During the 1950’s 3D cinema experienced what many perceive as its golden era, American teens would take a ride to their local picture house, order a soda and popcorn, cuddle up with their sweetheart or beau and gaze upwards in anticipation of the awesome three dimensional delights which awaited them. Initially 3D was a novelty only fit for the monster movie matinée; Invaders from Mars and creatures from the black lagoon would evoke shrieks of joy and screams of fear from the sea of teens which sat before them, all adorned in classic red and cyan cardboard glasses. Today the scenario may be similar, boyfriends and girlfriends seeking out gory shocks, parents and children searching for Technicolor wonderlands and everybody else lining up to see this summer’s next ‘must-see’ blockbuster event. Except what was once a cheap thrill on a Saturday night is now being heralded as either the saviour of cinema or demonised as a celluloid assassin sent to strip ‘cinema the art form’ of all integrity…

This feature was originally published in Big Screen and Movie Magic magazines. Continue reading here