If your film-industry knowledge is a bit on the stale side, here’s what’s happening: Lots and lots of movies are coming out in 3D. But it’s not just new releases; older movies are getting a 3D facelift too. One of the latest films to undergo this trendy makeover is Battle Royale , the 2000 cult classic from Japan about a group of school children forced to kill each other on a secluded island. Think Survivor with less democracy and more bloodshed.
The question is, why risk tarnishing the legacy of an already popular movie by converting it into 3D? What can the producers hope to gain besides notoriety? “Money” would be one of the first answers in line willing to take a stab at it. But what if, let’s say, the studio just wanted to enhance the visual experience for the viewer? Could a 3D Battle Royale simply be a superior work of art in comparison to the 2D original?
Unmooring our ship from the shores of safety to take a voyage on the seas of imagination, we decided to think about which other cult films from the past might be better if viewed in 3D. Since these classics have already been lauded for their developed characters, intriguing plots, or sheer quirkiness, we thought the switch to 3D could be used for more than merely a selling gimmick. We wondered if 3D technology could get behind these films to improve their existing attributes instead of just getting in the way.
1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show: In case this movie-extravaganza doesn’t have enough pop for you, a 3D update would push it into a higher realm of spectacle — if that’s even possible.
2. Edward Scissorhands: Can you imagine how much more creepy and weird this film would be with those blades an inch away from your nose?
3. Blade Runner: Set in a futuristic Los Angeles, this dank, cold, and crowded urban environment might feel even more cluttered with some 3D computer screens and Spinners.
4. Death Race 2000: Action, action, tender romance, and more action — that is both what this movie is about and 3D does best.
5. Dawn of the Dead: Horror just isn’t as horrifying if it remains in two dimensions.
6. Brazil: Already a theater of the bizarre, this Terry Gilliam flick might become even more surreal if it converted some scenes into 3D-saturated scenes.
7. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre : In this case, the 3D would have to be subtle. It would have to be used sparingly. A 3D chainsaw or meat hook alone could exacerbate the terror.
8. A Clockwork Orange: Another film where the 3D would have to be well-chosen. If used right, the addition dimension could sharpen the overall aesthetic.
9. The Road Warrior : Already brimming with post-apocalyptic landscapes and violent chase scenes, this classic needs 3D as badly as its characters need gasoline.
10. Army of Darkness: It just feels right.