In all the hype surrounding the new 3D gimmick craze, one little factor hasn’t been too publicised. Not only the disturbing fact that many people find watching films in 3D uncomfortable, even causing headaches, but that some people can’t even see the 3D effect at all.
If you are one of those people, you’re in good company – because Johnny Depp, star of the new 3D “Alice in Wonderland”, directed by Tim Burton, can’t see it either. “I’ve got a weird thing where I don’t see properly out of my left eye, so I truly can’t see 3D,” the star told Entertainment Weekly. According to an ABC News article, he’s not alone, with anything from five to twelve percent of the US population also unable to see the effect. “I don’t sense that I’m looking at a 3D image,” notes Rafe Needleman, editor of tech web site CNET. “It’s far more tiresome than convincing, because mostly, I see double images, or ghosting. Either it doesn’t work and I don’t see anything, or I see two images where I know I should see one.” Needleman notes that the new 3D craze – with even 3D TV sets now in production – may leave some out in the cold, and wonders “What are they going to do for us? How are they going to deal with the social division?”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, he’s one of many not all that impressed with the gimmick. “3D adds to the spectacle,” he notes, “but I don’t think it adds to the story.”
