As inevitable as Death and Taxes (and 3-D). I decided to make a petition to the Powers That Be that we amend the old saying in light of last week’s news of Disney’s decision to release next summer’s highly anticipated comic book juggernaut, The Avengers, in uninspired and wallet-draining 3-D. Even as I write this article, I realize that this probably qualifies as the most non-news story of the day.
Since the beginning of the 3-D craze waaay back in 2009 with the release of Avatar (seemingly a lifetime in movie years), Disney has been on the forefront of the post-production 3-D conversion. Whether solely a cost-cutting technique (movies cost way less to convert than shoot in 3-D) or a cash-grab marketing ploy, the trend of post 3-D conversion has drawn the ire of many a filmgoer in the past few years. Forcing audiences to deal with Viewfinder quality, lick ‘em, stick ‘em graphics that hamper the viewing experience significantly and not to mention pad already bloated ticket prices.
Whedon has already gone on record with an exclusive interview on JoBlo.com to combat the surge of negative response to Disney’s decision. In the interview Whedon stated that he knew the film was going to eventually be converted to 3D so he took that into account when filming.
Whedon also reassured fans that the Avengers wouldn’t be “obnoxiously 3D.” Meaning that there wouldn’t be scenes that detract from the movie just to create 3D effects and that the 3D would be a natural part of the action sequences.
“There’s no, ‘Oh look, we’re going to spend 20 minutes going through this tunnel because it’s in 3D!’ And no one is pointing at the screen the entire time. But it’s an action movie. Things tend to hurtle toward the screen anyway.” Whedon said reassuringly.
Ultimately, bitching about Disney’s choice will be about as effective as logic in a Michael Bay film. This coming summer we can still opt to see the Avengers in its native 2D. So fear not True Believers. The Avengers stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson and Tom Hiddleston, and will reach theaters May 4, 2012.
