SCAR 3D
February 6th 2009 09:01
The title... obviously.
A few days ago I caught a screening of Scar 3D, the first ever digital 3D live action feature film, never released in theaters in the US. Fortunately I'm in Croatia at the moment so I could get a glimpse of a rare screening.
Well it's a bit unfortunate as well, since the no-theatre-release-in-the-US term is not an anomaly, but a just reason: the movie is bleeding from many wounds (pun IS intended). I would call it trying and failing, mainly because of low budget and amateurish photography. B or more like Z list actors, a not too original story, and sub par makeup effects hinder the movie depicting Saw or Hostel like serial murders and tortures. Plus the stereo photography has it's flaws as well, with reflecting surfaces in just one shot of the video pair resulting nasty ghosting, and some poor camera position choices. I must admit though that the filmmakers were trying, and they went for depth of 3D instead of gimmicks, which I appreciate, considering that it would have been so easy to try boosting up the film with cheap shots of things poking and thrown at the camera. There are very few of them, most shots are simply to build atmosphere, which is great. What's not so great is the overall amateur feel in all areas of the production, that results more like in an experimentary movie made by some college students.
Nooo!!! All that ketchup ruined!
Jed Weintrob's movie is about Joan, a survivor of a sick sadist, that was amused by playing torture games with people close to each other. This traumatic experience scarred Joan for life, and her nightmares seem to rise again from the grave years later as strange murders happen in her native town , but this time her nice gets in the fray.
There are plenty of gore throughout, but as the budget and the expertise were both low in the makeup department, most of it is loads of fake blood and cheap looking wounds, with just a few real nasty bits. However the tension and the brutality is portrayed quite effectively acting more on the psychological side and the cringe value. Gorehounds will be bored, but the squeamish should avoid.
The 3D projection was unique in the Broadway Kina in Split. It was presented as Dolbty Digital, but used a less common shutter glass technology instead of the colorwheel of DOLBY 3D.
This Xpand technology was unfortunately too dark and had some serious ghosting problems, that made the 3D experience very uneven. I don't have in depth experience with the technology so I don't know what part did the actual screening room, the screen or the glasses itself have in this though. What I liked about the screening room were the huge screen and IMAX like arrangement of the seats with steep rows and such. That made the experience (where it was good) more immersive.
Overall it was more like a good stereo education for a 3D fan like me, but moviewise, skip it with ease. If you want to check out a 3D horror, go for My Bloody Valentine 3D instead, which I'll cover later this month.
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