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Episode I 3D Release Date Announced

TheBrakShow writes 'Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that the 3D theatrical launch of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace now has an official release date — February 10, 2012!' Are enough fans interested in watching the weakest films of the trilogy again just to experience them in 3D?"
I for one am looking forward to a new and improved Jar Jar experience.

65 of 313 comments (clear)

  1. Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It would be an interesting debate to have on what is the WORST part of The Phantom Menace. Jar Jar? That little kid who couldn't act and was thrown into laughably implausible situations (like a bad straight-to-DVD Disney movie where NASCAR lets an 8-year old join the circuit just because the movie's called "The NASCAR Kid")? The introduction of Mitaclorians, which pretty much undermined everything Yoda taught Luke in Empire? The creepy child molester vibe Queen Amadalia was giving off talking to the aforementioned non-acting little kid?

    I'm going to go with the fact that they brought Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, and Samuel Jackson into this godawful shitfest--actual talented actors with long resumes of much better films. It was like watching your favorite aunt get raped for 2 hours. No amount of overpriced popcorn could make that any better.

    But now I get to see her raped in 3D, and pay twice as much for the privilege. Look Aunt Wanda, we get to keep the glasses! Awesome.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, I like Samuel Jackson way better than her. She wasn't even in Pulp Fiction.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    2. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by jgtg32a · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Jar Jar could have been a decent character if during the raid he stopped being a completely worthless and became a useful fighter. Preferably with some variant of capoeira, or some sort of flashy fighting style (from how we walks it seems like it would be something he would do).
      Yes he's the goofy comic relief and that is fine, but the bigger problem was he was worthless and provided nothing else.

    3. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by asn · · Score: 5, Funny

      It was like watching your favorite aunt get raped for 2 hours. No amount of overpriced popcorn could make that any better.

      So that would be a thumbs down?

    4. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by lul_wat · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If you havn't already, I highly recommend RedLetterMedias free youtube reviews of Episode I, II, & III. Each review is nearly as long as the movie and tears them a new asshole.

      --
      Divide a cake by zero. Is it still a cake?
    5. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by ShavedOrangutan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      NASCAR needs to update, oh and stop going around in circles.

      Circle is fine, but I think they should have the even numbered cars go clockwise and the odd numbered cars go counterclockwise. It would make a more interesting show.

      --
      Godaddy is a scam and a ripoff.
    6. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No, the problem is that a comic relief character needs to be at least slightly funny. Also not a thinly veiled demeaning racial stereotype.

    7. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by jbezorg · · Score: 2

      This pretty much sums up my feelings on the franchise.

      http://video.adultswim.com/robot-chicken/luke-learns-the-truth.html

      --
      I've lost all my marbles except one & It's fun to test angular & centripetal acceleration in my skull
    8. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 2

      Lucas is recasting Ashton Kutcher in the role as a romantic interest for Queen Amidala.

    9. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by khallow · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think the best part was that this movie was never made. I repeat NEVER MADE.

    10. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's as though these new movies were written by a completely different author.

      There were people writing that stuff? I always envisioned somebody dumping an eightball of coke into a 40, using that to wash down a handful of waffle pretzels and a mouthful of spray cheese, and then Voilà, it's movie making time...

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
    11. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It would be an interesting debate to have on what is the WORST part of The Phantom Menace.

      That's simple. The worst part of the movie was the plot. It was a movie about a tariff dispute between the galactic teamsters union and some unimportant edge systems. The first half was literally about transporting a witness to give testimony in front of the senate sub committee on interplanetary trade. George Lucas could have saved a lot of effort if he just skipped the script and the actors entirely, and just slapped special effects on top of a raw CSPAN video feed.

      Imagine if someone made a three-part movie ostensibly about the American Revolutionary War, but the first move was just whiny Dutch traders writing protest letters to King George to complain about the tea tax. Then, a rather boring and affectless young Princess gives a confusing and unremarkable speech in front of a bunch of disinterested Lords in Parliament! That would be a great movie. You could show something like that in nursing homes and airplanes, and not have to worry about anyone getting too excited or being offended!

      (It didn't help that there was no character development, there was no reason to identify with any of the characters, and the situations could not have generated any type of empathy from the audience. But the biggest culprit was the plot, which had people you don't care about doing stuff that doesn't matter for reasons that you don't understand.)

    12. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by TheRaven64 · · Score: 3, Funny

      And, in true American fashion, all of the drivers should be armed. With rocket launchers.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    13. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by TheRaven64 · · Score: 4, Informative

      The new movies were pretty close to Lucas' original vision. The difference is that this time the actors actually did what he told them. In the originals, people like Harrison Ford just ignored his direction and, in some memorable places, the script (for example, he was meant to reply 'I love you too' to Leia's 'I love you', but the 'I know' that he ad libbed worked a lot better).

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    14. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by Belial6 · · Score: 2

      No, it wouldn't. The car being discussed was a MAGIC car. That was the point of the movie. MAGIC cars are extremely stable with short wheelbases, and go as fast as is necessary to MAGICALLY win the race.

    15. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by pwizard2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I would much prefer someone write Episodes 7-9 instead

      Except how are they going to do that without undermining 15-20 years worth of sequel novels/other EU stuff? For the benefit of the uninitiated, dates in Star Wars are based around episode four much like our CE and BCE system, (The Battle of Yavin happens at 0 BBY) so BBY ==years before the Battle of Yavin and ABY == years After the Battle of Yavin. The Star Wars timeline has been extended out to as far as ~150 ABY in the legacy era and prequel stuff goes back over 4000 BBY into the early Old Republic era. (KOTOR games, comics, etc) We have even seen glimpses of the Pre-Republic era (20,000 BBY) but it hasn't been explored very much.

      The only hope for more movies would be to cram additional episodes somewhere in the middle between those two extremes and hope everything still fits together without any huge contradictions. (though I personally doubt Lucas would actually care if he ruined years of established continuity in favor of his own vision)

      --
      "It is a denial of justice not to stretch out a helping hand to the fallen; that is the common right of humanity."
    16. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

      Its hard to believe a man who created such a wonderful universe of fantasy hasn't had an original appealing idea in the last 10-15 years

      Huh? It's more like 20-25 years. He hasn't done anything worthwhile since Episode VI (and even that wasn't that great; it would have been much better if he had let Kirshner keep control of it like he did with Ep. V). The Prequels were nothing but a blatant and ugly money-grab.

    17. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

      To be fair, I don't see how it could have been avoided. The Republic was weak and ineffectual, allowing some of its members to blatantly invade and pillage other members, and refusing to take action without going through tons of bureaucratic hoops and time-wasting investigation. Regardless of who represents any member, that's just a recipe for disaster and dissolution.

      Worse, I think it's an interesting parallel for other real-world governments, showing that Republics just don't live very long and aren't highly stable forms of government. The Roman Republic is a classic example; it too was mired in corruption and turned into an empire, which lasted a while before its corruption and decay led to it being invaded and destroyed. The USA is a Republic-turned-empire too, and is on the brink of total collapse within a much shorter time than the Romans lasted. Germany's Weimar Republic sure didn't last very long (about a decade) before turning into a very short-lived empire. How long has any other Republic lasted? A half-century or so at best, probably.

    18. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by Grishnakh · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How about a parallel universe where Lucas didn't become a greedy, egotistical bastard, and who gave the directorial reins to someone like Kirshner not just for ESB, but for Episodes 4 and 6 too? And then went on to create prequels with the same method, and maybe some sequels too, with Lucas doing the visual arts stuff (his one real talent) and leaving the screenplay and direction to more talented people?

    19. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by WCLPeter · · Score: 3, Informative

      A Volkswagen Beetle in a NASCAR race has already been made. Talk about unrealistic!

      Even though it was unrealistic doesn't change the fact that an anthropomorphized Volkswagen Beetle from a cheesy 1960's Disney children's movie had a deeper range of emotion and acting ability than what was demonstrated by the actors in the Phantom Menace.

    20. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by J_Darnley · · Score: 2

      Perhaps one of the good trilogy of books should be filmed. Nobody has to write anything then! My vote would go for the Jedi Academy series for being the first three I read. Alternatively, go into the "far future" and invent a new revival of the sith.

    21. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by dylan_- · · Score: 2

      How long has any other Republic lasted? A half-century or so at best, probably.

      The oldest republic is San Marino, from 301 AD. So, a bit longer than a half-century :-)

      --
      Igor Presnyakov stole my hat
    22. Re:Wow, Jar Jar and that shitty kid actor in 3D! by captjc · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I remember in Pulp Fiction Jules saying that getting thrown out of a window is no way for a nigga to die. Only in episode 3 for Mace to get thrown out of a fucking window.

      That was the final insult for me. I can take alot shit from movies but that made me lose my appreciation for Lucas permanently. He could do a special edition of all the movies where he undoes all the crap and I will still not care.

      --
      Slow Down Cowboy! It's been 1 hour, 47 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment
  2. Hahaha by tripleevenfall · · Score: 4, Informative

    Meesa call moneygrab!

    1. Re:Hahaha by ArsonSmith · · Score: 2

      good plan, who we shooting second?

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  3. I feel a... by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...lack of disturbance in the force, as if millions of people yawned in disinterest.

  4. Cardboard acting in 3D? by MrEricSir · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Too bad technology can't improve acting and dialog, because that's the real reason Star Wars I, II and III are forever stuck in the second dimension.

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
    1. Re:Cardboard acting in 3D? by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Insightful

      To be fair many of the actors have done great work before and after the prequels. I just don't think that they could do much with a bad plot and bad dialogue. RedLetterMedia's critique of the movies brought a great point: There is no protagonist in any of the films. All three were a loose collection of characters. While having a single character as the central character isn't always necessary, it generally works better in some plots. Robert Altman's films do well without a central character but his movies focus much more on storylines and plot.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    2. Re:Cardboard acting in 3D? by gambino21 · · Score: 4, Informative

      I think the RedLetterMedia/Plinkett Reviews are the best thing the come out of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. I found the review to be much more entertaining and higher quality than the films themselves.

    3. Re:Cardboard acting in 3D? by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

      I think there's more to it than that. Good actors don't act in a vacuum, they work with the director to bring out the best in them. A good director is able to bring out great acting in a good actor, and a lousy director will make a great actor seem like a hack. Lucas is a terrible director. From what I've read, Lucas never did multiple takes of any scene with dialog, he just wanted the actors to spit their lines out and that was that; he just didn't care about the acting quality at all, he just wanted to get those scenes over with. He could have had Al Pacino and Robert De Niro and made them look like poor actors.

  5. Probably not by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 4, Funny

    Who wants to see one dimensional characters in 3D?

  6. Go by Edzor · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Go fuck yourself George.

  7. I would seriously consider by Mick+R · · Score: 4, Funny

    poking out one eye just so I CAN'T EVER see that in 3D!

  8. Sounds like an interesting movie by Fnkmaster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've never heard of this "Phantom Menace" thing before. I'm sure if George Lucas was behind it, it must be humorous, entertaining and dramatic, with characters we can identify with for generations to come, just like the Star Wars trilogy we all loved as kids!

    I'm so glad that somebody with the integrity of George Lucas is responsible for shepherding this loveable trilogy through the years. That way I can introduce these movies to my own children without having to worry about somebody coming along and pooping all over the memories of my childhood. You know, the temptation to edit or re-issue movies to capitalize on their enduring success might be quite extreme, but George is one of those guys who knows when to say "it was good enough 30 years ago, let's not mess with a good thing".

    A lesser man might have, for example, decided to edit away some of the age-inappropriate roguishness of Han Solo in an effort to merchandize schlocky toys to kids. But not George, no.

    I'm not really sure what this whole 3d thing is about though. I'm sure it's a sincere effort to make a genuine artistic statement that just happens to be set in that Star Wars universe we all know and love.

    Thank god for George Lucas.

    1. Re:Sounds like an interesting movie by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The main problem with George in the prequels was that he was writer, director, and producer. He served different roles in the original trilogy but he was never all three. For prequels, no one had the authority or balls to tell George that his movie sucked.

      For example, the storylines were needlessly complicated. Maybe in George's mind complicated meant complex but in reality the more complicated, the greater chance of a plot hole. Take for example the virgin birth of Anakin. That really served no purpose. His father could have died in mining accident, a burglary attempt, solar storm; any of those would be far simpler and easier to handle.

      For me it's like George created artificial conflicts and constructs so that he could exploit later as plot devices. But someone on the outside might have pointed logical flaws. Remember how Anakin missed his mother and how her later death would trigger his descent? That wouldn't have worked had the Jedi council or Queen Amidala returned to Tatooine and freed his mother. Cause if I was Yoda and sensed all this fear in the chosen one over his mother, I would make sure his mother was okay.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  9. Re:FOOMP by publiclurker · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm enjoying a new and improved Jar Jar experience right now by not watching episodes 1-3.

  10. Karma Killer: I Like Jar Jar by trydk · · Score: 2

    OK, I am going to kill whatever goodwill (and karma) I may have had with these statements:

    * I actually liked Jar Jar Binks -- he was the not so bright, but well-meaning, comic sidekick
    * I think Jake Lloyd performed much better than Hayden Christensen
    * I think the chemistry between Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen was as hot as the chemistry between gold and nitrogen at 0 Kelvin
    * I do not think that Anakin's shift from good to evil is very convincing

    But no matter what, the movies are not worth another ticket to me, 3D or not.

    1. Re:Karma Killer: I Like Jar Jar by Homburg · · Score: 2

      I would think only the first of these would be particularly controversial. Jake Lloyd was an averagely annoying child-actor, while Hayden Christensen was a complete black-whole of charisma, removing any possibility of drama from any scene he was in; this explains the third and fourth point, too, although I think the script has to take a fair amount of blame for them, too ("You're smooth, not like sand").

  11. So what we've got here by Crash+McBang · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is a 3-dimensional projection of a 2-dimensional movie with 1-dimensional acting.

    mmmm, can't wait....

    --
    To put a witty saying into 120 characters, jst rmv ll th vwls.
  12. There are only THREE Star Wars movies. by c.r.o.c.o · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And the first one is Episode IV.

  13. Re:Horse by ddd0004 · · Score: 4, Funny

    They are gonna keep trying to bleed those films dry as long as the return is positive. It's kinda fun to see how far they'll take it as long as you don't spend any of your own money on it. I predict that the final release before they put this to bed will be the uber-enhanced ultra-digital 3D edition with unseen footage, enhanced audio, product placement (the Jawas will be selling droids with a marlboro red hanging off their lower lip, eating cheetos and wearing Nikes), and a special audio commentary by Jar Jar across all 6 episodes.

  14. For the record... by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I thought Attack of the Clones was by far the weakest:

    ESB
    RotJ
    SW
    TPM
    RotS
    ...
    Care Bears the Movie
    Sex and the City
    ...
    AotC

    --
    I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
    1. Re:For the record... by gowen · · Score: 2

      Actually, that list goes:

      ESB
      SW
      RotJ
      Star Wars Holiday Special
      Caravan of Courage: The Ewok Movie
      TPM
      RotS ...
      Care Bears the Movie
      Sex and the City ...
      AotC

      --
      Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
    2. Re:For the record... by Suddenly_Dead · · Score: 2

      It's just that nothing happened in it. I've watched all of the prequel movies exactly once (and that was enough), and this is what I remember (not necessarily in chronological order, since the plots were... weak):

      Phantom Menace:
      - The senate quacked about something
      - The Naboo queen went through space, was attacked, thwarted the attackers with her super shiny ships
      - Strangely unemotional little kid is sold to some race driver or something
      - Said kid finds and repairs C3P0 (RETCON)
      - Kid meets JarJar, is nonplussed
      - Kid wins a race for some reason
      - Naboo attacked by the Trade Federation (more like the War Federation, am I right?)
      - Unemotional kid helps fight trade federation off by piloting a spaceship
      - Midichlorians
      - Obi-wan and his master (Qwi-gong or something) fight some Sith for some reason, then find the little kid
      - Something about a prophecy?

      Attack of the Clones:
      - there's some clones of boba-fett's daddy; obi-wan goes to see them
      - Anakin is older, still has problems expressing emotion

      Revenge of the Sith:
      - Palpatine dissolves the senate, activates the clone's secret programming and they quickly wipe the jedi out
      - Obi and Anakin kill some droids
      - Anakin starts to get evil for some reason, even though he has a pretty hot girlfriend now
      -- Still doesn't think of doing something about JarJar
      - Anakin and Obi fight
      - Anakin burned, puts on voice-changing suit, screams comically
      - Chewie comes up somehow
      - Queen dies for no good reason just to avoid having to explain where she went in the next movies

  15. OMG! OMG! OMG! by killmenow · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm so freaking excited about this! I'm actually giddy just thinking about the day this comes out! I cannot wait to stay home and completely ignore it!

  16. Train wreck in 3D by Caerdwyn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A train wreck in 3D is still a train wreck... it just looks more like you're going to get hit by the caboose.

    Loved Ep. 4, 5, 6. Deeply despised 1. Still haven't seen 2 and 3, as by all indications Lucas still hasn't learned that clowns do not belong on the battlefield (and, in fact, trivialize any sense of heriosm or sacrifice or tragedy present in the non-clowns), Western audiences don't like the idea that galactic domination is genetic, a bad movie with eye candy is still a bad movie, and that sullen teenaged angst is only entertaining to sullen teenagers.

    Will not buy or download.

    --
    Everybody gets what the majority deserves.
  17. The only way by pak9rabid · · Score: 5, Funny

    The only way I'll watch this is if Natalie Portman reaches out of the screen and gives me a hand job.

  18. I disagree with the premise of your question by jollyreaper · · Score: 4, Insightful

    To say Phantom was the worst implies the other two were any better.

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  19. Why not discuss how horrible 3D technology... by andyr86 · · Score: 2

    The quality of Episode 1 has been discussed so many times its nearly boring as the film. Lets discuss how bad 3D technology is! I'll start. 30% less colour, ruined focal length and shot clarity. Illusionary pointy things in your face. Headaches. Its bad.

  20. February 10, 2012! by Servaas · · Score: 2

    So this will be the day people will rise up and take power, where we all agree to a little bit less, so everyone can have some and we tear down the walls of our manufactured lives, cause let's be honest: What The Fuck.

  21. Re:Don't you have to FILM in 3D First? by shadowfaxcrx · · Score: 2

    That's if you want to do it right, but since Lucas didn't get anything right with the prequels to begin with, he might as well do it in 3d wrong.

    There's another way to make a movie shot in 2d into a 3d movie. It doesn't work very well and it looks like crap because a movie actually shot with a 3d camera (which is essentially 2 cameras stuck together at a specific distance) has each camera seeing a slightly different angle of the scene. It's that parallax that makes actual 3d look. . well. . not good, but better than fake 3d, in which they essentially just drag a copy of elements of the scene slightly to the right and then project it through the right-eye filter (either polarized or color depending on what tech they're using). You end up with something that looks almost, but not quite, entirely unlike real life.

    --
    "I disagree with you" does not equal "flamebait."
  22. I have 2 words for this movie and Lucas. by AbRASiON · · Score: 2

    http://www.google.com.au/search?q=free%20hat%20southpark&hl=en&meta=
    Free Hat (you NEED to see the episode if you like Star Wars or Indiana Jones)

    "Free Hat" is episode 88 of the animated series South Park. It originally aired on July 10, 2002. The episode ridicules Lucasfilm's digital altering of George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy and Steven Spielberg's E.T.. The episode also shows huge criticism towards remake movies.

  23. RealD is a two-plane gimmick by Khopesh · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We've got to be only a year or two from realizing that RealD is a dumb gimmick...

    RealD Cinema, the technology used in all of these films, uses alternating frequencies of light which get filtered differently by each polarized lens of the glasses it requires. This gives up to two planes of vision at a time, which can move relative to each other. For whatever reason, we are calling this 3D (I'll use the term "biplanar" for the rest of this post). Disclaimer: this is a simplification and I'm sure it's more complicated than that, but I think it hits the point.

    All this biplanar vision is good for is superimposing a flat view of something in front of (or behind) the main action. That's it. I saw Avatar and was impressed by a few scenes (specifically, the captions used in the diary entries ... which were 2D), but it was almost wholly a gimmick; neat trick, but a novelty that faded before the movie finished. Captions and other flat items can add to things, but (in their current state) they do not justify the extra cost or the need to wear sunglasses in a dark theater.

    That's not to say we've exhausted the limits of what biplanar movies can do; I expect explosions and other instantaneous effects can benefit greatly from this; each frame of the explosion moves slightly closer to the audience on the Z-axis, and since it emits like a wave, there is no need to continue to display previous frames in their own dedicated Z coordinate. The same goes for anything opaque that's coming right at you, so long as it has no component that requires a different depth (so a car --or spaceship-- is out because the windshield is farther from you than the fender; turn your head and the perspective shows a 2D image). In fact, the only things I can think of that fit this bill are explosions and other things that move so fast the you don't have time to move and see their flatness plus anything that is so flat it has no depth, like maybe a propeller-driven device whose propeller is so big you can't see anything else, or a wall that the first-person perspective is driving into head-first (though those two examples are pretty lame and limited).

    Re-releasing old hits (a generous term for the Star Wars prequels) won't do much unless you have a fanbase that will buy anything you make (in which you might as well stick with snorting commentary tracks and back-patting featurettes).

    --
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    1. Re:RealD is a two-plane gimmick by vadim_t · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Ehh, no.

      Polarized 3D isn't limited to two planes. The polarized filter ensures the left and right image each go to the right eye, and it can look 100% like you look at the world normally.

      The problem is that the perspective doesn't change when you move your head, so when you do it looks like the movie is made of paper cutouts placed at different depths (but still not limited to two). There's also that polarization is sensitive to the angle from which you're viewing the screen.

      For the absolutely best effect you'd need head tracking. Of course the image would have to be rendered in real time. But then you can really create the impression that the monitor has a hole in it through which you're looking at say, a game.

    2. Re:RealD is a two-plane gimmick by 0xABADC0DA · · Score: 2

      RealD Cinema ... gives up to two planes of vision at a time

      No it gives two projections of vision at a time, one for each eye... just like your eyes get from the rest of the world (each eye only sees 2d of course). It can be as 3d as actually being there, except that you cannot change the focus; your eyes always should always be focused on the screen regardless of what is projected. This causes eye strain and perception problems for some people.

      ReadD does have some problems... mostly people who can perceive at 72 Hz or greater will see some flickering, and with movies made from 24 fps source frames are repeated three times (per eye) so people with fast perception will see some stuttering; frames are flashed in sequence 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3..., so if you can perceive individual frames then you'll see action frozen for two frames out of three.

      But yeah, if you are only seeing two planes in a movie like Avatar made from 3d source then your brain is not processing correctly (ie you have some visual perception problem). You may in fact not be perceiving the actual world in 3d as other do. I wouldn't expect you to see anything in those random noise pictures where you cross your eyes for instance.

    3. Re:RealD is a two-plane gimmick by Ecuador · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Wow, you have not understood how 3D cinema works at all. You even invent new terms (biplanar vision), when we are simply using Stereoscopy, a technique known since the 19th century. Your eyes see two different images due to parallax in the real world, and that important part of depth perception is what we try to imitate by feeding a slightly different image to each eye, as if there was a camera where each eye is. Well, guess what, that is not all the depth perception information we use in real life - there is also the focusing that we do that depends on the distance of objects, so each person is "tricked" by Stereoscopy in a different way. That's why we say some people don't "get" 3D.
      As for the technical details, you have mixed things up. RealD does not use alternating frequencies, that is the Dolby 3D method (wavelength multiplexing). RealD is using circular polarization and polarization is not related to the frequency. Then there are the linear polarization methods, like Imax 3D, with the obvious disadvantage that you can't tilt your head sideways or your polarizer glasses won't work. These three systems all "feel" different, for example my wife gets a better 3D effect with Dolby 3D, while I think that it is worse when I move my eyes around and generally prefer Imax 3D but most likely due to the huge screen. Even if each method gives you a bit different effect, if you can't trick your brain into seeing 3D just by using stereopsis, then I guess no system will be useless to you...

      --
      Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
  24. Star Wars by fermion · · Score: 2
    I saw Star Wars when it first came out. I saw the sequels. I saw Star Wats when it was remastered. Seeing the old characters and the new effects was worth the money. There was no point in seeing the other two remastered because, frankly, if you see a new effect once then what is the point. In any case, at least in my mind, Star Wars was the only movie that had any really real humanity. We can all relate to the longing of Luke Skywalker and the the classic cad of Han Solo, without the annoying good side that everyone wants to add. Really it was the additional the Han Solo good side that made me not see the remaining remakes. It was good though that people who wanted to got to see them on the big screen.

    I understood The Phantom Menace to be made for a new generation and therefore had little to do with Star Wars or the sequels. I dutifully went to see them, and the disappointment was less the story than the fact that throwing money at a slew of well known actors would solve the problem. It did not solve any problem in The Empire Strikes Back. The f/x was good, but again they can only go so far. In Return of the Jedi it seemed that there was a new appreciation of a combination of practical and special effects. Not more.

    I think the the fact the prequels are pretty much animated stories with a bit of live acting thrown in will make them a very good 3D experience. Star Wars and the sequels will be less so because of the human element. It will certainly allow the kids who enjoyed the prequels to see them as adults and reflect on the story.

    --
    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
  25. The Mayans were off by 10 months. by rjejr · · Score: 2

    I might consider seeing a 2 1/4 hr. condensed version of the first 3 films in 3D. That's 45 minutes per movie, should be more than enough. All dialouge edited out as well. Yoda could do a narrative past tense voice-over as if filling in Luke during his training. "A great pod race he won. Giant fish they did escape. Killed by Darth Maul Gaugin Jin was. Clones they did create. Begun the clone war had. By the emporer betrayed they were. Like a coward ran I hid here until now I have. Train you I shall". Yeah, I'ld see that.

  26. only if Lucas is merely beating a dead horse by Lead+Butthead · · Score: 2

    I think he's HUMPING the dead horse... Really George, what have you done LATELY?

    --
    ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
  27. Jar Jar in 3D will be great! by Posting=!Working · · Score: 2

    You haters are missing the point here. Jar Jar in 3D will be awesome! It will give you the opportunity you've been waiting for since Episode 1 first came out. Just bring a knife with you to the theater, and when Jar Jar appears it 3D, you can finally stab him in the face!

    Might want to make sure no one's sitting in front of you, because if they are, you'll have to explain. I mean, they'll completely understand and forgive you, but since it won't look the same from their perspective, they'll probably be mad until you tell them.

    --
    This sentence no verb.
  28. Re:Ok. Why weak. by potHead42 · · Score: 2

    It's not just Jar Jar and the wooden acting, it's the complete and utter lack of proper storytelling and cinematography, caused by a director obsessed with green-screens and special effects. Note that from the old movies only A New Hope was directed and written solely by George Lucas (though allegedly his former wife also had a big influence as editor).

    Watch the RedLetterMedia reviews for a detailed and hilarious analysis of all three movies.

  29. Re:Horse by BlackSnake112 · · Score: 2

    The ultimate bad guy was Vader. That was made clear. Vader was evil. I say was since after watching I, II, and II we find out he was a winy bastard, Vader does not seem so evil and bad anymore. Vader is pathetic. There I said it.

  30. What? by Corngood · · Score: 2

    It's not 'biplanar', it's stereoscopic. I suppose they could use something like what you describe to reconstruct a stereoscopic view of a 2d film, but in practice they are more sophisticated than that. I know you're trying to simplify things, but calling it biplanar is selling it way short.

    Don't get me wrong, I hate just about everything about this 3D fad, I just think you are confused about the implementation.

  31. Re:Since this is a SW thread... by ChrisMaple · · Score: 2

    It was Cologne Wars, because he knew they would stink.

    --
    Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  32. Re:Don't you have to FILM in 3D First? by penguinchris · · Score: 2

    Color and 3D in Casablanca would be a tragedy, but as for "super hi-def"...

    I've seen Casablanca projected on 35mm film (three times in different theaters including at the George Eastman House), and I've seen it on Blu-Ray on a big screen at 1080p. The job they've done on restoring the film elements is astounding (as you'd hope for such an important film), and it's already "super hi-def" as even film in the 40's is capable of extremely high resolution. It looks astonishingly good.

    You can certainly appreciate the cinematography on a small screen just watching the DVD or seeing it broadcast on TV or whatever, but that doesn't mean that seeing it as it was meant to be seen originally (film resolution and on a big screen) doesn't make it better :)