With Transformers: Dark of the Moon beginning to make the
rounds, there comes the question faced by most going to a summer blockbuster
these days: 3-D or 2-D show? Given the recent trend seen in the sales for
the fourth "Pirates," the second "Kung Fu Panda" and the debut of Green Lantern,
the public has begun to turn their nose up at 3D. Oftentimes, it's a
matter of price and picture quality: most patrons report a 3-D screening
to look dull or dark instead of bright and vibrant (with Avatar being the lone exception to most).
Michael Bay is determined for you to watch his film in 3D. So much so
he's writing all projectionists at major theater outlets/chains across
the country requesting that "Dark of the Moon" be shown at the highest
possible setting, attempting to bring some color back into 3D's cheeks.
When Bay isn't busy trying to sell projectionists on showing the film as
bright as possible, he's been rounding up various news outlets to
screen key action sequences for the film in 3D. The universal consensus
reached so far (by those who will talk about it) is that the 3-D
sequences may be the best seen since Avatar– perhaps even surpassing James Cameron's 3-D standard released in 2009. It'd make sense as Cameron and his Avatar camera
crew developed advanced cameras and rigs for "Dark of the Moon" and had
to work pretty hard to sell Bay on the 3-D format (imagine that for a
second).
Hollywood and theater outlets are feeling the sting of a movie-going
public tired of blowing hundreds on a viewing that does not feel adequate
for the price of admission. For all intents and purposes, Transformers: Dark of the Moon may
be the movie to bring us back, reminding the public of what the 3-D
format is capable of. Let's face it: you're only going to the movie for
the action. From everything being said, the action just might be
superior in the 3-D format and nobody has had their 3-D showings trumpeted
this loud in a long time.
