Roger Ebert: How 3D is killing Hollywood

America's most prestigious film critic outlines 9 reasons why 3D technology is already ruining the movies

What does Roger Ebert have against 3D?
(Image credit: Getty)

After 3D hits like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland exploded at the box office, Hollywood is betting that the trippily immersive technology will define the future of moviemaking. If so, start worrying, says America's most prestigious living film critic. In the latest issue of Newsweek, Roger Ebert rails against 3D, counting off nine reasons why the technology is an "annoying distraction" that threatens traditional narrative story-telling:

"3-D is a waste of a perfectly good dimension. Hollywood's current crazy stampede toward it is suicidal. It adds nothing essential to the moviegoing experience. For some, it is an annoying distraction. For others, it creates nausea and headaches. It is driven largely to sell expensive projection equipment and add a $5 to $7.50 surcharge on already expensive movie tickets. Its image is noticeably darker than standard 2-D. It is unsuitable for grown-up films of any seriousness....

"I'm not opposed to 3-D as an option. I'm opposed to it as a way of life for Hollywood, where it seems to be skewing major studio output away from the kinds of films we think of as Oscar-worthy. Scorsese and Herzog make films for grown-ups. Hollywood is racing headlong toward the kiddie market. Disney recently announced it will make no more traditional films at all, focusing entirely on animation, franchises, and superheroes. I have the sense that younger Hollywood is losing the instinctive feeling for story and quality that generations of executives possessed."

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Read the full article at Newsweek:

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SEE MORE OF THE WEEK'S COVERAGE OF 3D:

• "Alice in Wonderland": A 3D disaster?

• "Avatar" depression syndrome?

• "Clash of the Titans": Is "fake 3D" a scam?

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