Brown Blog Films

I’ll be the first to admit it….I tend to only go to the cinema for:

a) A film i can’t wait to see eg. Star Wars (prequels, sequels, 3-D or whatever he does next), any new James Bond film etc

b) Something that i know will benefit from a cinema setting eg. the surround sound in the Transformers movies was flying all over the shop, all the time…in a brilliant way!

c) 2 hours of mindless entertainment eg. Mission Impossible III – butt-thumping explosions are just so much better in a cinema….even if Tom Cruise’s smug mug is 10 ft bigger…

The last animated film I went to in the cinema was The Incredibles (which I loved…) and I missed Wall-E so after hearing about just how good Pixar’s new film UP was, I thought it was time to see what all this stereoscopic fuss was about!

I only know the basics of how 3D works from a technical side (there’s a few blogs on it here and here and a million other places, plus this looks interesting!) and I’ve seen a few tests that the guys here in Brown Bag have been working on but i didn’t really know what to expect from a full feature in polarized 3D.  If anything, in my head I was thinking it was going to be pretty subtle and not all that noticable, except for maybe the odd “I’m looking at you” finger action – in my defense I had the old tests from years ago in my head, you know the ones that promised the world but ultimately were kinda embarrassing.  But I was wrong…so so wrong…

Firstly, I could not get over just how much the picture comes to life.  The first few minutes was a bit weird and i thought it might become distracting but once my eyes adjusted I couldn’t believe a) how natural it looked b) how animated everything becomes – you really do feel immersed in the picture.  From fluttering insects to twinkly stars and racing animals , the screen felt a lot more alive.  And its probably the first time i have truly appreciated backgrounds too!

As always, a pretty stellar story helps (I guess its Pixar so that shouldn’t come as a surprise…).  Its very charming and it really does pull at the heart-strings – there are some really sad moments and I can’t decide if it was a bit much for a young audience…but then I think back to Finding Nemo or Bambi, the benchmark of animated sadness!

Just like in Wall-E, the first few minutes of the film are a triumph. Most of its only animation and some great score but the core of the plot and character backgrounds are all laid out for you – you’re hooked from then on.  In a way, the opening minutes of Wall-E were pretty unique until now so I’m not sure if it spoils things a little?  Also, check out the end credits – very clever and original  - its the first time i’ve seen people wait till the end of the credits since X-Men 3!

I have to say the 3-D really brought the surround sound to life too. Unlike you picture guys, 3-D sound has been around for donkeys but with matching picture, it really does bring something else to to the table.  In a way, I actually noticed the rear and side surrounds much more than normal – it wasn’t distracting but it just had a greater impact.

I’m probably only telling you what you already know but…3D rocks!  Now I’m pretty damn excited about the next Pixar creation in 3-D (Toy Story 3 anyone?) and especially Disney’s Tron 2.0/Tron Legacy – it should be spectacular and the light bikes sound just as cool as the originals did in the 80’s!  Me’thinks Tron Legacy will cover a, b, & c of my cinema worthy criteria…plus d) Its in 3-D….