My wife and I recently watched the 3D version of Coraline in the comfort of our own home. As the movie came equipped with 3D glasses, we obviously watched the 3D version (the disc comes with both versions).

It was suggested that we watch it in dark surroundings and that it would probably take about 15 minutes or so for your eyes to adjust. Well, sadly, our eyes never adjusted. Or maybe they did, but the result still wasn’t spectacular. Or good even. Wearing the 3D glasses really detracted from the story, the great visual effects (2D) and really just seemed more like a gimmick than anything else. Colours were washed out, and everything seemed to have this weird halo around it. If your glasses shifted a little you’d see everything in either red or greeny-yellow. For a good part of the movie, I was more concerned with fiddling with the glasses than paying attention. And that’s a shame, because it was (the parts I paid attention to) a great movie.

Now don’t get me wrong - I’m not totally opposed to making movies 3D in general, but the execution needs to ADD to the movie, not take away from it. After finishing the movie we queued up the 2D version and everything looked fantastic. Colours were saturated, the scenery and characters were clear. We plan on watching it again soon so we can watch the movie for what it is - a great story and great visuals - not a gimmicky 3D experience.