When will fans revolt against faux 3-D?

Another film, another attempt to cash in on the current 3-D craze.

“The Last Airbender,” opening July 2, features the kind of 3-D technology that made films like “Clash of the Titans” and “Alice in Wonderland” pop off the screen.

Or, rather, gently push the two-dimensional elements a smidge in our direction.

All of the above films were shot in 2-D and then converted to an extra dimension. That’s in stark contrast with “Avatar,” which was conceived as a 3-D feature and showed how the format could enrich the movie-going  experience.

As cinematic trends go, these 3-D upgrades are particularly foul. But people keep paying extra to see these films in 3-D. The casual movie goer likely doesn’t realize the trick playing out in front of them.

But it’s a safe bet they’re starting to see they’re being hoodwinked.

WWTW isn’t a fan of 3-D technology. Two dimensions work just fine, thank you. But Hollywood is hell bent on killing the profitable trend in record time.

I remember watching “Alice in Wonderland” and noting, mid film, that nothing before my eyes seemed remarkable. So I took off my glassses and watched a few minutes of it, then put them back on.

No difference.

The most astounding 3-D visual in “The Last Airbender” is the opening credit sequence. Do people want to pay a ticket surcharge to see the name of the movie floating before their eyes?

It’s only a matter of time before audiences start ignoring the 3-D tag and save their hard-earned money. And, years from now, Hollywood experts will lament the death of 3-D and wonder what went wrong.

UPDATE: Here’s one director who seems to be re-thinking all 3-D, all the time.

(Photo: “The Last Airbender” represents the latest film upconverted to the 3-D format. Paramount Pictures)

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