I realize it's a cliche to suggest going to the movies is too expensive. And it is. But we don't go that often (I think the last non-kids movie Kristin and I saw in the theaters was The Turning Point....Might have been An Unmarried Woman) and we were looking forward to doing something fun with the kids. Plus, you can usually save money by catching a matinee but unfortunately there are no discounts for 3-D.
The other issue is - spoiler alert - 3-D adds absolutely nothing to this movie. It's not a great movie, but it's got some fun parts and the kids enjoy their Jack Black as much as mom and dad do but 2-D would have been more than fine, thank you very much.
Plus, my glasses had a big old thumb print on one of the lenses which added a very unwelcome fourth dimension to the proceedings.
Here's the deal - all kids movies are being made in 3-D now and initially both the 3-D version and the 2-D version would play in most multiplexes so you had a choice whether or not you wanted to cash in your 401k or not to see the film. But I fear that 3-D only is coming our way and I can't imagine anyone will be able to keep up with these prices.
For an industry that practically invented the "shameless money grab" and who continues to crank out movie after movie filled with one-dimensional characters and stories, 3-D is at least one D too many.