Elvira in "Encounter in the Third Dimension."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film an: Stars: Stuart Pankin Director: Ben Stassen Rated: Unrated Length: 45 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(January 12, 2001) -- Like nearly all great 3-D movies, 3-D Mania! -- Encounter in the Third Dimension isn't very good. But it's a heck of lot of fun to watch.

The truth behind such a contradictory statement is that most memorable 3-D movies have been junky B movies, spiced up with a technical trick that continues to fascinate filmgoers.

Such films -- with still-startling effects -- are proof positive that bad movies can be tons of fun.

Maybe Marshall McCluhan had 3-D movies in mind when he wrote that the medium is the message. Indeed, 3-D effects were almost always the only reason to see the 3-D flicks of the past, from Bwana Devil in 1952 to Jaws 3-D in 1983.

The Imax format has tried to reverse the trend with good 3-D nature movies of undersea worlds and the Cirque du Soleil. But, with 3-D Mania!, Imax joyously joins the campy 3-D tradition.

What else can you say about a 45-minute three-dimensional adventure in which a scientist (Stuart Pankin) tries to generate a virtual reality 3-D image of Elvira, the horror movie witch queen?

In the midst of such looniness, 3-D Mania! also provides a slight but entertaining history of 3-D cinematography.

You'll see in-depth images from Victorian stereoscopes, delightful clips from gosh-awful 1950s horror flicks, and even a few impressive 3-D sequences from famous big-time theme park virtual reality rides.

They include the giant chrome spiders from Universal's Terminator 2 ride, for example.

The history lessons (and Elvira silliness) emerge from an impressive computer-generated futuristic 3-D laboratory, with flying robots and exploding effects. You're also taken on a computer-simulation ride through the center of the earth, emerging at the Great Wall of China. (Roller coaster fans will be happy to hear the ride's ups-and-downs had me looking at my shoes.)

So, as conventional narratives go, 3-D Mania! is nigh onto ridiculous. But its amusing 3-D effects and thrilling stunts bring back fond memories of that day in 1952 when a seven-year-old boy was shocked to find a Bwana Devil lion in his lap.