It might get a little more technical than others, and delves into more than just the movie itself. It's rather long, at two full pages, but I beg you to find the time to read the entire thing.
Yes, I know that SimbaGamer already created one, and there is at least one more topic about this, but my review is rather long and has some spoilers. So what I am doing is both uploading the actual file I created when writing the review, and also placing it here in a spoiler tag.
I recommend downloading the file, because it is formatted differently than what BBCode has to offer (Bullet points and such)
Spoiler: show
A long, slightly technical review of "The Lion King 3D" by DGFone.
So today I finally saw “The Lion King 3D” at my local theater. Having already seen this movie a few times in previous years, I came to see the movie to watch it on the big screen, but mostly to see how the 3D was transferred.
Before I fully go into the review, there are a few pointers I want to make:
In my opinion, the best way to watch a movie is at your own home. Here are the reasons why:
You know the people who are watching the movie with you, and therefore it is easier to loosen up and get more tied in with the movie.
These same people try not to talk. In a theater, it is very hard to see a movie where nobody talks, but at home, it is quite easy. Distractions from the real world take away from the movie experience.
If you want to talk, you will be frowned up in theaters. At home, talk all you want.
Sound systems in theaters, while good, can be easily beaten by home systems. A theater is a large room, and the sound is made to be directed at the center. At home, you can adjust speakers to a small area where you sit along with adding things that theaters might lack, such as good sub-woofers (low frequency audio).
At home, you can watch the movie as many times as you want while paying only once.
It's at home, with all the luxury and privacy that it offers. Once again, you can allow yourself to relax much more when you are not surrounded by strangers.
While 3D TVs are still expensive and rather unreliable, the technology is changing fast and in a few years, the big screen will no longer be the only 3D screen most people will use.
Despite their use now, the industry wants to move away from polarized glasses. If anything, they simply make everything just a tiny bit darker.
Anyways, on with the actual review:
I am glad that I was able to enjoy the movie. My greatest fear going in, is that, despite other's statements (which vary a lot), that the 3D would make the movie worse. The most popular statement is that the movie was converted well, and the 3D is well worth it.
For the most part, I agree. Where the 3D shines, it is very impressive. One astounding section is Mufasa's ghost scene, where it looks like Mufasa is in a tunnel made of clouds. Other good 3D scenes include the general backdrop: caves and other “depthy” areas actually look like they have depth to them. In the “betrothal” scene, the grass behind Simba and Nala looks like it's moving away from the viewer as though it were real life, but with an animated style.
The 3D effect also makes characters look like they are standing in an actual plane versus a two dimensional rectangle. It is very apparent when Mufasa confronts Scar in the beginning, where it looks like Mufasa is actually a bit further away than Scar.
But for most of the movie, the 3D creates another, entirely different thing: it makes you look at the entire screen, look at everything the animators drew, and see the big picture. Sure, it means that I saw a bad section in the stampede scene where the wildebeest have to avoid a rock, and suddenly turn to do so. (A by-product of their computer path finding). But I actually consider this an excellent thing: You are watching everything. You see those plants in the background that the animators labored over. You see the entire world, and the world feels alive because if that.
But the 3D is not perfect. One scene where the 3D really failed was in “Be Prepared”. When a hyena is playing 'piano' with some bones on a large elephant skeleton, the 3D makes it worse. In the 3D version, the hyena hits the skeleton, thus creating the noise featured in the song. On the other hand, the 3D version fails there. Instead of hitting the skeleton, the hyena is projected as being farther away, and is at best playing 'air piano' with two bones. That's right, the hyena misses the skeleton in the 3D version.
Another scene is where Zazu is imprisoned in the small cage by Scar. In the 2D version of the movie, the cage is in fact very small, barely large enough to hold the bird. The 3D effect doesn't make like that. Zazu is projected as much closer to the audience than the cage in the background, thus making it look like Zazu is in fact inside of a much larger cage than he really is.
Other 3D errors show up sometimes in the backdrops. Like I said before, the 3D effect can make the background look real. Other times, it makes it look like 2D images in a 3D field, as is expected from a 2D into 3D conversion. But just because it is expected doesn't make it acceptable necessarily.
Again, like I said before, the 3D makes it look like characters are in a 3D world. But again, sometimes it makes a mistake. Such as in one scene, I think it was in “I Just Can't Wait To Be King”, the 3D effect made a jarring picture of two characters standing on the ground, but the angle between them made it look like one was leaning over to the side Smooth Criminal style.
So in the end, the question comes down to this: What do I think of “The Lion King 3D”?
Well, despite all my grievances with the sections where the 3D failed, I still liked the movie and consider the 3D well done. It's not perfect by any means, but it still makes a better movie than say, Avatar, which was filed in native 3D, but had a horrible story.
Would I recommend you to watch “The Lion King 3D”? Yes an no.
Yes, you should definitely watch it! But on the other hand, keep a 2D version near bye. The 3D version is good, but sometimes the extra visuals are too much or too difference, and you will want to watch The Lion King as it was meant to be: in good old fashioned 2D.
And no, as in, if you can, don't watch in a theater. As I describe before the actual review, for me, the ultimate viewing experience is in your own home. So unless you don't have a 3D TV, (which most of you don't. Even I don't have one) go watch it in theaters once, and then wait until the technology matured enough for consumer 3D to become affordable.
Get the 3D and 2D Blue Ray versions and keep those. Get the 3D TV when you can (even if it's in a few years), and get a good audio system: surround sound, at least four speakers, and most importantly, sub-woofers. Then you will have, as I see it, the best The Lion King has to offer.
Thank you for reading this review.
So today I finally saw “The Lion King 3D” at my local theater. Having already seen this movie a few times in previous years, I came to see the movie to watch it on the big screen, but mostly to see how the 3D was transferred.
Before I fully go into the review, there are a few pointers I want to make:
In my opinion, the best way to watch a movie is at your own home. Here are the reasons why:
You know the people who are watching the movie with you, and therefore it is easier to loosen up and get more tied in with the movie.
These same people try not to talk. In a theater, it is very hard to see a movie where nobody talks, but at home, it is quite easy. Distractions from the real world take away from the movie experience.
If you want to talk, you will be frowned up in theaters. At home, talk all you want.
Sound systems in theaters, while good, can be easily beaten by home systems. A theater is a large room, and the sound is made to be directed at the center. At home, you can adjust speakers to a small area where you sit along with adding things that theaters might lack, such as good sub-woofers (low frequency audio).
At home, you can watch the movie as many times as you want while paying only once.
It's at home, with all the luxury and privacy that it offers. Once again, you can allow yourself to relax much more when you are not surrounded by strangers.
While 3D TVs are still expensive and rather unreliable, the technology is changing fast and in a few years, the big screen will no longer be the only 3D screen most people will use.
Despite their use now, the industry wants to move away from polarized glasses. If anything, they simply make everything just a tiny bit darker.
Anyways, on with the actual review:
I am glad that I was able to enjoy the movie. My greatest fear going in, is that, despite other's statements (which vary a lot), that the 3D would make the movie worse. The most popular statement is that the movie was converted well, and the 3D is well worth it.
For the most part, I agree. Where the 3D shines, it is very impressive. One astounding section is Mufasa's ghost scene, where it looks like Mufasa is in a tunnel made of clouds. Other good 3D scenes include the general backdrop: caves and other “depthy” areas actually look like they have depth to them. In the “betrothal” scene, the grass behind Simba and Nala looks like it's moving away from the viewer as though it were real life, but with an animated style.
The 3D effect also makes characters look like they are standing in an actual plane versus a two dimensional rectangle. It is very apparent when Mufasa confronts Scar in the beginning, where it looks like Mufasa is actually a bit further away than Scar.
But for most of the movie, the 3D creates another, entirely different thing: it makes you look at the entire screen, look at everything the animators drew, and see the big picture. Sure, it means that I saw a bad section in the stampede scene where the wildebeest have to avoid a rock, and suddenly turn to do so. (A by-product of their computer path finding). But I actually consider this an excellent thing: You are watching everything. You see those plants in the background that the animators labored over. You see the entire world, and the world feels alive because if that.
But the 3D is not perfect. One scene where the 3D really failed was in “Be Prepared”. When a hyena is playing 'piano' with some bones on a large elephant skeleton, the 3D makes it worse. In the 3D version, the hyena hits the skeleton, thus creating the noise featured in the song. On the other hand, the 3D version fails there. Instead of hitting the skeleton, the hyena is projected as being farther away, and is at best playing 'air piano' with two bones. That's right, the hyena misses the skeleton in the 3D version.
Another scene is where Zazu is imprisoned in the small cage by Scar. In the 2D version of the movie, the cage is in fact very small, barely large enough to hold the bird. The 3D effect doesn't make like that. Zazu is projected as much closer to the audience than the cage in the background, thus making it look like Zazu is in fact inside of a much larger cage than he really is.
Other 3D errors show up sometimes in the backdrops. Like I said before, the 3D effect can make the background look real. Other times, it makes it look like 2D images in a 3D field, as is expected from a 2D into 3D conversion. But just because it is expected doesn't make it acceptable necessarily.
Again, like I said before, the 3D makes it look like characters are in a 3D world. But again, sometimes it makes a mistake. Such as in one scene, I think it was in “I Just Can't Wait To Be King”, the 3D effect made a jarring picture of two characters standing on the ground, but the angle between them made it look like one was leaning over to the side Smooth Criminal style.
So in the end, the question comes down to this: What do I think of “The Lion King 3D”?
Well, despite all my grievances with the sections where the 3D failed, I still liked the movie and consider the 3D well done. It's not perfect by any means, but it still makes a better movie than say, Avatar, which was filed in native 3D, but had a horrible story.
Would I recommend you to watch “The Lion King 3D”? Yes an no.
Yes, you should definitely watch it! But on the other hand, keep a 2D version near bye. The 3D version is good, but sometimes the extra visuals are too much or too difference, and you will want to watch The Lion King as it was meant to be: in good old fashioned 2D.
And no, as in, if you can, don't watch in a theater. As I describe before the actual review, for me, the ultimate viewing experience is in your own home. So unless you don't have a 3D TV, (which most of you don't. Even I don't have one) go watch it in theaters once, and then wait until the technology matured enough for consumer 3D to become affordable.
Get the 3D and 2D Blue Ray versions and keep those. Get the 3D TV when you can (even if it's in a few years), and get a good audio system: surround sound, at least four speakers, and most importantly, sub-woofers. Then you will have, as I see it, the best The Lion King has to offer.
Thank you for reading this review.
Thank you for reading my review.
But yeah, to each their own I suppose.