3D in film has been around for a very long time and yet is rarely handled well. Sue, it can add to the impact of dramatic moments, butit usually winds up being nothing but a gimmickthat detracts from the story.The late 2000s and early 2010s were an especially bad erafor the technique, producing tons of movies that looked forced, blurry, and disjointed.
With this in mind, this list considers the very worst movies that utilize the effect, films where the third dimension didn’t just fail to add value but actively weakened the viewing experience. Whether due to poorly executed effects, flimsy stories, or characters that fell flat, these films stand out as examples of how not to use the technology. Most of them have problems that go way deeper than just the 3D, of course, but the visual trickery still generally left viewers squinting at the screen in frustration.
10’R.I.P.D' (2013)
Directed by Robert Schwentke
“Welcome to the Rest In Peace Department—don’t get too comfortable.“Jeff BridgesandRyan Reynoldslead this one as police officers who team up in the afterlife to catch dead souls who refuse to pass on.R.IP.D.aims to be a supernatural buddy-cop comedy, an undeadMen In Black, butit suffers from a flimsy storylineand weak jokes.
The visuals are fine, with effective (if a little gimmicky) 3D, but,overall, the movie is a misfire.Despite the decent source material provided by the comics,R.I.P.D.serves up a steady stream of tropes and stereotypical characters, with stars who are far from their most charismatic. It also skimps on the world-building and instead goes with the most generic of plots involving a master plan to resurrect all the evil dead. This recipe did not resonate with audiences.R.I.P.D.was a colossal box office bomb,bringing injust $78.3m against a budget of at least $130m.
9’Green Lantern' (2011)
Directed by Martin Campbell
“In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight.” In another spectacular case of wasted potential,Green Lanternfollows Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), an arrogant pilot chosen to wield a powerful ring and join the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps. It was meant to launch a flagship C franchise but ended up as one of the company’s most notorious failures. Despite the promise of high-octane visuals and a star like Reynolds,Green Lanternfalters due to a convoluted plot and a lack of engaging character development.
The effects are generally good, though the 3D feels pretty unnecessary. They can’t compensate for such a thinly written screenplay, however. Reynolds does his best with the material, but the script’s uneven tone leaves him oscillating between cocky hero and reluctant savior without a clear direction. “The film did not work, really,” directorMartin Campbell(The Legend of Zorro,Casino Royale) hasadmitted. “Superhero movies are not my cup of tea.”
Green Lantern
Reckless test pilot Hal Jordan is granted an alien ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers that inducts him into an intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps.
8’Conan the Barbarian' (2011)
Directed by Marcus Nispel
“I live, I love, I slay… and I am content.” In thisConan the Barbarianreboot,Jason Momoatakes on the role of the iconic warrior who seeks vengeance against the warlord who destroyed his village. The flick aspires to deliver blood-pumping action and brutal battles but falls flat with one-dimensional characters, a thin story, and poorly executed 3D effects. Indeed,the 3D often makes the sword fights and intense sequences feel more gimmicky than immersive.
Furthermore, the incessant battles unfold with few breaks for dialogue, character growth, or meaningful plot progression. The script is a far cry fromRobert E. Howard’s goofily fun novels, and the cast fails to rise above their clichéd roles. Momoa has the right physique for the role, but he’s nowhere near as compelling in the part as Arnold Schwarzenegger was. Unsurprisingly, the movie was panned by most critics and made a loss at the box office.
Conan the Barbarian
7’G-Force' (2009)
Directed by Hoyt Yeatman
“We’re G-Force, the government’s newest secret weapon.“G-Forcefollows a team of highly trained guinea pigs who work for the U.S. government as a covert spy unit tasked with preventing a major tech threat. The guinea pig characters are cute to look at, but they lack personality. Even the stacked voice cast, includingSam Rockwell,Tracy Morgan,Nicolas Cage, andZach Galifianakis, can’t make them charming.
The humor is likewise nonexistentand the pacing is uneven. Despite the quirkiness of its premise,G-Forcesuffers from a lack of cohesive storytelling, with a plot that feels more like an excuse to show off the CGI furballs. In addition, rather than adding depth, the 3D overlay makes the world feel even more artificial. Consequently, this is the kind of animated flick that will only please the very youngest of viewers. Despite its many flaws,G-Forcestill performed well commercially,grossingan impressive $292m.
6’Gulliver’s Travels' (2010)
Directed by Rob Letterman
“Size doesn’t matter when you’re a giant among men.“Jack Backstars in this one as Lemuel Gulliver, a travel writer who ends up stranded in a land of tiny people, or Lilliputians. Unfortunately, Black’s energetic performance can’t save this Jonathan Swift adaptation from its shallow humor and predictable plot. In particular, scenes meant to highlight the size differences become more about the spectacle than the story,making the film feel more like a two-bit theme park attraction.
Andthis effect isn’t even done that well.Poorly converted to 3-D, many scenes look pretty shoddy, with paper-thin figures awkwardly integrated into the environment around the giant Black. Visuals aside, the juvenile humor and deviations from the source material quickly drain it of fun. As a result, it feels like a slog, despite clocking in at just 85 minutes.Emily Blunt, who appears in a supporting role, has since acknowledgedGulliver’s Travelsbadness,saying, “We do not talk about that film.”
Gulliver’s Travels
5’Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over' (2003)
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
“The game isn’t over until it’s Game Over.“Spy Kids 3-D: Game Overtakes the franchise into a virtual world, where Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) must rescue his sister Carmen (Alexa Vega) from an evil video game designer (Sylvester Stallone). DirectorRobert Rodriguezuses 3D to create a gaming experience within the movie, butthe effects are fairly flimsy, and the plot is a mess.It’s a pity since the first movie was actually a ton of fun.
Most critics were not pleased by the movie, with many taking issue with the 3D. Some went so far as to say it was actively painful to look at. The visuals are murky and overly purple, to the point that the movie would’ve looked better without it. That said, the 3D seems intended as a distraction from the lack of a real story. It provided the movie with an audience draw which it was otherwise lacking.
Spy Kids 3D: Game Over
4’The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D' (2005)
“Dream a better dream, and work to make it real.” Robert Rodriguez strikes again withThe Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, an ever worse flirtation with the technique. Plot-wise, it’s about a boy named Max (Cayden Boyd) who discovers that his imaginary friends, Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) and Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley), are real and need his help in the Dream World.
The 3D is meant to bring the vibrant Dream World to life, but instead,the visuals often feel disjointed and overly animated.Consequently, the dreamscapes look more nightmarish than magical, and scenes meant to inspire awe come off as confusing. The finished product is a chaotic whirlwind of CGI fantasy sequences. Many 2000s kids will have fond memories of this flick, but that’s due to their young age at the time rather than its quality. It’s frankly a jumbled mess, lacking the charm of Rodriguez’s earlier kids' movies.
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
3’The Last Airbender' (2010)
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
“There is only one who can bend all four elements… and he’s here.” Widely regarded as one of the worst live-action adaptations of all time,M. Night Shyamalan’sThe Last Airbenderis riddled with problems on seemingly every level. Though the original series was rich with character growth and humor, the film strips much of this away, leaving Aang’s journey feeling hollow.
Shyamalan’s serious tone also clashes with the story’s natural warmth, making the characters seem stiff and the dialogue forced. Then there are the subpar visuals. Many scenes are overly dark and blurry, in marked contrast to the beauty of the animated show. The bending, in particular, looks decidedly lame here. Similarly, the 3D (added in post-production) feels tacked on and pointless, not adding anything of value. If anything, the effect contributes to the disorientation, making scenes look cluttered instead of magical. Most fans were bitterly disappointed with this movie and for good reason.
The Last Airbender
Follows the adventures of Aang, a young successor to a long line of Avatars, who must master all four elements and stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.
2’Piranha 3DD' (2012)
Directed by John Gulager
“They’re back… and this time, they’re double trouble.“Piranha 3DDtakes place at a water park where genetically modified piranhas escape to cause chaos. ThePiranhafranchise was never good, but this movie represents its nadir. Instead of building suspense, the film relies on shock value. Characters are thinly written, with most serving purely as fodder for the fish, and the story is basically just a series of loosely connected scenes.
Despite being an intentional self-parody,Piranha 3DDisn’t funny. While it attempts to outdo the original with more gore and camp, the result is an over-the-top diasterpiece. It’s like an R-ratedSharknado. While some may enjoy it as a guilty pleasure,Piranha 3DDis a case where 3D amplifies the flaws. It’s a gimmick on top of a gimmick, as pointless and unentertaining as the endless parade of celebrity cameos. The ‘killer fish’ subgenre is not known for its quality, but this movie sinks to new depths.
Piranha 3DD
1’Jaws 3-D' (1983)
Directed by Joe Alves
“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…” When it comes to the very worst 3D movies ever made, it’s hard to top this abysmal misstep in theJawsfranchise. This time around, the action unfolds at SeaWorld, which has been infiltrated via the sewers by a great white shark. The premise is wacky, to be sure, but it could have been fine if the execution was competent.
This isn’t the case.The characters lack depth and the movie relies on basic horror cliches without offering any new scares.Once again, the 3D is little more than a marketing gimmick, intended to providesomethingfresh. It’s not very effective, however, with some scenes (like one where the shark breaks the aquarium glass) looking super fake. Plus, the frequent use of objects hurtling toward the audience quickly becomes tiresome. All told,Jaws 3-Darrived dead in the water and has only gotten worse with time.
