You want a review? OK. How about holy cow, it's both Toy Story movies on one ticket, in digital 3-D! This is so awesome! Oh my god, how can you not want to see this?!
Please forgive my lack of objectivity here, but the fact is, I'm not objective at all on this subject. I love these movies.
I'm also a fan of digital 3-D. If you haven't seen a 3-D movie in a while, I can assure you that the process has improved drastically in recent years. Those ugly cardboard red-and-blue glasses that make everything blurry and give you a headache? Gone. Now you wear Ray-Ban-style glasses with polarized lenses, and the 3-D effects actually work. I didn't once notice any double vision or “ghosting,” and the illusion of depth was incredible. At the moment, this process is only available in theatres; the DVD versions of recent 3-D films use the crappy old red-and-blue glasses, which just aren't the same thing. You really owe it to yourself to watch a digital 3-D movie in a theatre and if you're waiting for a better opportunity than a Toy Story double feature, you're insane.
Considering that both Toy Story films were originally released “flat,” it’s amazing how well they work in 3-D. Plenty of sequences look as if they were originally conceived with 3-D in mind. Both films feature thrilling car-dodging sequences on busy streets, seen from a point of view mere inches above the road surface. Picture that, but now it's you in the middle of the street. Then there's the inside of the vending machine full of aliens, Buzz Lightyear's attempted “flight,” the assault on Evil Emperor Zurg's stronghold, the elevator shaft sequence and the vast network of conveyor belts inside the airport's luggage area. All amazing.
Tickets for digital 3-D movies cost about $3 more than general admission, but here the cost is amply justified by the fact that you get two films for the price of one. You're probably not going to see very many more double features in the coming years. Grindhouse (2007) taught us that people will buy tickets to a double feature, and love it, but only during the first two weeks of release. Thus, the Toy Story double feature is only going to be around for a limited two-week run. Check it out now, while you still can. There's a 10-minute intermission between the two shows, allowing viewers to get up, stretch, use the bathroom and buy popcorn. Those who choose to remain seated will be treated to several new comedy vignettes featuring the Toy Story characters, as well as some narrated trivia questions, while a little timer in the corner of the screen counts down the minutes until Toy Story 2. The break is a welcome one, as the combined running time adds up to three hours. Still, the kids at the screening I attended seemed cheerful and entertained at the end of it. Nobody looked exhausted.
Why bother buying tickets and standing in line for two movies you could watch at home on DVD? Because this is better. Much better. You need to see Woody and Buzz Lightyear on the big screen, in 3D, with a big audience, because you are a genuine movie lover. How do I know that you're a movie lover? Simple. Because you just read a review of two films that you've already seen.
Post the first comment: (Login or Register)