3D Wars

The Real D process works, and works well.

In just a couple of weeks, Meet the Robinsons will bow in both flat ol' 2D and, at upwards of 600 locations, gorgeous new 3D; Beowulf is to come in both 2 and 3 dimensions this Autumn; next year, Brendan Fraser will go on Journey 3D; James Cameron's Avatar is to be released only in 3D, using the Real D process for every screening outside of Imax; Dreamworks animation have now announced that they will be entirely Real D compliant from 2009 onwards.

The first Dreamworks film to launch exclusively in this format will be Monsters vs Aliens - pre-production art from which you can see up top. The Dreamworks trumping geniuses at Pixar are bound to begin releasing in Real D sooner rather than later, I feel - though they've expressed some doubt about how suitable the format is for the films they already have in development.

If you ask me, it's looking pretty rosy for Real D - which makes Dolby's new system announcement seem perhaps too much like too little, too late.

Dolby 3D Digital Cinema has one asset over Real D, which is that it should be a touch cheaper to install. For the Dolby process a simple white screen will suffice, whereas Real D requires a very shiny, silvered surface. Of course, without looking at the new system in action, I won't know myself for sure, but this does also indicate a likelihood of lower picture quality for the Dolby set-up.

If it comes to a fight, I'm pretty sure Real D will come out on top. They have a very long lead, and commitments stretching some years into the future.

Fraser 3D Is A New Milestone

I love the Real D process. Very much. Indeed, the 3D version of Meet the Robinsons is one of my most eagerly anticipated releases of the year.

Next year, Eric Brevig's Journey 3D is to become the first live action film to be released in the format. Sign me up. One day, when my kids find 2D films antiquated and unappealing, and I myself consider at least new 2D films to be conceited in their disregard for my second eye/the third dimension, I'll enjoy remembering the beginnings of Real D.

In the new film, Brendan Fraser is to star as a geologist who with his teenage son and teenage son's teenage friends (it's a family film, then) follows the path Jules Verne took on his journey to the centre of the world. It's another one of those metatextual ploys, such as in Brothers Grimm, in which famous fictions are treated as or blended with history - something I have a weakness for, I must admit (and indeed, I have my own killer take on this subgenre safe and snug up my sleeve).

We also know, thanks to Variety, that Eric Brevig is directing and the script is by D. V. DeVincentis, one of the many Grosse Point Blank scribes, so nothing really off-putting has been announced about this project so far. Good.

We're still waiting for the official announcement that Brendan Fraser will not be returning for the third Mummy, but Journey 3D seems to be shaping as an easily superior replacement.