Unless you spent your winter break in a cave, you should have heard of the film “Avatar.”

The plot is easy enough for a 5-year-old to understand, yet the movie is on the brink of surpassing “Titanic” for the all-time box-office record. There is only one reason why: 3-D. The people love it.

Director James Cameron has pioneered a new way of moviemaking with the innovative technology used to create Avatar. Visually, he has created the greatest 3-D movie anyone has ever laid his or her 2-D eyes on. The film is nothing short of beautiful. It is eye candy at its tastiest. Not only is Cameron laughing all the way to the bank with Avatar’s unprecedented financial success, but also he just received a Golden Globe award for Best Director. Guess what won Best Picture too?

With Avatar, people are beginning to see the many possibilities of 3-D. The blockbuster is laying the foundation for a 3-D revolution that is starting to sweep the world.

There will be more and more movies produced in 3-D in the future. Cameron confirmed he will be making at least one Avatar sequel.

Never passing up a chance to cash in on the Star Wars brand, legendary director George Lucas said he plans on re-releasing his beloved saga in 3-D.

In the coming months, look for “Alice in Wonderland” and “Toy Story 3” to continue the 3-D trend. Wait a second, did he say there’s a new Toy Story movie coming out? You better believe it! All you children of the ‘90s know you’re psyched.

However, the film industry isn’t the only one planning 3-D projects. Video games are expected to make a jump into the third dimension in the coming years. 3-D TVs might hit the market by the end of 2010. Good thing your family just dropped a grand on that soon-to-not-be “state of the art” HDTV.

I have mixed feelings about 3-D TV. I don’t see most of today’s television shows translating well into said format. Why would anyone want to see something like “Desperate Housewives” in 3-D? Come to think of it, why would anyone want to watch Desperate Housewives period? The only things I could see working well in 3-D on TV are sports or shows with a lot of action. Imagine a 3-D Brett Favre throwing touchdowns in your living room. I know. I can’t wait either.

With 3-D inevitably becoming increasingly prevalent in our media, especially with movies, I just hope we won’t see too much of the 3-D gimmicks of the past. I’m talking about Sylvester Stallone throwing a punch at the audience in “Spy Kids 3” — super lame.

Movies and TV shows of the future should take note of Cameron’s Avatar and use the 3-D technology to fully immerse the audience into the story, making them feel like a part of it. Nothing more.

The old red-lens/blue-lens 3-D specs are gone. No matter how cool you thought the 3-D movie you saw was, with those relics on your face you looked like a dork no matter what. The new digital 3-D glasses, used for viewing newer movies like Avatar, are actually kind of stylish. I’ve even seen some people wear them like regular sunglasses. Or they pop out the lenses and pull a Steve Urkel.

Unfortunately, 3-D isn’t for everyone’s enjoyment. Many people get headaches, feel a strain on their eyes or become dizzy while viewing 3-D movies. Five percent of our population cannot view 3-D at all because they are either lazy-eyed or cross-eyed. Something has to be done to fix this.

Let’s hope they work out the kinks soon because, after all, 3-D is the way of the future.

Mike Crissman is a freshman journalism major and columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].