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....
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