Rant: 3D is shite.

Pirates of the Carribean...in 3D! Thor...in 3D! A Tetley-bastard-tea advert...in 3D!
Despite a hefty amount of the technology having been around for donkey's years, the last few years have played host to a bloody annoying fad - 3D cinema. And yes - it IS a fad and no, I couldn't care less that the likes of Cameron and Spielberg think otherwise.

Let me get one thing straight, I'm not saying that the technology doesn't work and I'm not even saying it's not impressive - what I'm saying is that it's detremental to whole movie viewing process. Yes, it adds depth and everything but if you're paying attention to a technical aspect, how can you be absorbed into the film itself?

There are so many times I've gone to see a 3D film and halfway through I've realised that I've not even noticed the lovely stereoscopicness as I've been engrossed in the movie. Then I find I'm unhooking myself from the film as I start looking at the 3D rather than watching the flick itself and getting all caught up in the story. Other times, the 3D will be so impressive that you're unable to get engrossed in the first place and spend the duration of the film looking at the pretty pictures rather than following any plot - see Resident Evil: Afterlife for an example. It's a ten minute film stretched to feature length thanks to an abundance of supremely tasty 3D slo-mo sequences. I'm not the first person to point that out, but it's true.

The whole situation wouldn't be such a blood-boiler for me if they didn't demand another £5 on top of standard cinema prices (£4 if you're a scab and keep your 3D specs). Naturally it's even worse when they don't have a 2D version available for a fraction of the cost.

I honestly think that within a few years, we'll see people getting fed up with it. It's not like HD where it's a boost in quality and frame transition (leading to a smoother viewing experience) - it's a gimmick. A stylistically cool one at that, but a gimmick nonetheless and one that has viewers passively experiencing the story of the film rather than getting actively engrossed. In fact, there's been a case here or there where I've watched a film in 3D at the cinema and thought it sucked donkey balls, only to watch it in 2D on Blu-ray and liked it a hell of a lot more.

Still, it looks like it's going to be here for a while so I guess I'm going to have to seethe and bear it. I'll try and appeal to common sense in people though: Always opt for 2D if you can - it's cheaper and you can actually experience the film properly.

Right, I'm off to watch The Lion King in 3D and pay the same price I would to actually own it on DVD.