Top notch 3D for a fun family film
5
By Just another movie review
Note: This isn’t a review for the movie Despicable Me (cause you’ve probably already seen it). It’s going to be for the 3D effects on the Blu Ray 3D version of this film.
If you haven’t yet seen Despicable Me, chances are you’ve been trapped in a lab for the last 11 years. With that said, is it worth seeing in 3D, that’s what we’re here to answer today Cinemablend style. So sit back as we give you our opinion on whether or not the 3D in Despicable Me is worth the price of the 3D Blu Ray.
Does it fit 5/5
Animated films are virtually always a great fit for 3D because they aren’t really bound by anything camerawise and the 3D helps to bring out the vibrant and surreal animated world of the movie. And Despicable Me is definitely a notch or two above the rest of the animated films because they KNOW what they’re doing with the 3D technology. (Which we’ll get to more in a minute)
Planning and effort 4/5
When you put the 3D Blu Ray into the player, the first thing that pops up is an option to play the 3D or 2D movie. The reason I bring this up is that underneath the 2D option, the notice says that 2D version is the way that the filmmakers intended it to be seen. But if that’s the case, it doesn’t explain why quite a few of the films scenes seem like they were MADE for the 3D. If I didn’t see that notice, I might have given this an extra point because the 3D in this movie can at times be the best I’ve seen on a 3D Blu Ray. Even with that though, there are some dialogue or modest scenes such as inside Grus house that don’t really benefit that much from the added depth. Maybe that and the notice are reason enough for a slightly hampered score. But still, I feel like it’s disrespectful to give this category anything under a 4/5.
Before the Window 5/5
Throughout this movie, there almost isn’t a scene that DOESN’T have something popping out of the screen. It doesn’t have quite as much gimmicky fun as Despicable Me 2. But at the least, even during dialogue scenes, people and random objects are almost always bringing themselves into your world as much as 3D enthusiasts are interested in theirs. And in the closeups ups of Grus face, the space of his nose is a pretty amusing utilization of the 3D tech. At the height of its fun, things a re popping out all over. You get a rocket ship, middles, an occasional minion, ray guns, Vector, and much more. And the after credits scene where the minions are trying to reach out at you proves just how much the filmmakers went to make the 3D a necessary component of its fun factor.
Beyond the window 4/5
While the utilization of this 3D aspect wasn’t always consistent with impressing me, at the times it did lend to the tech, it really did. The dialogue and modest scenes I mentioned earlier, while provided decent depth and dimension, never really wowed me. But when you get to the outside of Vectors fortress, wide shots of the neighborhood, and into Grus lab, the depth here REALLY kicks up. And especially around the late 2nd to 3rd act starting when Gru goes to space is when the 3D gives some of the most impressive moments I’ve virtually ever seen on a 3D Blu Ray ever. It was simply that good. The shots outside that looked up at clouds in the sky provided eye popping depth between the ground and the sky. And the sky chase scenes also benefitted from the added dimension. The roller coaster sequence also was much better in 3D. It’s really just not the same in 2D. Not every moment lends itself to 3D, but the ones that do are worth the price.
Glasses off test 5/5
Rule of thumb: if you take your glasses off at any point in a 3D movie, the blurrier the image is, the more 3D you’re getting. I took my glasses off periodically and this movie was a straight up blurfest. There was virtually nothing that you could watch without the glasses. While it definitely works at the height of its fun, even during the more modest scenes, people aren’t just right on the screen. They’re either in front of it a good amount or behind it. I think it goes without saying, but if depth into the screen is determined by how blurry the objects are, it’s the same for objects out of it. Spoiler warning: everything in or out of the screen is blurry.
Audience health 4/5
While good separation with foreground objects means the 3D is top notch, I’ve noticed that if there’s too much of it, you’re eyes might strain in order to keep up with the image. I’ve had this same experience with Cloudy With a Chance Of Meatballs and Ghosts Of the Abyss in 3D. While with both of those films, and this one, my overall health experience wasn’t bad, I did have a mild headache at the end. But it was nothing too bad.
Brightness 5/5
If the dimness of the 3D glasses doesn’t even come to mind when watching a 3D movie, you know you’re watching something with great given care and planning.
Conclusion 32/35
Despicable Me may not be the greatest 3D experience I’ve ever had, but I’ll say it again: this film had some of the best 3D moments I’ve ever seen on a Blu Ray 3D movie ever. You can tell a little effort goes a long way. Sure, it’s not ALWAYS consistent with the good 3D. But by the time the film ended, I was wondering what in the world that “envisioned in 2D” notice before the film was about. And if you purchase this film in 3D, you’ll be wondering the exact same. Do go out and purchase the 3D Blu Ray if you haven’t already and do have the equipment for it. You deserve it.
TVDorks
AudioDorks
BookDorks
CouponDorks
CssDorks
FontDorks
JobDorks
PhotoDorks
QRDorks
SEODorks
ThemeDorks