The Monster House becomes alive in 3D
4
By Just another movie review
I give Monster House 4/5 stars. Is it everyone’s cup of tea, probably not. But from my point of view, it’s very original, it’s compelling, and the animation and camera direction suits its story perfectly. I personally enjoy the motion capture animation and had a lot of fun with this movie. Is it perfect, no. The pacing can feel a bit off at times and the characters aren’t always that easy to invest in. But still, with the style the film carries, the overall product left me feeling satisfied. I will say, this movie is best for tweens on up. This isn’t a LEGO Movie PG, but a PG that actually means something. On top of the terrifying premise and images, there are a few moments of awkward humor and behavior. So best leave the little ones at home. But for everyone else, I highly recommend the Monster House.
With that aside, there are probably some people out there who have seen that this film has a Blu Ray 3D version that you can buy online and are wondering if it is worth buying. For those people, not to worry. Today, we’ll be diving into Monster House’s 3D effects Cinemablend style. So strap in as we determine if Monster House is worth seeing in 3D.
Does it fit 5/5
A living house that sticks its tongue out to grab little kids? If that doesn’t sound like a story fit for 3D, I don’t know what is. Ok, maybe the jungles of Pandora offer a little more depth than what we see here. But I’m the hands of people who know how to properly utilize depth, this should be a shoe in for 3D fit.
Planning and effort 5/5
Robert Zemeckis didn’t direct Monster House this time round. In case you need a refresher, Robert is the guy who directed The Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol, the three animated motion capture films that have garnered a reputation for their incredible 3D. But Robert still executively produced it and his company Imagemovers that had also helped with the three films listed above also produces it. And just from looking at the film, you’ll know that the 3D planning for Monster House was too notch.
Before the window 5/5
Just like the other films from Imagemovers (as mentioned above), Monster House knows how to make things protrude the screen. Right from the start, we follow a leaf as it falls to the ground and soon gets picked up and thrown around by a girl on her tricycle. And the pop outs don’t stop from there. We get pieces of wood from the house, it’s rug tongue, characters heads and bodies, and many more surrounding objects throughout the film.
Beyond the window 4/5
If the previous category measures how much objects come out of the screen, this category measures how impressive the depth or use of it is inside the screen. And the 3D utilization here is just about as impressive as the utilization in the last category. The film takes us through surreal camera shots and angles that make the world more immersive and mesmerizing, just like The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol managed to do. With the outside neighborhood to the inside of the Monster House, this movie is fully taking advantage of its premise. However, the image isn’t always that deep. And I’ll get to that more in the glasses off test part. But still, it’s difficult not to be impressed with the depth provided in Monster House. But I’m still docking a point because the image could’ve been a bit deeper.
Brightness 5/5
Monster House does have some scenes that take place at night or inside dark buildings. But surprisingly, the image brightness remains present and never lets darkness become an issue.
Glasses off test 3/5
Rule of thumb: the amount of double image you see with the glasses off should determine how much 3D depth you get with the glasses on. Now there are some exceptions to this rule. But Monster House doesn’t always have as much depth as I felt it should. Don’t get me wrong, there still is a good amount of blur, and the image never fully goes into 2D like I’ve seen on other movies. But still, if you can watch good portions of the movie without the glasses, you know there could’ve been more depth applied.
Audience health 5/5
The only really health problem you’ll probably experience related to Monster House 3D is the eye strain you’ll get when you step outside after the film. But still, that’s not really the 3Ds fault. And during the movie, I experienced no health issues.
Conclusion 32/35
Monster House could’ve stood to have been a slightly deeper movie. But don’t let that give you the wrong impression. Monster House was made for 3D. In the same vein of The Polar Express, the direction and camera shots take full advantage of its extra dimension in ways that just won’t work in 2D. Monster House is a good enough film. But if you’re going to get it at all, go for the 3D version. This is certainly an example of 3D done right. And once again, don’t let the little kids watch it. Being an extra dimension closer to the Monster House will completely erase the concept of sleep from their minds.
