3D seems to have taken over. Arguably almost every new children’s movie is in 3D and, as far as I can tell, 3D animation accelerated this whole trend. I’m pretty sure the most successful film of all time, which also happened to be animated, was 3D (10 points to whoever knows which one I’m talking about).

Everything else coming out in theatres seems to be 3D, too – there are even rumors that the in-production film version of The Great Gatsby will be in this format. Why? Is this really necessary?

Some films are definitely better in 3D. For instance, I saw Tron the other day (and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it). Tron is partially filmed in 2D, which makes the 3D parts of the movie that much more vivid, distinct, and impressive. This was the main reason I wanted to see Tron in theatres, because so much would be lost watching it all on a screen that can only handle 2 dimensions. Which leads me to the next product that has developed out of this 3D-mania (apart from the 3D digital camera, or the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 3D video) – 3D HDTV, that is 3D High Definition Television.

I had the opportunity to test out a 3D TV. By that I mean I walked into Future Shop and there they were to try. I held the sticky-fingerprint glasses over my eyes in such a way that they weren’t touching my face and gave what I saw the sort of critical review that only a know-it-all grad student can, “It doesn’t look very good. I don’t think 3D TV is going to go very far”. Maybe 3D should be restricted to the theatres?

The latest thing to roll off the production lines from the 3D factory is the as-yet-not-released Nintendo 3DS, a handheld gaming system. This is unique, not only because it’s so neat, but because it comes with a warning: children 6 and under should not use it; the reason being the 3D images are bad for their developing eyesight.

While I’m the first to admit I think (some) 3D movies are tops, is this whole 3D thing going too far? Are you selling your old TV and opting for the 3D variety? Will you be first in line for the new Nintendo?

Creative Commons Image Courtesy of 3Dstereopics.