9 Times 3D Cinema Was Actually Worth It

Some of us might think of 3D films as a technology stunt that requires you to wear glasses so you can watch objects flying into your face, and, of course, at an extra cost. As unfortunate as it may sound, some 3D films indeed seem like a waste of that extra money.

And yet, every once in a while, a movie comes along that doesn’t use 3D technology merely as a stunt but as a bona fide tool of narrative extension. In such movies, every visual enhancement becomes a profound storytelling event. The screen doesn’t remain a barrier and becomes a truly lived-in experience.

The following nine movies were already carrying phenomenal narratives; the use of 3D gave them the required immersive quality that these stories deserved.

9 Times Cinema Was Actually Worth It

1. Avatar (2009)

Directed by: James Cameron

Paraplegic former Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) signs up for a mission on the planet Pandora to carry forward the work started by his deceased identical twin. The mission involves entering the world of Na’vi civilization through an avatar body. After realizing the mission’s parent body aims to exploit the Na’vi people and disrupt their natural habitat, he jumps ship and becomes one of them.

Avatar launched a new age in 3D filmmaking with its attempts to use the 3-dimensional depth, not only as a novel cinematic experience, but also to amplify emotion and enrich the worldbuilding. James Cameron devised a special camera system to create an alien environment that felt realistically nuanced and immersive. He used 3D technology to create extraterrestrial elements, such as floating mountains, glowing flora, and other aerial scenes. It paid off when the audience felt they were transported to Pandora.

2. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Directed by: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is raised in a Viking society that fears dragons. His life takes an interesting turn when he comes across a young dragon named Toothless (vocal effects provided by Randy Thom). As his friendship with Toothless grows, his apprehensions and misunderstandings about the ferocious creatures begin to wane.

One of the film’s outstanding scenes shows Hiccup and Toothless flying over the clouds. This scene, and a few others, work because of their emotional connection derived from spatial depth that highlights trust, fear, and exhilaration, as well as Toothless’ imposing scale.

3. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Unlike other films listed in this article, this one is a documentary film. In the film, Herzog gives the audience a tour of France’s Chauvet Cave, which houses some of the oldest known human paintings.

There aren’t many examples of the use of hi-tech, like 3D, in documentary films. But in this film, it is used to bring out the minute details, such as the curvatures of the cave walls and the depth of hand-drawn images. Regular flat footage would have worked too, but the 3D effect gives the audience a virtually real experience of a real subject. Cave of Forgotten Dreams proves that the use of 3D is not limited to grand spectacles of feature films, but it can be meaningfully used to narrate stories rooted in reality.

4. Tron: Legacy (2010)

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

It’s been years since Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) has been trapped inside the digital world, known as the Grid. The film chronicles Sam’s, (Garrett Hedlund), Kevin’s son, efforts to enter the Grid and rescue his father.

Tron: Legacy is a quintessential neon-soaked cyberpunk movie. But it goes even further and uses 3D to accentuate contrast, geometry, and movement. Dynamic spatial layering puts kinetic energy into various story elements, such as light cycles, identity disc battles, and architectural landscapes. Instead of solely relying on the nostalgic factor of Tron (1982), the movie creates its own futuristic aesthetic and enhances the experience further through 3D.

5. Hugo (2011)

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

An orphan, Hugo (Asa Butterfield), lives inside a Paris train station. He discovers secrets about a malfunctioning automaton. His adventure also involves the film pioneer Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley).

Scorsese’s use of 3D was as much a dedication to cinema as it was for cinematic impact. He used it in such a way that gave the audience the impression that they were traveling through gears, stairwells, and memories. Hugo’s 3D use underscored the hands-on world of early filmmaking as well as the important part emotions played in it.

6. Life of Pi (2012)

Directed by: Ang Lee

A teen named Pi (Suraj Sharma) loses his entire family to a shipwreck. He somehow manages to get aboard a lifeboat, realising too late that he has a co-traveller, a full-sized Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Life of Pi is a story of survival and getting in touch with nature and your primal instincts.

The magic of 3D here is that it transforms a spectacular survival story into a surreal musing on nature, perception, and faith. The ocean sequences are important in a way that they symbolize Pi’s isolation and his relationship with the unknown. Visuals, such as the bioluminescent whales, are ethereally beautiful but also convey Pi’s (literal) existential crisis. Ang Lee’s use of 3D in Life of Pi is aimed at supporting the central theme (in this case, by inducing emotions and spirituality) instead of just the imagery.

7. Gravity (2013)

Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón

A team of astronauts on a mission on the International Space Station (ISS) gets caught up in the wave of space debris. One after another, the whole team disintegrates, leaving only Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) to drift in the vast void of space. The movie is about her miraculous struggle for survival..

The plot is already larger than life and as dramatic as it can be. Talking strictly from a cinematic point of view, there really was no alternative to immersing in Cuarón’s vision without the 3D integration. It significantly intensifies the thrill of drifting in zero gravity while making us feel vulnerable and disoriented. Long takes and spatial dynamics contribute greatly to making the audience feel the characters’ fear. The movie also combines 3D with well-executed choreography and sound design to heighten the emotional tension.

8. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Directed by: George Miller

In Mad Max: Fury Road, the protagonist, Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), escapes tyrannical Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and joins Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron). Together, they embark on a dramatic, high-powered, and dangerous journey across a desert wasteland.

The most striking use of 3D in Mad Max is to highlight depth in motion, sandstorms, and stunt choreography. You can see the effect in the film’s relentless pace and explosive vehicular mayhem. Its 3D use is also noted for improving action narrative through its enhancement of the depth and spatial awareness—all this, without losing the sensory impact or the sense of reality.

9. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Directed by: Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Bob Persichetti

A radioactive spider bites a teenager, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). As a result, Miles’ genetic code mutates, and he becomes Spider-Man. The movie stands apart from other Spider-Man movies because here the protagonist enters a number of other alternate universes and joins forces with alternate versions of himself to save reality.

Unlike most superhero movies, this one uses animation techniques, such as halftone shading, motion lines, and layered perspectives, and then blends them with 3D to create comic-book-like visuals. Every alternate universe has a different dimensional depth, which makes it unique. This variety in dimensional depths also impacts character introductions, and while transitioning from one universe to another.