Is the ‘Avatar’ Movie Making Viewers Nauseous? - ABC News
Is the ‘Avatar’ Movie Making Viewers Nauseous? - ABC News.
The original form of this post continues below, but I must add this preface to state that I wrote my original post rather hastily, and overlooked the fact that some people are more prone to motion sickness while viewing films produced with 3D technology.
But, I do maintain that misinformation created the initial hype, and that has prompted many more people to become vocal about their experience, making it seem that Avatar has a greater ill effect on people than other 3D films.
It appears that misinformation and hearsay are at it again. No one seems to want to go find the facts for themselves. They’d rather believe the erroneous information they gleen from others.
If people are not now predisposed to feeling nauseous because the idea has been placed in their mind, the only other reason they may feel sick while watching the movie Avatar is because they consumed too much candy or popcorn.
So, how did this idea start? One critic, bent on smiting James Cameron, claimed that the sophisticated 3D effects in Avatar are “vomit inducing.” All you need are a few headlines that read like the one above to start the rumors flying.
I won’t be going to see Avatar, but that’s only because I don’t like to sit in a movie theater for two and a half hours. I’ll wait until it comes out on BlueRay and watch it on my hi-def widescreen at home.
I’m on my way home from seeing Avatar in 3D at an IMAX theater. I experienced significant nausea during the movie, even though, I had consumed no popcorn, candy or anything else. I wondered if anyone else had had this problem so did an Internet search. I was quite surprised to see that I must have had the idea planted in my mind…
Nobody else in my party felt sick, just me, and I also have trouble with motion sickness. My point is that this really happened and I had heard nothing about the potential in advance.
I just got back from seeing it in IMAX and I nearly tossed my cookies. Perhaps it was the combination of a packed house of viewers and the 3D motion, but I was sweating and more then once had to hold back from up-chucking.
I didn’t have anything but half a soda before the movie and I’m in my 40’s.
I wasn’t alone either there were a few of us that went to the bathroom ASAP after the movie just too splash some cold water on out faces.
Nancy, I guess it is possible for some people to feel nauseous or ill during 3D movies, if they are predisposed to motion sickness. I confess that my post of this topic was written hastily and without too much research, so I left out this now obvious possibility.
I can recall seeing Galapagos (IMAX)
in 3D and feeling a bit woozy early on, but I attributed this to viewing such a massive projection in 3D, which no doubt triggers motion responses. I adjusted quickly and was fine for the entire film.
I guess that is also happening with the Avater film, just getting more attention.
I loved the film, when I could open my eyes. I work with filmmakers and films everyday, and this movie most certainly made me ill. No, Nancy B, it is not in your head.
I defintely had problems with dizziness and nausea. People should be warned - not told that it’s “all in their minds” via suggestion!
Lois, you should read all comments, including my ammendment to the original post, before commenting. It’s not “all in our minds,” and some people can have adverse reactions to the 3D movie experience in the form of motion sickness and dizziness. I, for one, can’t wait to see the film so I can find out how it will affect me. But I don’t suspect I’ll notice anyting more than I have previously, watching other big screen 3D productions.
A 2D screen showing two polarized offset scenes to simulate a 3D environment is not real, natural world 3D, and would most certainly cause some form of disorientation and an unnatural optical experience for all viewers, it’s just that some adjust to it quickly, and more completely than others.
I knew nothing about Avatar before going to see it - never read anything about it, never saw a trailer for it. (A large group of my friends were going, and I thought a 3-D Imax movie sounded like fun.) 40 mintutes in (right after the first chase scene), I had to leave because I thought I might throw up on the guy in front of me. I hadn’t even heard anything about this movie nauseating people. No candy, no soda, no popcorn. Just intense motion sickness. I also saw Bugs! (another 3-D Imax movie) two weeks before seeing Avatar, and I didn’t experience any discomfort.
I went to see the movie with 7 other family members. I had no desire to really see the movie nor did I know what it was about. I lasted in the theater for 15 minutes before my stomach started getting upset, I took my glasses off for a minute trying to get myself together no such luck. I left the theater with a headache and tossed my cookies in the bathroom. I was approached by the usher and was given a refund, he was concerned because I looked so bad. I had no food or drink before or during the movie and didn’t even consider the fact that I might get sick. After I pulled myself together the movie theater helped me find a movie that would end at the same time as my party, so I watched The Princess and the Frog. Two other people from our party had slight headaches when they were done watching the movie, but everyone loved it.