OZ: The Great and Powerful 3D Movie Review
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- Last Updated: Tuesday, 12 November 2013 08:06
- Written by iRate Chick
One of the most important factors to 3D is not getting a headache. Being the queen of headaches, I never look forward to seeing a 3D movie. Fussing around with the 3D glasses and rubbing the top of my nose because of the weight always takes me out of the movie. In OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, I completely forgot I was wearing the usually uncomfortable eyewear. The experience of watching it on the Disney lot in Burbank was a pleasant one even on a smaller than average movie screen.
That brings me to my theory that 3D only works best in make believe worlds. Both Avatar and OZ are fantasy adventures that take the viewer to unrealistic worlds that have high artistic value. Rich in color and vibrancy, these fantastical worlds lend themselves to three-dimensional views. Sam Raimi recently said in an interview that he studied 3D thoroughly to avoid headaches by learning the tricks of the technology. To add to the 3D, he created every piece of Emerald City and its surroundings. He hired concept and landscape artists to create it from the ground up including “every single blade of grass,” said the helmer. He reassured that everything on screen was not from a library or nature photography. And it being in 3D, you can tell even the smallest detail was done with great care.
Two 3D films set in part on the real world are examples of films that took me out of the movie were Tron: Legacy and Jack the Giant Slayer. Tron: Legacy’s opening sequence almost had me throwing up in my popcorn bag. The sweep across the city was so jarring it sent my head into a tail spin. Once Sam Flynn was zapped into the world of Tron, the digital world was easier on the eyes.
Jack the Giant Slayer had a similar scene with a long establishing shot across the Kingdom from an aerial view. Like a scary movie scene, I closed my eyes to avoid falling victim to motion sickness. The rest of the movie was nothing special in 3D.
I would say the worst offender of 3D was Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Although a fantasy world, watching Middle Earth in 48 frames per second was by far the most uncomfortable 3D film. Luckily the story was compelling enough to keep me sitting in the movie theater although I probably watched a third of the film without the glasses.
The 3D definitely made OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL more appealing. While most movie goers and critics complained the story wasn’t up to par with the original, the pure artistry of the film was beautiful to look at, especially in 3D.
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