition large screen Viewmaster. The effect was outstanding IMHO, and not limited to a few 3-D segments – the whole movie was 3-D. The background images in the movie are rather flat, which didn’t allow for a completely real image. Some scenes that were more panoramic really showed off the 3-D. It was a great way to watch a film. I felt like I was IN the MOVIE instead of watching it. Worth the $11. I now have a reason to go back to the theater instead of enjoy movies solely on my home setup (projector w/110 inch screen). I read Happy Feet 3-D version was canceled, based on the previews I saw, that’s a shame!