Coming right at you in 3-D!!!

3-D movies seem to be all the rage again. Something old is once again new. Everyone is coming at us, right off the screen from the new Clash of the Titans to Shrek to Woody and Buzz. Even Hannah Montana has crossed over to 3-D land.

On Sunday, over an Easter ham, we discussed this fad of 3-D movies. I had stated my opinion. Having seen Hannah Montana in concert and in 3-D (thanks to my daughter) and having seen Meet The Robinsons in 3-D, I declared that 3-D was just not a natural way to show a movie. It strained my eyes, causing them to become unfocused, and gave me a headache. I remembered the very first 3-D movie that I had ever seen.

Way back in the day, sometime in the 1980's, my friends and our mothers were crammed into a tiny little Mustang and whisked off to NYC to tour the Museum of Natural History. The only problem was our mothers didn't want to pay for parking and there was no parking space on the streets of NYC available (gee...really?). So, without ever getting out of the tiny little car, we drove back home. To make up for our disappointment, we went to the old RKO Keith theater, the last of the grand old theaters, were handed these flimsy, paper sunglasses with different colored lenses, and were treated to the re-release of House of Wax starring Vincent Price. The glasses didn't stay on right. They bent and insisted on sliding out from behind my ears and down my face. The film was old and I didn't appreciate old movies at that time. Pretty much, I didn't appreciate any movie that didn't have Harrison Ford or Steven Spielberg's name attached to it in some way or form. It bored me and the images were blurry, with and without the glasses.

It turned me off to 3-D forever. Well, at least until I went on my honeymoon 15-20 years later. DH and I picked Disney World, since we have never been. The very first attraction we saw was It's Tough To Be A Bug, a 3-D movie inside the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom. I expected a poor quality film with those God-awful paper glasses that never fit right. Disney proved me wrong. It was a truly amazing experience. It really did feel and look like you were right there in the movie. Disney spoiled me forever with their knack for making 3-D movies everything you dream it should be.

But, I quickly fell off the 3-D bandwagon when the kids came along and wanted to see Hannah Montana and Meet the Robinsons. Sure, they greatly improved on the glasses. Instead of looking like Biff's geeky side-kick in Back to the Future, we now look like we should be doing some Risky Business. But the strain on my eyes continued. It was better than House of Wax, but it still wasn't there yet. It had not arrived.

Today, I gave in and decided to give the 3-D movie experience another chance. Mainly, because my kids are on Spring Break and we just really needed to get out of the house and do something.
We went to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Ladies and Gentlemen...3-D has arrived!!!

I'm going to be honest, the plot is weak and the story is off...but isn't the original story of Alice in Wonderland off to begin with? I can't for the life of me figure out how that bizarre story with no real plot ever became so famous to begin with. But, Tim Burton is an artist. He is a visionary genius and if there is any reason to see this movie it is to just appreciate what unfolds before your eyes. And if you can, do it in 3-D.

The colors, the lighting, the FX, the costumes, the make-up, the textures is all amazing. In 3-D, nothing makes you duck or comes out off the screen, but it just...I don't even know how to explain it...it just makes the movie so much more vivid. It reminds me of what my little girl eyes once saw when looking through a Viewfinder with awe and amazement. There's something very childlike and whimsical about the whole film. It is cartoonish, dark yet colorful, and creepy yet fun.

With Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter I came to realize something about him. He's not an actor. He just loves playing dress up and make-believe. He loves these oddball characters and loves to become them. From Jack Sparrow to Willy Wonka to Sweeny Todd to Ichabod Crane to Edward Scissorhands to the Mad Hatter, he is just a man that never gave up his love for playing make-believe. And he does it so well. So well, that he has us all fooled into thinking he's a "real" actor. A "serious" actor. That is probably why he is one of our generation's greatest.

Since I enjoyed Alice in Wonderland's artistry so much in 3-D and walked away without a headache and strained eyes, I am looking forward to seeing another 3-D movie. I still think all this 3-D is a bit overkill and it should be saved for movies that is more about the visuals than the plot and acting, but it is nice to see that it has finally arrived.

Just for the record, It's Tough to Be a Bug is still my favorite 3-D movie of all times. If you are ever in Disney World, be sure not to miss this attraction.