Advanced notifications for preview cinema screenings is a nice benefit, so I see movie screeners on a regular basis. However, the one I attended today is rather special, as it is in full 3D. Technology has moved a long way; the 3D glasses we are most likely to remember are anachrome optical diopter glasses. These have the reminiscent blue and red lenses. I was quite happy to find that the ones being handed out look much better. In fact, the lenses have no colour in them and are the creation of RealD. So how good are they?
I shall start with one of the trailers we saw.
Ice Age 3
To put it simply, the 3D effect was amazing. It was quite a long trailer but it highlighted just how good the 3D technology was. As each scene unfolds, objects in the foreground felt so close and real that you could almost touch them. Distance perception was utilised to full effect, there was a scene where our plucky squirrel chases after the acorn and as the camera swoops and plunges, you felt that you was part of that ride and experience. Experiencing this for the first time on the big screen, it was an incredible 15 minutes. There were sounds of “OOHH”, “AHHH” and “WOW” from the audience and I can see that this 3D implementation is going to shift cinema tickets with ease.
Now for the main film…
Coraline
If you have ever watched Nightmare Before Christmas or Corpse Bride, then you will be familiar with the whimsical premise of this movie. It starts with the protagonist, a girl named Coraline Jones. She moved into a new neighbourhood and she is bored. Her parents have no time for her, and so she has a little exploration into the antique house that is now her home. She stumbles across a small locked door, and through her sleep, she goes through and discovers a parallel world where there are replicas of her parents with button eyes. Everything in this new world is fantastical and perfect, but she soon discovers things are not what they seem…
This film will suit all ages and I personally loved it. It had the lovely weird factor, it reminds me very much of Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli, in terms of plot and execution. A commendable movie production, the animation was great and the voice acting really suited the characters played.
I can safely say that if you think the Ice Age 3 trailer was great in 3D, then you have an absolute feast in Coraline. There was one moment where a sewing needle darted forward on the screen, I instinctively jerked back in my seat, and it felt THAT CLOSE to my face I could not help myself. There were many moments like these, there were no gimmicks had here; the movie experience multiplied tenfold when produced in 3D.
The movie itself was great and the 3D aspect was fantastic, I cannot say anymore than that except go and watch it for yourself.
Footnote: These will fit over your existing glasses, it was slighly awkward for me but it did the job fine.
About Motoko
First embraced the inner geek at the age of 10 with a Commodore 64 and programming in BASIC. Avid PC gamer, Gundam Gunpla builder, manga editor and anime enthusiast. Loves Mountain Dew and Ghost in the Shell. Twitter: @Motoko_K
Web | Twitter | More Posts (39)
