With Ang Lee’s 3-D achievement “The Life of Pi” earning strong reviews, Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers has compiled a list of the 10 best (and three worst) 3-D movies. Lee’s adaptation of the Yann Martel novel ranks as the third best 3-D film, with — you guessed it! — James Cameron’s “Avatar” as the reigning champ. But a duo of 1954 titles also receive deserved recognition: “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and Hitchcock classic “Dial M for Murder.”
Meanwhile, Travers describes “Glee: The 3-D Concert Movie” as “hell on 3-D earth,” and cites “Thor” as the most salient example of poor 3-D retrofitting. Travers overlooks, however, two sublimely transformative 3-D contributions from German filmmakers Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog: “Pina” and “Cave of Forgotten Dreams.” And what about Michael Bay’s totally competitive 3-D in “Transformers: Dark Side of Moon”? It doesn’t have to be a good movie to deliver state-of-the-art 3-D.
What do you think are the best and worst 3-D films?
Travers’ Ten Best 3-D Films:
1. “Avatar” (dir. James Cameron, 2009)
2. “Hugo” (dir. Martin Scorsese, 2011)
3. “The Life of Pi” (dir. Ang Lee, 2012)
4. “The Adventures of Tin-Tin” (dir. Steven Spielberg, 2011)
5. “Toy Story 3” (dir. Lee Unkrich, 2010)
6. “Frankenweenie” (dir. Tim Burton, 2012)
7. “Dial M for Murder” (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
8. “Titanic 3-D” (dir. James Cameron, 2012)
9. “Ghosts of the Abyss” (dir. James Cameron, 2003)
10. “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (dir. Jack Arnold, 1954)
Three Worst 3-D Films:
1. “Wrath of the Titans” (dir. Jonathan Liebesman, 2012)
2. “Thor” (dir. Kenneth Branagh, 2011)
3. “Glee: The 3-D Concert Movie” (dir. Kevin Tancharoen, 2011)
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