Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
3-D revolution on the horizon
James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas will lead the charge.
Jan 10 2006
In the 1950s, bespectacled audiences screamed and covered their faces as giant monsters lurched out at them from the big screen. Now, half a century on, 3-D cinema is making a comeback.
In a bid to win back the thousands of viewers lost to DVD, some of the industry's most revered directors are using new technology to bring the third dimension to the masses.
Steven Spielberg and James Cameron have already pledged to make 3-D features, while George Lucas is re-mastering three-dimensional versions of all six 'Star Wars' films in time for the 30-year anniversary of the original in 2007.
Imax cinemas have been showing 3-D films for years, but soon any cinema with a digital projector will be able to join the party.
And audiences will no longer have to don ridiculous cardboard specs to enjoy the effects. Instead, the image will be split into two parts and projected at the left and right eye at slightly different angles, thus fooling the brain into thinking that the objects on the screen are 'real'.
Whether the new format will lure people out of their living rooms and back into the cinemas (which, interestingly, is the same reason that the 1950s craze was introduced) remains to be seen. But with such high-profile backing, we could well be on the verge of a cinematic revolution.
And once the stars start to jump on board, the trend could really take off. Scarlett Johansson in 3-D anyone?
Most popular on this site

Top Stories
Spring film preview 2009
Take a peek at what the Time Out Film team are looking forward to in the new year with our spring film preview
Time Out weekender at the BFI Southbank
Calling all readers… We’d love to see you at a special season we’re planning at BFI Southbank this weekend to celebrate ‘40 years of Time Out and 40 years of British cinema’'.
Director Ari Folman on 'Waltz with Bashir'
Soldier-turned-filmmaker Ari Folman’s discusses his striking anti-war animation, ‘Waltz with Bashir’ with David Jenkins
'Terminator Salvation': preview
Tom Huddleston caught a sneak preview of footage from the forthcoming 'Terminator Salvation' movie
Australia: Early review
Read our early review of Baz Luhrmann's sweeping romantic epic starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman
Colin Firth: interview
Admit it – many of us think Colin Firth is just bland, middle-class totty. But, as Dave Calhoun has discovered, the former Mr Darcy has grown up and moved on, and in his latest films, he’s riveting








What do you think?
Post your comment now