Into The Next Dimension

       Does any one else remember when 3D movies were almost unheard of? Back in the day when the most high tech 3D out there was the Muppets 3D ride in Disney World. In a time when your 3D glasses were flimsy cardboard with red and blue plastic for lenses. Nowadays, it's commonplace, almost expected, that the newest anticipated movie is released in 3D. Nothing profound or extraordinary can be released in just plain old 2D. No, no, we must reach towards the next dimension. A dimension in which you feel like you're right in the middle of the action. Like pirates are fighting right in front of your face and their swords are coming right at you. A dimension beyond the normality of flat figures on a screen.
      I'll be the first to admit, that around two years ago, when just about everything was coming out in "3D", I was not a fan. First of all, they would charge an extra two dollars to see it in "3D", when really, there were almost NO noticeable 3D effects. Second of all...the glasses hurt my nose...regardless, I was against it. However, this all changed with the release of Avatar. That was the first movie I saw with this "so-called 3D" in which I actually noticed the effects. I felt like the characters were right there with me and that I was right in the middle of Pandora...wondering why my skin wasn't blue like theirs. Within the last year or so, 3D effects have gotten so incredible, I can't even believe it. Prime example: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
      I was not ready for another Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Let's be honest, the first was incredible beyond belief...the second...ehh. The third...sleeping less than half way through. Then there was the fourth, I was not expecting great things. Wow, was I proved wrong. However, I'm not sure how impressed I was with the movie compared to how impressed I was with the 3D effects. When Jack Sparrow was hacking through the jungle, I honestly felt like it was right in front of me. I felt so close I thought I could almost smell the saltwater in the air. This is all why when The Lion King was re-released in theaters as a 3D movie these past few weeks, I naturally HAD to see it! I wasn't sure what to expect. It was an old movie, how easy would that really be to re-master into 3D....I was blown away. When Rafiki lifted Simba proudly into the sky for all of Pride Rock to see, I thought I could reach out and pull that cuddly lion cub right into my arms.
      My parents asked me: "Why would you want to see The Lion King in theaters? We have the DVD right here!" But honestly, seeing it in 3D was an entirely different experience. I'm not sure what it is, but once the glasses come on and the figures begin to pop out at you all over the place, you somehow just get lost in it all. It's much easier to be fully engaged, all senses focused on what you're watching, and you enter the wonderful world of the third dimension.