Encounter in the Third Dimension (1999) User Reviews

Only worth seeing if you really dig fantasy films

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 17 February 2019]

"Encounter in the Third Dimension" is an American/Belgian co-production (the Belgian for the director) from 1999, so this one has its 20th anniversary this year and it runs for 36 minutes. I initially thoughts this was some add-on or theme park attraction movie, but nope, it is a stand-alone film appaently that even got a sequel. Co-writer and co-director is Ben Stassen and he is mostly known for his animated movies, some of hich I enjoy a lot, but also this is not his only shot at making a fantasy-themed short film. The outcome is not too great though. There is a bit of everything, sets, comedy, effects etc. but not enoughn of anything. I know fantasy is not my number one genre, but it probably should have been to enjoy this movie. So i hoped at least the comedy would be better, but it is fairly mediocre too, like the only thing I slightly reminded was the characters explaining to the audience what is the difference between 3D and 2D and one character answers 1D or something like that (no adult pun intended!), but yeah it wsn't as funny as I hoped it would be. The focus here is really on 3D, not just in terms of what you see, but also in terms of what the character talk about on many occasions. And completely away from that, the film all of a sudden references several old film classics. It just did not fit together and felt rather clumsy to be honest. Maybe they wanted this short film to be way too much for its own good. I must say ambition here does not match the execution and I suggestg you skip the watch unless the likes of Back to the Future are your all time favorite films. I give it a thumbs-down though.

a must-see!

[schildbach · 4 November 1998]

I've seen many 3d movies - some of them on IMAX screens - but "Encounter in the Third Dimension" is the absolute best (as of 1998) in CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) and 3D. A must-see!

OLD SCHOOL

[nogodnomasters · 1/10 · 26 April 2019]

This feature is 36 minutes long with about 20 minutes of extras. Elvira is on screen for only a few minutes, part of which is to lip sync a song. Stuart Pankin plays a professor of 3D technology and gives us a brief and bumbling history of 3D then shows some cuts from old films. Unless you own an IMAX theater in your home, the effect is lost and so is the film. Like so many early IMAX films, it was created to promote IMAX and not tell a story.

The film is kid friendly who may be the only ones who can enjoy it. It has Elvira on the cover so mammalian fetish idiots like me would buy it.

don't watch it!

[Elias-6 · 3/10 · 14 June 2000]

Encounter the in Third Dimension was really unsatisfying and boring. The film itself is almost completely rendered using CGI. This shouldn't be the problem, but the style reminded my somehow of a computer game. The plot is bad and the effects are boring as the surreal environment always keeps a distance between screen and the audience

An enjoyable documentary about the history of 3D art

[marky-28 · 7/10 · 25 March 2000]

This was the first 3D IMAX film I have seen, and I must say I was quite impressed. Not only were the 3D effects spectacular, but the film was quite enjoyable as well.

The roller coaster rides and underwater scenes were quite fun (it really feels like you are there!). The film itself was documentary style, but written in such a way that all ages will find it enjoyable. If it's still playing near you, it's worth seeing.

A fantastic encounter!

[Boggman · 9/10 · 13 July 2005]

"Encounter in the third dimension" contains a pretty neat concept......

Let's film a 3-D documentary IN 3D about the history of 3D and 3D movies, throw in some clips of classic 3D movies and mix them with the latest and greatest in computer animated 3D virtual reality! AWESOME!

The movie has some great old footage, and is very informative while being consistently entertaining. A nice job all the way through- even though Elvira is grossly underused!! I can not wait to see what else NWAVE pictures has up their sleeve. They are definitely on the cutting edge of 3D home entertainment. I have yet to see anything that rivals "Encounter", "Alien Adventure" or "Haunted Castle" on the 3D market!

Very well done!

Do not watch this in 2D, however; highly recommended for 3D lovers!!!

Outstanding History and Show

[mbgeorge · 10/10 · 11 February 2004]

The 3-D in this film is phenomenal as is the history of stereoscopic imaging. Samples of turn-of-the-century stereocards, 1950's B movies, and recent attractions at Universal Studios and elsewhere give a tantalizingly brief overview of the art, the technical hurdles and how they have been overcome. The finale with Elvira is superb. A roller coaster ride through the center of the earth is also memorable. My only regret is that the film was not twice as long.

Absolutely Spectacular

[ff2fan · 13 August 1999]

Encounter in the third dimension is my first IMAX-3D film I've seen and it was great I loved Elvira's Song Haunted House and the 3-D was amazing. The story was interesting and the little robots were very cool everyone in the theatre even stayed for the credits. Go and see this movie soon!

Excellent Movie - Awsome 3D Imax experience

[MovieNut-19 · 25 November 2000]

This is an exciting and informative through the history of 3D from its early beginings to the present day (including its use in Universal Studio's T2 ride in LA). Its set in a 3D lab of some proffesor of 3D, who orders his robot pal to inform (and most importnatly entertain) the audience with 3D pieces from over the years. You see early - but incredibley effective - stereoscopic pictures, corny 50s 3D movies with horrendous giant spiders and creaky wooden actors continuoisly throwing objects at the camera (to fully milk that 3D effect). It then comes up to date with some computer animations and so-real-it's-unreal filmed footage of various beaches and street scenes. The linking pieces of the proffessor in the lab are humourous and not in the slightest bit annoying (as is the case with the linking segmnets in many other imax movies - see e.g. my review of cyberworld).

As a 3D imax experince Encounters is also the best i've ever seen (and i've seen many - i've even been to an imax theme park in France "Futureworld"). As every image in the film is designed to make the most of the format, you really get that in your face sensation and will continuously try and grab at the air to feel for 3D objects that of course are not really there. In essence the audience really feels like they are watching a live show with actors on a stage rather than merely a series projected images. Imax movies in general are a mixed bag, some are really aweful. Here though is a true gem that makes the most of the format. You should definetley check it out if its playing anywhere near you.

goofy and spectacular

[jomax · 29 March 2001]

So who cares if the plot's sketchy and repetitive, and the dialogue childish? It's the spectacle here that counts. And it really works; the superbly detailed CG chamber where the action takes place, the lighting and textures are lovely and highly detailed and the animation is excellent - especially during the phenomenal roller-coaster ride to the centre of the earth simulator sequence. On the downside, there is a lot of strobing on some fast moving scenes (lack of motion blur), and not all of the elements hold together (but these are minor complaints). Topped of with a suitably wacky number from Elvira, it's easy going fun with 3-D that benefits from the visually all-encompassing IMAX format.

DVD comments

[notmicro · 3 February 2002]

Strictly for fans of 3-D stereo home video. Requires LCD-shutter glasses connected to a home controller driven by the composite video-out signal; there are several such systems available.

I viewed this DVD in 3-D on a 35" TV with an S-video connection, using "3-D SPEX" LCD glasses I already owned, from NuVision. The picture was quite good, despite the loss of color caused by the glasses. Note that this should only be viewed in a dark room.

This was transferred from the original IMAX film, and that causes major problems. It was designed to fill the enormous IMAX screen with large amounts of CGI detail, which become overly miniaturized when transferred to video. For example, at one point there is an inset showing examples of some early 3-D movies, but the inset is so tiny that they are mostly lost. In Elvira's few scenes, she mostly appears as a small doll lost in the middle of the screen (the producers are idiots for hiring her, and then making so little use of her unique talents).

The script's attempts at humor are hideously bad, and appear to have been aimed at bored 6-8 year olds; adults will probably find themselves suffering. The failed tries at cuteness are very typical of this entire genre, unfortunately; its scary to think that the producers may actually find it amusing. Its like they were TRYING to drive IMAX into its eventual bankruptcy.

Once you get past the many problems, there is some quite interesting 3-D history, and examples of 3-D stills and movies. Unfortunately the stereo separation is flawed, and the depth is usually badly exaggerated. On the other hand, the numerous examples of CGI stereo are impressive, particularly the "Journey to the Center of the Earth", which was presumably taken from a motion-simulator ride.

3D Cinema at Alton Towers

[filuk_02 · 29 October 2003]

I saw this at Alton Towers in the 3D cinema.

There were a few good moments in the film, but mostly i thought it was quite bad. In the whole film i think there was 5 moments of proper 3D image.

The only good thing about this film was the apperance of Elvira, she was in all her 3D glory.

If your a fan of Elvira you will like the film, if your a fan of 3D films you will not like it.

For 3D images i give it 2/10 For Elvira i give it 9/10