By Sean Harris ’11
THE ROUNDUP

3D is hardly a new trend in Hollywood, but to say that it hit a new boom after “Avatar” would be putting it lightly; it exploded with the force of a nuclear weapon.

It’s been more than a year since “Avatar” came to theaters and was subsequently declared as the highest grossing film of all-time, and studios are shamelessly trying to pump this new moneymaking gimmick for everything its worth.

Films like “Clash of the Titans” and “The Last Airbender” have audiences taking on a “fool me once, shame on you” attitude since wasting money on post-production 3D effects is essentially the same as burning the extra money for the ticket.

It’s time to get something out of the way; embrace it or not, but from this point on, 3D will be in the forefront of cinemas.

Yes, once the fever dies down, audiences should not expect to see where it is now, where every other movie has 3D effects. However, should one expect to see a movie with them every once in a while?

Now that’s much more likely.

The fact of the matter is that the Hollywood giant is likely not going to forget the success of “Avatar” anytime soon especially with the forthcoming success of “Avatar 2,” so Pandora’s Box has already been opened (no pun intended).

To think that it will reverse back to its form two years ago is the most probable; a time when 3D movies did come out, but they were much less frequent.

There are massive amounts of potential in 3D movies. Going back to the “Avatar” review, 3D can turn an OK movie into an experience; a roller-coaster that immerses and dazzles audiences with the technology.

Does this mean that “Yogi Bear” needs to be in 3D? No. Why is it in 3D? Because Hollywood executives know that audiences are expecting this roller-coaster ride, and they can take advantage of that.

As long as audiences don’t research, or learn from the past, studios will keep duping them with the wrong 3D because it makes them more money.

3D will not die out and it’s not one gigantic leap for technology. Even at its best, it might as well just be a moneymaking gimmick.

But is it a moneymaking gimmick audiences want to spend money on? That is entirely up to the audience.