The thrill of a third dimension: a dinosaur charging at the screen and the shrapnel of a great explosion racing toward the eyes of an enraptured audience. No other form of entertainment has proven to have quite the same electrifying effect, and yet some refuse to go along with this new medium of entertainment, claiming its negative effects outweigh any of its positive aspects.

     Many of these negative effects are complaints of the 3D glasses themselves. They have been said to cause headaches, dizziness and reduce the viewer’s ability to see the picture clearly. There is a common consensus that the cost of having to wear distracting glasses is not worth the three dimensional experience. Some even feel that they are sacrificing not only comfort, but also the visual quality of the film. Rather than adding to the movie experience, the third dimension is tacked on, taking away from the film content and overall quality.

     “3D messes with me and distracts me from the movie,” Devon Fisher, freshman, said. “I always end up taking my glasses off, forcing me to watch the movie in a blur.”

     Even if the viewer thinks the 3D glasses are a perfect fit for their eyes, the additional three to four dollar price tag might be enough to turn a viewer toward the 2D alternative. Many don’t see what these four dollars worth of glasses are adding to the movie at all.

     “I don’t really find it any more entertaining for the images to be three inches in front of my face than thirty feet,” Evan Phillips, senior, said.

     According to Crunch Gear, a leading tech news source, a majority of viewers would actually prefer watching their favorite films in 2D over watching them in 3D. As a general population, America is just fine without this additional dimension. So why does it seem like this often unappreciated industry is invading an otherwise perfectly comfortable world of entertainment? It appears that while most could do without it, the third dimension has created quite a following.

     Many people say they feel that they are a part of the action when watching a movie in 3D. They feel more like a participant of the film than a viewer of it. The Wrap, a website analysis of modern entertainment, found that a solid 80 percent of the people who saw Avatar chose to watch it in 3D. The interactive aspect of being on an alien planet or in the midst of an epic battle seems to be a real draw for the average moviegoer.

     “[A 3-dimensional movie] puts it in a way that makes you feel like you’re really there,” Joey Fiala, sophomore, said.

     However, this crowd of viewers appears to be diminishing rapidly. According to BTIG, a large capital market firm, since Avatar the three-dimensional film industry is constantly decreasing dramatically in gross profit. Despite a seemingly increasing lack of support, the three dimensional medium of entertainment is only continuing to grow. Continued experimentation in 3D technology, though slightly unnecessary or annoying to some, can ultimately help the advance of the film industry in general. Who knows, with enough development the third dimension could become the well-loved norm of the movie watching experience. For better or  for worse, 3D is here to stay.