Guilty pleasures / Underrated or unfairly criticized 3D movies and conversions

[Joe D.]

Originally Posted by ConceptArtist138

I've always felt that the first Thor got a bad rap for it's 3D. When it first came out, I saw some people saying they thought they put in the 2d version and that there was no depth at all which is totally false.

I actually skipped the initial release because the vast majority of opinions were along those lines and got it
when I bought the Phase 1 box set. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the movie more in 3d than 2d.

Hi concept,

Me too. Thor wasn't all that bad. Seen better but another example of the criticism being over exaggerated.

[Joe D.]

Originally Posted by hedliniv

Honestly depth does not impress me at all. Star Wars Rogue One is a great example of that. I would have been just as happy watching the regular blu-ray and was upset that I wasted the extra money for the 3D version.

Ideally an example like How to Train Your Dragon is what I believe 3D should be. Another great example of my ideal 3D experience would be Maleficent...

Hi hedliniv,

Agree there was little creativity in the 3D but being immersed into the visual to me is such an important part of the experience too. So can be disappointed in some ways but doubt that would ever make me yearn for anything's 2D counterpart.

Just ordered both dragon 1 and 2.

[the13thman]

Originally Posted by hedliniv

Honestly depth does not impress me at all. Star Wars Rogue One is a great example of that. I would have been just as happy watching the regular blu-ray and was upset that I wasted the extra money for the 3D version.

Ideally an example like How to Train Your Dragon is what I believe 3D should be. Another great example of my ideal 3D experience would be Maleficent...

I'd rate Rogue One's 3D as better than Maleficent's by a mile.

As well as Green Lantern I also really enjoyed Jumper in 3D even though it was cropped and fairly cheaply converted. Gamer is another one nobody really mentions very often. Paranormal Activity The Ghost Dimension was far more interesting visually than I expected too. Green Hornet too. The Finest Hours got bad reviews for the 3D but boy did that look good on my TV!

For native 3D I don't see enough love for Amphibious, Tarzan (the animated one), Nurse, Hellbenders, Dead Before Dawn and the amazing first person action in Bunker Of The Dead.

[GreatGreg]

I rarely ever read reviews. I always use my own eyes to pass judgement.

But I'm one of the oddballs who liked SHOWGIRLS, JOHN CARTER, VALERIAN -- movies that were universally panned by critics.

The way I figure, if I want to see a movie, I will see it anyways and make up my own mind. I never watch trailers either. That totally ruins a movie for me. I don't read news or updates on a film's production.

The finished film is the final product and I don't want to see any of it until it is done.

I do read overall responses and feedback from audiences though. I find the general audience response is a better indicator for popular films than anything else.

Arthouse films are different though.

[the13thman]

Originally Posted by GreatGreg

I rarely ever read reviews. I always use my own eyes to pass judgement.

But I'm one of the oddballs who liked SHOWGIRLS, JOHN CARTER, VALERIAN -- movies that were universally panned by critics.

The way I figure, if I want to see a movie, I will see it anyways and make up my own mind. I never watch trailers either. That totally ruins a movie for me. I don't read news or updates on a film's production...

I do read overall responses and feedback from audiences though. I find the general audience response is a better indicator for popular films than anything else.

Arthouse films are different though.

John Carter is another one that looked great in 3D, as does Valerian and I'll throw in a mention for Independence Day Resurgence. A lot does depend on your home entertainment setup, that's the problem with reviews of 3D complaining about ghosting or dark images.

[Joe D.]

Originally Posted by the13thman

John Carter is another one that looked great in 3D, as does Valerian and I'll throw in a mention for Independence Day Resurgence. A lot does depend on your home entertainment setup, that's the problem with reviews of 3D complaining about ghosting or dark images.

Hi 13,

Thanks for reminding me about the bad 3D reviews ID2 got which also made me expect to see a visual dud.

Don't know what some critics are looking for - perfection? They might be looking from a total professional aspect, which might be too demanding. Can understand that. But perhaps they don't know how to weigh the pros and cons better as far as the average viewer's take. Maybe that's why we have to dig more into what the average "Joe", "13", " infinite ", " shaggy", "Damon", " wildbill", "law", " greatGreg" - and all the others who I apologize to for not listing by name - have to say.

I also raise the importance of a properly calibrated set because something being off can effect other settings and not bring out the best in the picture, let alone 3D depth and details. I know from personal experience. What can appear as impressive is really artificial and creating a distorted picture with ghosting, shimmering, soft detail, etc.

A simple calibration disc can eliminate most these problems, even for the beginner.

[GreatGreg]

So I have learned early here that many (most?) people still like the 3D movies with the pop-out effects, which I absolutely abhor.

So I've since learned to read reviews with a grain of salt because I will ultimately judge in the end.

I am a huge comic book fan, but have been disappointed with the vast majority of superhero films today. However despite the fanboy accolades or the worst critics reviews, I still insist on seeing every one for myself anyways.

[wildbill722]

Originally Posted by the13thman

I'd rate Rogue One's 3D as better than Maleficent's by a mile.

As well as Green Lantern I also really enjoyed Jumper in 3D even though it was cropped and fairly cheaply converted. Gamer is another one nobody really mentions very often. Paranormal Activity The Ghost Dimension was far more interesting visually than I expected too. Green Hornet too. The Finest Hours got bad reviews for the 3D but boy did that look good on my TV!

For native 3D I don't see enough love for Amphibious, Tarzan (the animated one), Nurse, Hellbenders, Dead Before Dawn and the amazing first person action in Bunker Of The Dead.

Yes Bunker of the Dead is a must have!! Same for Amphibious and Dead before Dawn too. I like the Ghoul as well.

[Joe D.]

Originally Posted by wildbill722

Yes Bunker of the Dead is a must have!! Same for Amphibious and Dead before Dawn too. I like the Ghoul as well.

Hi wild Bill,

Just thought of another in which the 3D was panned: Predator. Think they did a very good conversion of a film with no original thought of 3D in mind.

[Awesome3D]

This Thread has NOT aged well. To whoever reads this please Google the movie and the 3D and do more research. The Green Hornet is HORRIBLE IN 3D LOL.The first Smurfs is BAD 3D besides the last 30 mins. Harry Potter films are HORRENDOUS IN 3D.Do your research my 3D friend.

[Ferretferret]

While necroposting is often looked down upon, I am actually grateful to see this thread again. I think most 3D users have switched to VR headsets or projectors, so, I'm genuinely curious to see if opinions have changed.

Hugo 3D was maligned upon release, but, it looks masterful through a VR headset.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by Ferretferret

While necroposting is often looked down upon, I am actually grateful to see this thread again. I think most 3D users have switched to VR headsets or projectors, so, I'm genuinely curious to see if opinions have changed.

Hugo 3D was maligned upon release, but, it looks masterful through a VR headset.

It looks excellent on 3-D Blu-ray too. It’s the early television hardware that wasn’t up to snuff yet. The entire 3-D rollout was botched, wasn’t quite ready for prime time when it launched. My 2010 Samsung had terrible ghosting problems with most titles. My 2016 Sony XBR65Z9D (September 2018 manufacture date) with fully updated firmware has zero ghosting issues 99% of the time; Hugo looks fantastic on it.

[Zivouhr]

To me, if an old thread still has relevant and useful information in it, I don't see what the issue is with adding new posts, regarding some (not here) who get upset with "necrotic/rotting threads" being posted in.
Is there some kind of unseen trouble that is brought up when old threads are revived? To me, it's like dusting off an old movie box and rewatching old movies. No big deal and can be fun to revisit the past.

On topic, a movie that doesn't get much attention for the 3D...

I'll say live-action Smurfs 2 could use a bit more praise for the 3D. It's a range of medium to strong 3D, and a really nice conversion or natively rendered 3D film of the CGI. The stork flying scene looks great, and the movie is surprisingly much better IMO than the first one.

I don't know how this new 2025 Smurfs movie is going to do retreading the same theme of warping to an Earth city and the Smurfs needing to save their village again. Who is the writer of these movies, not able to think of new ideas?

Originally Posted by levcore

So what titles dont get much kudos but are actually pretty good for 3D? Two i've noticed recently are Priest and Green Hornet. They don't seem to get much credit at all, but both really impressed me, especially Green Hornet which looks fantastic in 3D, really nice depth and some great pop out moments.

let's give a shout out to those unsung gems!

Originally Posted by levcore

Hey mate. The movie is quite dark in a few scenes yes, but not overbearingly so and im perhaps one of the few who still enjoys 3D in dark scenes (i agree that Fright Night was very dark, but i thought that looked great, Priest is not as dark as Fright Night).

I agree on Underworld although i was expecting a bit more depth as it is native 3D. Dont get me wrong, the 3D is very good in it.

It's 2025, and I still remember thinking the 3D was decent to good at times in both of these. Priest has medium 3D layers and some mild, and same for Green Hornet 3D I'll say. It's been maybe 10 years since I watched them on blu ray 3D so it's probably time to see how they hold up.

For the darkness, my 3D projector does a great job making things visible, but so can the 3DTV. Some displays though probably don't handle dark scenes well, where things aren't well lit in 3D.