Even James Cameron Is Sick Of 3D

By Joshua Tyler | Updated

Sci-Fi movies, more than any other, have in the past been the target of Hollywood’s occasional 3D crazes. There was a time when about every decent, science fiction blockbuster being released would require the use of goofy glasses.

While 3D is fun, a lot of people are started to wonder whether we really needed 3D on every film. In fact, the people asking that question include the guy who’s largely responsible for this last 3D fad: James Cameron.

Cameron’s Avatar was a big part of why Hollywood was so hot for 3D. But he’s not sure it’s a good thing. Cameron vented his frustration this way:

I shoot complicated stuff, I put real elements into action scenes and honestly, I am not sold right now on the conversion process. […] Right now, it looks like fake 3D, with layers that are very apparent. You go to the screening room, you are hoping to be thrilled, and you’re thinking, huh, this kind of sucks. People can say whatever they want about my movies, but they are technically precise, and if this isn’t going to be excellent, I don’t want to do it. And it is my choice.


As Cameron points out, the problem is that most of the movies Hollywood rushed into 3D weren’t originally designed to be in 3D. The result is a 3D experience that was, at best, cheap. For a lot of movies, maybe even movies like we’re better off in 2D.