2010-Sep-19 - Movie ticket prices are expensive
Movie ticket prices are expensive enough without the added cost of 3D glasses. Priced at over $10 in most major cities, a family outing to a 3D movie with $4 glasses can run you over $50. In the name of fiscal responsibility, you want to know if your film going experience is worth burning a hole in your pocket. I’m here to help.This week sees the release of Alpha and Omega, a new 3D animated film about two wolves who are captured by humans and forced to take a long trip to get back home. As evidenced by my review of the film, I can’t recommend watching the film in any capacity, but sometimes you have to do what your kids want to do. Below you will find a point by point breakdown of whether or not Alpha and Omega is worth a larger chunk of your paycheck at the box office.Alpha and Omega is the first 3D film from Indian studio Crest Animation and, because of this, there’s very little information that can be found online about the production. Based on what I saw, however, it appears that this film was made with 3D in mind. Unlike the shoddy excuses for 3D that we see with post conversion, the film is well crafted and the shots and angles are set up to maximize the technology’s effectiveness. That said, I decided to knock off a point because they are hiding the information. Take that!Depth is where the money is for 3D. It’s the entire purpose of the medium and also why post conversion films look so awful. When done wrong it looks like characters are cardboard cutouts standing in front of a greenscreen, and when done right it gives the illusion of looking into a snow globe. Alpha and Omega has the snow globe effect going full force. Certainly aided by the beautiful scenery that comes with setting a film, the audience feels as though they can stare for miles into the back of some scenes. It’s truly one of the few things the film actually got right.When you think about the 3D experience, you are essentially wearing sunglasses in a darkened room Naturally this has some effect on the look of the film which, if not adjusted, can look murky and dim through the dark lenses This is not a problem for Alpha and Omega With a lot of bright, white snow reflecting light, the audience never feels as though their vision is impaired because of the glasses Even the scenes that are shot at night have a proper contrast so you don’t find yourself squinting to see individual objects Individual theaters have some control over this element as they can adjust settings on their projectors for ideal 3D viewing, so it’s not entirely in the hands of the animators, but it appears that they did their part. |
