3-D Report: October

3-D movies can be done well and they can be done badly. Unfortunately, people have seen too many movies with the bad kind of 3-D and thus think that they hate the format when in fact they really don't know it. I am compiling a report of the quality of 3-D for every month. Some of the movies could still be in theaters so you could consider seeing them based on this, or watch these if you have a 3-D player when they arrive on DVD. Or at least read this years later when 3-D home viewing is easier to come by. Still, the biggest reason I write this is that I hope readers who have seen the movies in 3-D will know how that movies' 3-D compares to other movies' 3-D. Then there might be less of a negative view towards what is in truth a great new invention. Before reading this some people willlikely think "I hate 3-D because the glasses darken the image so much." Sometimes this is the case but I will tell you if it is. Now, obviously, if you watch the movie in 3-D and take off your glasses in the middle you will notice how much brighter the screen is. THAT DOES NOTE MEAN THE 2-D IS THAT BRIGHT--a well-made movie will lighten the 3-D version with the expectation it will be darkened by wearing glasses. It sounds simple but you would be surprised how many people think that a 3-D version viewed without glasses is the same as an out-of-focus 2-D one. The movies are presented in chronological order.

3D has another quiet month with only two of October's films being releases in the format.

The Three Musketeers

Director/Producer Paul W.S. Anderson is most known for making the visually dark Resident Evil and Mortal Kombat movies, but here he decides to experiment with a whole new color scheme. I can't recall the last time I saw a non-animated action film with all of these bright, cheerful colors. It is not very realistic, but neither is the rest of the movie, and it makes far more sense than the absurdly dark palette of, say, Pirates of the Caribbean. This is such an unusual approach nowadays that it might turn some people off, but it is certain to be a boost in the arm to the 3D genre. After seeing this it is hard to pretend 3D means dark and grimy imagery. Just in case you are still skeptical, you can check online and see that the 2D version is identical. If it was any brighter than its 3D counterpart the viewers would be blind.

The focus is perfect and the 3D (much of which is not converted) never causes any of the problems with the imagery. The background is occasionally digitally blurred (or the scenes set in claustrophobic settings), but this is probably a good idea seeing as if there is too much focus in the objects in the background the viewer will get a headache. On the downside this means that you don't always see the location stretch out before your eyes, but there are enough scenes for it not to be a big flaw.

The 3D may not be quite at the level of Transformers 3 or Pixar fare, but it is still very high quality and definitely a great addition to the entire picture.

Puss in Boots

CGI animated movies generally have the best 3D around. Everything is done in a computer, so the absolute perfect focus, depth, and colors can be created. Puss in Boots is no exception. Never is any imagery unrealistic (except for talking cats) and never do the colors make you sick. There is always an added depth from the technology, but in typical Dreamworks style it never interrupts or distracts.

The one flaw is small, but worth mentioning. A very small group of pictures--Legend of the Guardians, Kung Fu Panda 2, Cars 2…--use 3D relentlessly not by throwing objects at the audience but making every detail of the world stretch out before the audience. This is virtually impossible with non-animated films, but it is definitely a beauty to behold. Puss has a few shots like this, but for the most part the 3D only shows you the extent of the scene you are in, not the mountains miles away as in Panda. This isn't a problem with the technology, it is just a lack of something extra.

Even so, a Dreamworks Animation (aka Dreamworks animated films) movie can never have "bad," "mediocre," or even "good" 3D--it has to be great. That little boy on the moon fishing means something, and Puss's visuals never tarnish that reputation.