My first 3-D: Alice in Wonderland

I finally saw my first 3-D movie (I know, I'm a little behind in these type of things). I must say, I WAS ABSOULTELY BLOWN AWAY! We get the whole rundown about objects jumping out of the screen and whatnots, but I was that 22 year old that was reaching my hand out and oohing and awwing, while the 7 year old sitting next to me was looking at me like I had two heads. The 3-D movie was definitely something common for him.

When listening to the podcast "The Future of Animation," I was interested in the developement of the glasses, and the switch from the anaglyphic to polarized lenses. I seriously walked into the movie expecting to be handed the flimsy red and blue glasses, all the while trying to figure out why I had to pay so much more extra! When I was handed the terminator looking glasses I realized this 3-D stuff may actually be legit. It's good to know that this specific kind of technology is constantly being upgraded.

I went and saw "Alice in Wonderland." We all know the classic Disney tale of the little girl who falls down the rabbit hole in search of a little white rabbit, she comes across crazy characters, all of whom are in their own little world...THIS remake however, was NOT that story. The story takes place 12 years later when Alice is given a surprise engagement party and once again follows a little white rabbit and falls down the same hole, to the same place, where all the characters are awaiting her arrival in hopes that she will save them from the Red Queen. Tim Burton did an amazing job (as always), you can always expect the unexpected.

In the podcast, there was talk of one day there might be a possibility that viewers will no longer need the 3-D glasses to view a 3-D film. This amazes me, not only the technololgy, but the way the films are actually shot. Every scene set up for a potential 3-D shot. Studying film, and the actual scene set up, angles, and lighting, I know from personal experience that it could take hours to set up just one shot. I can't even begin to imagine the kind of work, time and creativity that goes into filming a 3-D movie. Not to mention the million or so hours to render the film. But, it's going to be well worth all the work, especially now that Samsung just introduced it's 3-D HDTV, along with Mitsubishi. Personally, I feel 3-D should be kept for the big screen. It's the only way to really get the full experience.