Real 3D comes to Carson City, and it's a winner

If you remember some of the earlier attempts at 3D as being a clumsy laugh, forget those days.

The National Geographic's 3D film "Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure" is playing at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex this week, and this 3D is really three-dimensional. In the pre-movie intro sequence, some jolly scenes demonstrate the 3D qualities, and all is well until the big snake practically comes close enough for a kiss. Not a moment for the kiddies.

Yes, you have to wear the special glasses to get the effect, but it's all seamless. Take off the glasses, and it all becomes flat. You can wear the glasses over your own specs.

The technology is better than state-of-the-art, the scenes are crystal clear, the sound and narration much better than TV. And this is not to be confused with TV shows of this kind; a lot of imagination and work went into blending the animation and live actors into one flawless piece.

So as a theater experience, this is over the top. Everything works.

The story tells of two baby sea dinos fresh from their mother in the sea that once rolled over Kansas. We follow the two on an adventure out of the inland sea to the big ocean, where adventures abound. Along the way, we encounter other water dinos, most of which are enough to send one looking for a bomb shelter.

The female dino (the scientific names rattle by so fast it's impossible to catch them) and her brother become the targets of prehistoric sharks.

The male is devoured, and the female winds up with a shark tooth in one fin. She escapes and returns to the Kansas sea, where she matures and bears more dinos, finally dying of old age.

In the live sequences, paleontologists find many fossils, including the one of the female with the shark tooth still in her flipper - our old friend.

As mentioned, don't confuse this with the usual PBS or Discovery Channel wildlife programs. This is a truly superior experience, and while it is not rated, it might not be the experience for those children of tender years easily frightened.

Show times are 1, 215, 3;30, 4:45, 6, 7:15, 8:30, 9:45 p.m. Tickets are $8 - no seniors' or kids' discounts, and the ticket includes the special glasses.

'Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure'

What: 3D film by National Geographic

When: 1, 215, 3;30, 4:45, 6, 7:15, 8:30 and 9:45 p.m.

Where: Casino Fandango's Galaxy Theatre, 4000 S. Curry St., behind the casino

COST: $8, no discounts

CALL: 882-7469