Jurassic Park 3D: Why 3D Isn't Terrible

Sure, we all gripe about it every now and then, but are 3D movies really that bad? Well, yes, many of them are, but it is the rare gems of the 3D world that make the strongest case for its existence, and Jurassic Park 3D is one of those rare gems.

Poster for Jurassic Park 3D

3D cinema is a recently popularized trend that has garnered a lot of support and adversely a lot of criticism as of late, but like any tool used by film makers to construct a movie, it is more about how it used than whether it is used at all.

Jurassic Park 3D is the latest of a series of popular re-releases in the movie world, being preceded by Titanic 3D, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D, The Lion King 3D, Beauty and the Beast 3D, Finding Nemo 3D, and so on, but it stands out from the rest of the pack in the way that it was executed and the timing of its arrival.

In general, I stand with the majority of cinephiles when I say that re-releasing movies is usually a cheap, gimmicky way to make money. And anyone who grew up in the 1980s can attest to the fact that 3D technology used to be one of the most gimmicky, cheap fun that you could have, so it is no surprise that the two concepts have synergy. What better way to make more money than to release the same movie as before, and at nearly twice the regular price? However, that being said, I think that some movies can be re-released without impunity. We live in a generation of mass media fans who consume a plenitude of content. We idolize the 1990s and 1980s because we base our fashion and television and our movies after that era of pop culture, and so it makes perfect sense t take movies from that time and release them again for mass audiences.

The truth is, I was ecstatic when I heard that Jurassic Park was coming to theaters again, because it was such a huge part of my childhood. I first watched Jurassic Park when I was 3 years old and I became obsessed with dinosaurs for years. i watched that movie almost every day on VHS. It was and remains my favorite film of all time. So yes, I was excited to see Jurassic Park in a theater, because it was something I had never expected to be able to do in my lifetime. Admittedly, I was worried about the 3D aspect of the movie going in, but once the movie began, I quickly lost all fears and trepidations. The 3D aspect of the movie made it that much better. The depth that was added to scene compositions and positions, as well as the tweaked CGI (it still looked fantastic, after all of these years), made a classic even more thrilling than before.

So why does 3D work better for Jurassic Park than it does for other movies? Well, of course my love of the film is a factor, but I also think it comes down to respecting the movie audience. In particular, respecting their ability to see through cheap ploys and special effects. In many movies that incorporate 3D, the technology dominates the filming decisions. Unnecessarily long shots of a corridor suddenly start to appear everywhere. Projectiles are suddenly much more likely to fly towards the camera rather than away from it. In short, it makes the film cheaper. The shots that cater towards 3D rely on cheap visual tricks to make an impression rather than by framing and making thoughtful choices about angles and symmetry and composition. Because Jurassic Park was simply converted and never altered, it avoids all of these messy problems, and achieves brilliance instead.

Hopefully, other 3D movies can follow its example by using the technology with more subtlety than in the past. If they do, we might have more to look forward to on the 3D front than children's movies and re-released George Lucas films.