Marvin The Martian in 3D - review

[P3D Eric Drysdale <Eric_Drysdale@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey all,

Went to see the "Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension" movie at the
Warner Brothers Store here in the city. (New York) All in all, it was a
vastly entertaining 12 minutes, especially for 2 dollars. (free if you buy
something at the store... and there is stuff for 3D buffs to buy... more on
that in a moment...)  The polarized glasses (which you get to keep) feature
Daffy and Marvin, and were by American Paper Optics.  It's sponsored by
Toshiba.  

The print is brand new, of course, and looks great! The story revolves around
Daffy, who wants to be in a space movie, and then is abducted by Marvin...
but of course Daffy believes he's in a movie.  I was too dazzled by the eye
candy to pay too much attention to the plot.  This thing looks like a million
bucks.  They used CGI technology in a rather novel way.  They scanned 3D
models, but rather than leaving the characters as shaded polygons, they also
"outlined" the solid colored elements.  It really is a 3D version of the Flat
WB cartoons, not a cartoon that has come to life.  This aspect (the design)
of the film is excellent, and the backgrounds also use texure-mapping with
familiar classic WB style. 

The 3D effect is very good, but they really pushed it, with alot of stuff
coming into your lap.  Of course, many people love this, but I found it a bit
excessive, and there were plenty of times when they were just showing off. 
There were also one or two times when something was rendered a bit off and
was floating in the air, or was carved into the floor, but this is a small
complaint.  This _is_ something new in 3D.  

In the gift shop, there's a new version of the Imagetech 3D Magic Plus
lenticular camera ($20.00-the one with the flash) with Marvin on it.  This
seems a bit silly, as you have to send the camera back to get them developed,
so it's not much of a souvenir, although it may get one or two people over to
our side. Also, there's not much promotion for it, as I asked to see a sample
picture, and they didn't have any.  There's also a very good anaglyph 3D
T-shirt of the cast that comes with glasses.  Those are the only true 3D
items for sale, though in the waiting area there are several huge lenticulars
that are both motion and 3D of the WB characters.  Very well done.

This is a great 3D value at 2 bucks  (or free) a shot... well worth it if
you're in the city.

Off to Boston to play show and tell with Jon Golden... 
More Jews of the '50s on the way, too... stay tuned.

Eric in NYC


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