Most movies released in 3D in theaters are being released for 3D in the home simultaneous with the standard Blu-ray release.
More than a handful of notable titles have been released on Blu-ray 3D (and even 3D DVD) in recent days.
Here is a breakdown in order of 3D quality, followed by the content itself:
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“Tangled” (Disney, $49.99, March 29) is as good or better on Blu-ray 3D than it was in theaters last year where it was named the best 3D movie of the year by 3DHollywood.net. Every frame offers obvious depth that enhances every scene, from the blades of grass that accentuate Rapunzel’s first tenuous touch, to the lovely floating lanterns over the boat and castle. This is a good example of a delightful movie that is truly more engaging and immersive because of the 3D.
Bonus features (not in 3D): a fun 2-minute countdown of the first 50 Disney animated feature films, culminating with “Tangled”; two interesting alternate openings.
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“Yogi Bear” (Warner, $44.95, March 22) features really impactful 3D that is even more pronounced on the Blu-ray 3D than it was in theaters. Even better, this is one of the few Blu-ray 3D titles to feature bonus features in 3D, and there are five of them, including clever and amusing making-of featurettes that are sometimes funnier than the movie itself. There is also a Looney Tunes Road Runner cartoon called “Rabid Rider” that is one of three produced for theaters so far, all of which use 3D very effectively.
As for the movie itself, it’s pretty silly but at least tolerable for parents whose young kids want to watch it.
- “The Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D” (Image, $24.98, March 1) is a terrific surfing and underwater IMAX movie from last year that is impressively dynamic on Blu-ray 3D, from the spectacular surfing footage to shots aboard jet skis and outrigger canoes and stand-up paddleboarders. There is also quite a bit of eye-popping 3D of the lush island plants and topography as part of a lesson of the Polynesian island history and culture, as well as 3D graphics demonstrating how waves are formed. There are also lots of aerial and underater shots of coral and tons of fish and sting rays, as well as humans, all looking like they are swimming in your living room in 3D.
- “Ultimate G’s: Zac’s Flying Dream” (Image, 24.98, March 29) is another IMAX feature with astounding 3D imagery, this time in and outside of single-engine airplanes flying through majestic canyons. Unfortunately, the story and acting surrounding the aerial footage is amateurish and too long, but not so much that it isn’t worth sitting through to get to the flight sequences.
- “Kenny Chesney Summer in 3D” (Image, $24.98, March 29) will impress fans and even non-fans with its 3D images of Chesney introducing himself to stadium audiences by flying over the crowds in a harness. The shots throughout the concert film really show off and maximize the 3D effect.
Bonus offerings include four additional songs.
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“Tron: Legacy” (Disney 5-disc combo pack, $79.98, April 5) offers the 3D version that may be slighter more crisp than the theatrical but sadly that still doesn’t deliver much. In fact, it is so subtle that the extra brightness of the image on the disc with the 2D image of the movie makes that a better experience.
There are a couple 3D elements worth noting, however, including the menus that are more pronounced than the movie, and even pop out in front of the cursor if you’re watching on a computer. The two 3D trailers for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Cars 2” also offer decent 3D.
Bonus Features (none in 3D): a 70-second teaser for the upcoming Disney XD channel cartoon series “Tron Uprising” looks very impressive and has voice actors that include the actor who plays Tron, Bruce Boxleitner, as well as Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee Herman. Of the many extras, another notable one is “The Next Day: Flynn Lives Revealed,” featuring mysterious news-type footage filling in some holes about what happened to Flynn and Tron.
“Tron: The Original Classic Special Edition” has been tweaked and looks better an more than ever, especially the colors which are much more vivid, though the extra clarity accentuates the grainy black-and-white faces of characters inside the game. The light cycles are far more colorful than in the new and much darker movie. Likewise, this original is much more fun in tone than the somber sequel.
- “Jackass 3D Unrated” (Paramount, $39.99, March 8) offers decent 3D considering it is the TrioScopics upgrade of the old-style of anaglyph 3D with the colored lenses. That makes it more accessible to everyone with any kind of TV. Some of the best gross-out and masochistic goofball stunts in 3D are the opening slow-motion mayhem including faces getting bashed, as well as scenes like the one in which the troupe of numbskulls tries putting all manner of objects and body fluids in the stream of a jet engine to see what happens.
The 3D is only on theatrical release, not the unrated version.
- “Mummies: Secrets of the Pharoahs” (Image, $24.98, March 29) offers strong 3D visual images in the desert dunes and ruins but the informational aspect is so dry and the re-enactments are so silly that the 3D is not enough to recommend this one.
— By Scott Hettrick