3D re-releases... no, please!

This weekend has seen the re-release of Jurassic Park in 3D. Yep, the original one. Why? Well, they claim it is to commemorate the 20th year of this classic film which introduced dinosaurs to the human race the way no one has done before. Which might be partly true. But the bigger reason would of course be simpler. With 3D technology booming and no studio daring to release a potential blockbuster in only 2D (and so kudos to Christopher Nolan for not falling into this mayhem with The Dark Knight Rises), the studios are trying to benefit from the goodwill of their old films, convert them from 2D to 3D, and market it loudly to the audience to make quick cash. Not pennies, but millions of dollars! The way Titanic earned another $57 million last year with it's 3D release (that one was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the actual tragic event). And so would have the likes of Lion King and Finding Nemo with their recent 3D re-releases. In case of Jurassic Park, there is the added advantage that bringing the film back to a relatively new generation acts as a good marketing ploy for Jurassic Park IV slated for a 2014 release. 

The problem I have with these re-releases is that it cuts down on nourishing new movies to a certain degree. The money which has been deployed for the 3D conversion process and meeting the marketing expenses could well have been used to fund an indie movie, maybe support the ambitions of the next Guy Ritchie or a Robert Rodriguez. While going for the easy money, the studios are hampering the possibilities of nurturing more talent and growth. And they also block out a weekend for any other movie to prosper, when you are releasing again something as famous as Jurassic Park. Having said that, re-releases are still a fickle notion, one which you hear very briefly, as thankfully there is enough refreshingly new content being made each year, either 3D or non-3D. Hopefully, that is the way it would continue and this idea of re-releasing movies in 3D (or 4D later on?) remains a rarity than a norm. 

While on the topic of 3D movies, many would find it hard to recollect the ones that were released before Avatar in 2009. And not surprisingly, for the outstanding box-office numbers of Avatar ensured that 3D films became a part of life only subsequently. But the history of 3D films goes as far back as 1915 when the first presentation of a 3D film before a paying audience is set to have been reported at Astor Theatre in New York. Coming closer to our times, while there were quite a few animated films released with 3D versions in the last decade, it was  2008's Journey to the Center of the Earth which became the first full-length feature film to be shot in 3D using the Fusion Camera System which has been co-developed by James Cameron and subsequently used for Avatar as well. 3D technology driven films are going to crowd the movie space, that for sure is guaranteed, and coupled with innovative and improving technology, Peter Jackson's The Hobbit with its 48 fps screening being a casing point, these are interesting and usually exciting times for movie viewing indeed. And if my wishes were to come true, the monies would be utilized on newer movies and newer technologies, rather than bringing in reruns of the old!