For those who are oblivious to cultural products not originating from the West (guilty as charged!), 29 Februari is a film produced by our neighbours, Malaysia. The movie revolves around a man who was born 29 February 1896, and ages only every four years on his birthday. I think it is definitely worth a mention that this is Malaysia's first 3D film! If you were wondering, yes, this movie is in Malay, and no, there are no subtitles. But 3D knows no race, language, or religion. So let's see how the 3D debutant fared!
Suited for 3D? (what does this mean?)
To be completely honest, this movie had no reason to be made in 3D. It is a love story. The action sequences don't really make for great 3D. But.. and this is a BIG BUT.. the movie followed the life of protagonist, Budi, from the early 1900s, through the World War, up till the year 2012. So we were offered very nice 3D views of Malaysia through different decades. Some scenes were actual footages of olden Malaysia that were converted to 3D. Plus points for that.
Score: 3/5
Filmed for 3D? (what does this mean?)
This movie, without a doubt, was planned for 3D. According to Malaysian news source, The Sun Daily, director Edry Abdul Hamil wanted to evoke emotions from his audience using 3D. I'm not sure how much emotions it evoked in me, but I could see the intention of using 3D to evoke emotions in certain scenes. The use of foreground and background to create the illusion of 3D was obvious enough, although some of it turned out looking a little fake. Nonetheless, a lot of thought and effort went into filming this movie in 3D.
Score: 4/5
Closed Window Experience (what does this mean?)
The depth of the 3D was obvious enough throughout the movie. Like I said earlier, there was use of the foreground and background to create the illusion of extended depth. This was done nicely given the setting and temporal transition during the movie. Although it may have looked a little fake in the end, watching old shophouses, beautiful lakes, and footages of olden Malaysia in 3D had its own unique quality that just warms the heart. Was that emotion? Damn you Edry!
Score: 4/5
Open Window Experience (what does this mean?)
For a first 3D film, perhaps the open window experience may have been a challenge or a secondary element to the closed window experience. There were almost no scenes that had objects protruding from the screen. There were a number scenes that had objects come up to the screen, but nothing really came out of the screen. There were a couple of scenes that had objects come out a little, but to no real effect on the audience. But it is understandable. Give chance.
Score: 1/5
The Naked Eye Test (what does this mean?)
This movie passed the naked eye test. The images on the screen were blur for the most part. Although, there were a handful of scenes that were not blur and could have been watched without the 3D glasses on. Not to worry, these were just a few close-up scenes that did not require 3D. With the 3D glasses off, you could tell how the foreground and background were used in making the 3D images. Just saying..
Score: 4/5
Total Score: 16/25
0 - 14
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Wise man once said… DON’T DO IT!
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15-19
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If you have extra cash to blow… sure
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20-25
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You have my Blessings!
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The Final Verdict (what does this mean?)
Maybe this wasn't the best movie to make in 3D. It doesn't have much action that can exploit 3D effects to give audiences a fun, inclusive movie experience. However, there were many nice scenes of Malaysia, old to new, for us to experience in 3D. So I can safely say that you won't really regret much if you watched this movie in 3D. I can't confidently say that for the story though. Overall, a very good first attempt at 3D!Enough from me! Would YOU recommend watching this movie in 3D?
YES (Watch it in 3D!)
NO (2D is good enough!)
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