Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. "Good," I thought as I read this statement from the PR department of Warner Bros. I'm gaining a reputation as a 3D hater, but that's not true. I like 3D to be fun, I think it can add to the experience of watching a movie, but I just can't look at it the way some people do in terms of it being the next evolution of cinema. I can't see it as anything but a gimmick, personally. The restrictions on the creative end, the demands of the lighting to not cause eyestrain, the almost assuredly haphazard projection at the theaters...
But when it's fun, in a fun movie, I enjoy it. What I don't enjoy are these rushed conversions, films shot standard and then thrown through the grinder when the studios realize a decent conversion takes many months, not a few weeks. Clash of the Titans and Piranha's 3-D were horrible, but in Piranha's case that only added to the goofy tone of the movie.
So, "Good," I thought when I read Warner Bros decided to stick to their date and pull their 3-D conversion for initial release because it wouldn't be ready in time. Most other studios would have just put a rush on the remaining conversion, results be damned. Maybe WB learned their lessons on Clash of the Titans.
Here's the statement from WB:
Statement from Warner Bros. regarding “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1”:
Warner Bros. Pictures has made the decision to release “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” in 2D, in both conventional and IMAX theaters, as we will not have a completed 3D version of the film within our release date window. Despite everyone’s best efforts, we were unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality. We do not want to disappoint fans who have long anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey, and to that end, we are releasing our film day-and-date on November 19, 2010, as planned. We, in alignment with our filmmakers, believe this is the best course to take in order to ensure that our audiences enjoy the consummate “Harry Potter” experience.
Producer David Heyman said, “For 10 years, we have worked alongside Alan Horn and the studio, whose priority has always been to preserve the integrity of Jo Rowling’s books as we have adapted them to the screen, and this decision reflects that commitment.”
Director David Yates added, “This decision, which we completely support, underscores the fact that Warner Bros. has always put quality first.”
As scheduled, on July 15, 2011, we will deliver to conventional and IMAX theaters our final installment of the film franchise, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” in both 2D and 3D formats.
As you read, they're still planning on releasing Part 2 in 3-D and I'd suspect we'll see a 3-D re-release of Part One timed close to the second half of the story. They've already put in what I would assume would be a considerable amount of time and money into the conversion, so it only makes sense to finish it out and make some of that money back in a re-release.
That I'm not too hard on. I love the Nightmare Before Christmas conversion and the few minutes I've seen of the conversion test of the opening of A New Hope makes me really interested to see 3D used as a vessel for re-releasing classic flicks.
What're your thoughts?
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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