The Collegian

Pro - Victor Rhodes

3-D movies; some people love them while others hate them. 3-D films were once a dead market, but thanks to James Cameron's "Avatar", they've been resurrected.

A gorgeous movie with fantastic visuals and special effects, "Avatar" is something you probably won't see anywhere else.

As with most multi-million dollar films, many people thought Cameron's latest work would do terribly at the box office, while others questioned the mere cost of the film. There were reports from blogs about it costing around $300-$500 million dollars, due to the cost of tech alone.

However, once the film was released it became the second highest grossing movie of all time, even beating James Cameron's previous mega-hit, "Titanic".

At this years CES at Las Vegas, 3-D television was the talk of show. Companies like Sony and DirecTV both announced they are working on 3-D television channels.

What's great is that companies are now coming up with ways on how to entertain us in our own living room. I can only hope directors are doing the right thing by not over doing it like they did decades ago.

In my mind, I see 3-D technology paving the way for endless amounts of possibilities and new ideas. Who knows what the future holds for entertainment? What's great is that companies are now coming up with ways on how to entertain us in our own living room. I hope 3-D progresses for years to come for others to enjoy.

Con - Jessica Blanke

With the 3-D movie industry booming, movies like Avatar are raking in millions of dollars hand over fist. Since it's December 18th release, it has pulled in over one-billion dollars.

I just don't get the hype! How can Hollywood justify taking so much money from consumers that leave out millions of Americans who have vision problems?

The nostalgia is completely over for me. Sure, it was fun at first but I quickly began to realize that the fifteen dollars or more I just spent was a complete and total waste.

The 3-D "experience" is lost on those of us who wear glasses. The glasses the movie theaters hand out are simply not effective. 3-D glasses cannot be worn over my regular glasses and without my prescription glasses, I couldn't see. Ultimately, my only option was to not see the movie.

This also brings up the topic of "What movie should we go see tonight?" when out with friends. Those without vision problems want to watch the 3-D version of movies because they are presumably "better", while those who cannot appreciate them do not want to waste their hard earned money.

If theaters and movie producers would come up with a pair of corrective lens-friendly 3-D glasses, I may consider watching their "cutting edge" movies.

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