[My Top 10] Movies In the Next Dimension

Captain EO was one of my favorite movies growing up. I was maybe 7 years old with golden bouncing curls and a new found love of Michael Jackson. The Thriller album had just been released and I’m pretty sure I knew the songs on Bad by heart and backwards. My parents and I were on a vacation to the happiest place on Earth (well, at least in California) and at the time, that cliche couldn’t have been more spoton. Captain EO was awesome. and one of the first movies to be considered 4D; that is, incorporating live theatrical elements (e.g. smoke, lasers, etc)

In 1952, Bwana Devil became the first widely viewed color movie in 3D and the first demonstration of a 3D short dates all the way back to 1915.

All around the world, and in my lifetime alone, there have been roughly 215 3D films produced and at least 50 movies have been reformatted from their original 2D version and re-released theatrically. That’s means at least 20% of the 3D movies contain unoriginal content – and that’s a generous number. Some love the new format, some hate it – whatever your stance, the truth of the matter is it’s here to stay.

So – what is it that makes a movie worthy of 3D status?
To me, you need flash, glitz, glam, shock and awe.

The genres of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action and Animation are the best starting points; and the more distorted the movie already seems from reality, the better. Movies like Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Harry Potter and Up! are stellar examples of 3D done right; on the other hand, anything that’s has singing, dancing, killer animals, Saw,or Smurfs might want to rethink their game plan.

Then it makes you think – what movies from your distant, or not so distant, past would you like to see released back into theaters in 3D? Well, I’ve been compiling a list – and I’m actually happy to report that a few of these movies will actually be released.