14 DAY TRIAL // The trick with 3D movies is that, while they might be more expensive to make, they're more profitable than 2D releases. However, shooting a film in the traditional way and then having it go through post-conversion is not always the best idea.
As we also noted a while back, 3D movies can be either shot with special 3D equipment, or shot with a traditional camera and then converted in post-production, frame by frame.
While the difference between the two types is always obvious, cases of films to have made an impact from the latter category are not few (just think “Alice in Wonderland”).
The list below is of films that have not made the cut. In other words, we have here the worst 3D movies of the year that's about to end, as presented by Examiner.
As industry insiders venture educated guesses on how much it will be until the 3D bubble bursts, more movie studios jump on the bandwagon and come out with 3D films.
Some of them are epic failures, either because the 3D is bad or because the film itself is bad, which means it was only released in 3D to recoup on the losses.
Opening at number 10 on the Examiner list is “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas,” one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the season.
Here is a case of OK 3D FX but bland-to-boring story, the aforementioned publication writes. If anything, this film could have easily made it onto the Most Infuriating list as well.
“The Green Hornet” also promised to be a solid action movie with hilarious accents of buddy comedy, but it turned out to be a sizzling nonsensical 3D film with just a touch of humor here and there.
“This was the very first 3D movie of 2011. It was not a great way to start off the year,” Examiner even writes.
Indeed, not only did it not get critics' approval, but it was also mostly shunned by the same audiences it targeted. In some ways, “The Green Hornet” was also the first flop of the year.
“The Three Musketeers” is up next, landing in at number 8. Despite the impressive cast and the considerable budget, this is one film that could have gone unnoticed.
“Milla Jovovich criticized Summit Entertainment for not promoting the film properly. Summit canceled all critic screenings as well. Anyone who saw the movie can see why they didn’t bother promoting it and why they didn’t want critics to see it before it came out,” Examiner says bluntly.
“Thor,” the first film in Marvel's “Avenger” series was to 2011 what “Clash of the Titans” was to 2010: an example of how not to convert a film to 3D in post-production.
“Glee: The 3D Concert Movie” and “Sanctum” are two more films that shouldn't have been made though, to the credit of the latter, at least it had rather decent 3D.
“Final Destination 5,” the latest installment in the time-enduring franchise is at number 4. Examiner – and many other critics as well – believes it should have ended a long while back, especially since “5” is the worst in the entire series.
As for the occupant of the third spot, “Shark Night 3D,” the e-zine says what best describes it is “a waste of money.”
“As the title suggests, it was too dark to see anything. No tension, no scares and almost no blood, a PG-13 horror movie is almost always a waste of money,” says the publication.
The family-friendly “Mars Needs Moms” is the runner-up for Examiner's dubious title of worst 3D movie of the year. It's also among the biggest flops of 2011.
Reigning supreme atop of the chart is another anticipated remake: “Conan the Barbarian.”
“This movie received ZERO out of five stars. There was NOTHING good about this movie. The story was not interesting, the acting was dismal, the action was un-engaging and all the 3D did was it made the screen darker,” Examiner writes.
As always, if you feel one film was overlooked or slighted by the inclusion in the above list, do let us know in the comments section below.
Here's to a better 2012!
