As the way we consume media advances—books on Kindles, television shows on Hulu, and music on thinner and thinner iPods—it’s hard not to notice technological advancements in the movies as well. Faced with a huge screen in the highest of high definitions, it would seem that the industry has reached the top—the best sound and video quality possible. I can imagine the room of clueless board members sitting around a large wooden table, scratching their heads trying to think of an idea. You can almost hear someone asking desperately, “What about making everything in 3D?”

This dreaded idea has created significant amount of capital for the movie industry, and as an avid fan of films, for that I do not complain. Fans lined up to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II in 3D at midnight, complete with 3D glasses in the iconic shape of Harry’s. You can see movies like “Beauty and the Beast” in theaters, “remastered” in 3D. This trend seemed to begin with “The Lion King”, in September of 2011, and a re-release of “Titanic” in 3D will follow it in April 2012. Though viewers seem to care more about the movie and less about the 3D, this new definition of filming allows them to charge more for a ticket and the glasses. Ultimately, it’s a rip-off, but I’d rather see the industry make money off shallow consumers who want to be on top of the technology game than see it fail.

I mainly criticize the idea of movies in 3D at all. There is little to no benefit, and very few movies have been able to pull off the effect well. In fact, the only two movies I enjoyed in 3D were James Cameron’s Avatar (sit down, M. Night Shyamalan) and TRON: Legacy, two movies that depended heavily on special effects.

Many complain about headaches and even nausea while seeing a movie in 3D, and the reason is simple. The main goal of a movie in 3D is to simulate the focus of a human eye, which is incredibly detailed, but also very shallow and specific. If you look at the corner of a desk, though you may not consciously realize it, everything but that very small area is blurry. Since we are used to looking anywhere on the screen of a movie, having our focus forced to where they want it and have the rest of the screen blurry can create headaches and annoyance.

I wish 3D movies didn’t exist, and not just because I’m a purist. Okay, maybe I’m a little bit of a purist, but our world would be better off without them.