Yes, you've been hearing an overwhelming fountain of praise poured upon Wonder Woman. It looks like DC and Warner Bros have a true and honest hit on their hands, with a film that has a heart as pure as gold. But, intentions aside, there's a pretty big question that the film has to answer: is it worthy of the glasses of the third dimension? Using our own superpower of 3D evaluation, we've got an answer.
If you're looking for our proper review of the film, you're going to have to click here to read it. But if you're more interested in whether or not you should be spending the extra money on a 3D presentation of Wonder Woman, then you've come to the right place. Without further delay, To 3D or Not To 3D fights for your wallet, and your eyesight, as we evaluate the new DC Extend Universe blockbuster's worthiness.
3D Fit Score: 5/5
Honestly, superhero movies have always been made for 3D. With explosive visuals, and a rich pallet of elements in each frame, a story like Wonder Woman is always a shoo-in for some extra spectacle. Blockbusters regularly deliver the scope and action that make special use of the the extra dimension, and Patty Jenkins' latest is no exception. Wonder Woman is most definitely a film that fits the medium.
Planning & Effort Score: 4/5
Score another win in the column of 3D conversion, as Wonder Woman has some intense planning behind its special presentation. It's actually rare these days for a big studio blockbuster not to be presented in 3D in this day and age, so that alone really solidifies the film's high score. It's worth mentioning that Patty Jenkins didn't actually shoot the film in stereoscope, instead making use of post-conversion professionals, but in this day and age the two are hardly distinguishable. In fact, the only real problem that seems to make its way into the film's presentation of 3D is, sadly, the brightness.
Before the Window Score: 5/5
There are a lot of explosions and warfare sequences in Wonder Woman, and the film is not shy about throwing the action into the audience's face. With Themysciran training hurling projectiles in the first couple minutes of the film, there's promise of continued action before the 3D window at the very start. That promise is fulfilled as massive power surges, and splintering wood are all shot towards the audience at breakneck speed throughout the movie. Not to mention there's some pretty romantic usage of snow, and a harrowing usage of water that put a good dimension of atmosphere between the audience and their entertainment.
Beyond the Window Score: 5/5
You know what's fun to do when you're watching a 3D movie? Take a look at the picture, and compare the depth to the edges of the screen. If you've got a film with great depth of image, you can tell with this simple test, and several times throughout Wonder Woman it felt like I was peering into a living, breathing image. The depths of this film's 3D presentation are pretty impressive, with exemplary spatial reasoning between characters as they inhabit a frame. Even towards the end of the film, a touching shot of Diana standing beside her comrades has added dimension, as it feels like you're looking at people standing in front of you, and not just an image.
Brightness Score: 3/5
While the picture in Wonder Woman does get rather dark at times, it's never totally obscuring. Considering a good portion of the second act, and most of the third, takes place at night, that's saying something. There are a couple of moments where the brightness actually does make you squint, in particular one specific moment during the film's final battle. However, there are some pieces of the film that turn out visually blah with the glasses on. Not to mention, there's a scene where Danny Huston's face is completely obscured by darkness, though it's thankfully brief. Your mileage may vary with this factor though, as not all theaters properly calibrate their rigs when swapping between 2D and 3D showings, which can hinder the brightness, and affect your individual screening.
Glasses Off Score: 5/5
When a 3D movie is viewed without glasses, the blur is a direct indication of the depth and utilization of the extra dimension. The more layers of depth, the blurrier the image. I raised my 3D glasses multiple times throughout my screening of Wonder Woman, and found there is a ton of blur that manages to work its way into the movie. Given all my other feelings about the 3D, it was not a result that really shocked me.
Audience Health Score: 5/5
One of the biggest problems with inferior 3D conversion is the fact that if it's done wrong in some respects, it's a killer on your eyes. With 3D that's too dim, it will strain your eyes to the point where you may leave with a headache, or feel a tired sense of vision during a film's course of events. Wonder Woman, thankfully, does not strain the eye sight, nor does it induce motion sickness in its audience. Even with the extremely kinetic action, and liberal usage of slo-mo, your eyes won't be screaming for relief if you choose to kick in the extra scratch for a Wonder Woman ticket.
Having seen Wonder Woman in both 2D and IMAX 3D, the film is an entirely different animal if you opt for the premium option. With engaging visuals, and lush scenes that don't strain your eyesight, this is another exemplary usage of the 3D format, and one that the folks behind such efforts really cared about. While it's not perfect, IMAX 3D is still killing it with perhaps the best version of Wonder Woman you can experience this weekend. Don't hesitate to jump in for some large format action!
Click to visit our full To 3D Or Not To 3D Archive.
This poll is no longer available.
