Superbowl Monsters Vs. Aliens Ad in 3-D: A Step Backwards?

With 2009 promising to be the year to see if 3-D movies can gain traction in Hollywood, I was intrigued by an announcement that Dreamworks will be airing a 3-D trailer for Monsters vs. Aliens during the Super Bowl. Peter Sciretta in the above link expresses doubt at how well this publicity stunt will turn out, and I'm inclined to agree. While the promotion may help spread the word about the format of the film, it may also reinforce the perception of the technology as a tacky gimick, the exact opposite opinion studios want potential audiences to be forming. Sciretta has reportedly discovered that the glasses that will be given away with Pepsi will use a slightly different process than the old red-and-blue glasses, but the quality will not be much improved. In addition, the glasses will still be the cheap cardboard kind, which cannot help the image of 3-D. There will of course be people out there who will realize that the cardboard is not the same material as the glasses in theatres, but there is a good chance others will be turned off by the 3-D trailer.

And a movie that is bound to used as evidence that 3-D will never be a serious format is the upcoming release of My Bloody Valentine 3-D. The film's quality mirrors that of many of the old fifties horror flicks that doomed the technology in the past (For more Vault discussion on 3-D from earlier decades, see my previous post). But hope is on the way if Monsters vs. Aliens can pull off a decent success; if it doesn't, then Pixar's Up should have a good run at showing any potential in the process. If Pixar can't pull off 3-D, then I don't believe anyone can.