Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience [Blu-ray 3D Version]

What can I say?  I love 3D!  From the moment I began watching 3D content in my home I quickly discovered that I needed more content.  I suspect that those of you just purchasing your first 3D hardware will acquire the same ferocious appetite.  That's why I became the HTF 3D ADDICT.  I personally love images that pop off the screen and come inches away from your face without becoming overly gimmicky.  However, I certainly appreciate the nature documentaries that offer beautiful depth and separation.  These are not necessarily reviews of the film themselves.  I am not going to concentrate on story or supplements -- you can find the 2D reviews elsewhere on this forum.  My job is to let you know exactly what kind of 3D experience to expect from the titles that are being released.   As I will be receiving a handful of new product from the studios expect to see more title coverage.

Sports Illustrated

Swimsuit 2011

The 3-D Experience

Studio: Sony

Product Release: June 7th, 2011

Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1

Running Time: 30 Minutes

Rating: NR

ON A SCALE 0-5

Overall 3D Presentation Rating: 2

3D Separation: 2

3D In Yo' Face Factor: 0

Buy the magazine instead!

Wow.  For once I was looking forward to not having

to sit in front of my display and concentrate on programming

that involved concentrating on a story or an Academy-award

winning performance.  For once, I could pop mindless entertainment

into my Blu-ray player, lean back and let my mind wander into

thoughts of.....baseball.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011 brings us to the beautiful 

island of Maui where we meet three of the magazine's most

smoldering supermodels: Julie Henderson, Alyssa Miller and

cover girl Irana Shayk.  Each of the models is given a 10 minute

segment where they all make a concerned effort to talk about how

great it is to model for Sports Illustrated.  We do get some insight

into how they began their modeling careers and the process of

getting themselves into character for the photographer.  Nobody 

viewing this film is going to walk away with any valuable new

information, but then again, that's not why we watch these videos.

And you know what?  As much as I love watching stunningly 

beautiful women strutting around in bikinis, I don't think it makes

for great entertainment in a home theater environment.

The inclusion of 3D in this feature doesn't make it any more

intriguing, either.  Mostly, all the gorgeous Maui beach and

panorama come across as flat than ultra-dimensional. There's

one particular scene where is a model is posing against a

dead tree trunk on the beach that offers a nice sense of depth,

but foreground/background detachment is mostly minimal here.

There is nothing in the way of objects or models being played

for maximum 3D effect, so don't expect anything to spill out of

the screen.   Ghosting is non-esistent, even in the few scenes

where models are posing with little lighting.

While the high definition transfer is well done, I had a huge

problem with the way this feature was photographed.  In fact,

this was one of the few 3D titles where I actually experienced

eye strain.  There is a deliberate attempt to present the models

in foreground focus while everything in the background is blurred.

This wreaks havoc on the eyes as it constantly has to look for

objects to fixate upon (which you would think would come rather

easily in this case).  Additionally, because there seems to be

some intentional softening done with the photography, closeups

tend to look unfocused as well.  

Most of the shots of the gorgeous Maui beach and tropical 

backdrops are stunningly conveyed in this transfer along with

a well defined array of colors that include the rich greens of

the tropical forrest, the piercing golden sunsets across the

beach and the neon colored swimsuits that seem to have a

glow of their own.

One would not expect to pay attention to the music that

accompanies a feature such as this, but this 5.1 lossless

synthesized soundtrack is pretty difficult to ignore as it

envelopes the viewer and delivers an strong undertow of

LFE activity.  One would call it quite punchy and enveloping

at times.  The surrounds do a great job of delivering the

relaxing, ambient sounds of the Maui landscape. 

CONCLUSION

The concept of swimsuit models in 3D is certainly 

intriguing and I am certain will bait many into considering

a purchase. However, the novelty quickly wares off once

you realize there's very little substance here and the 3D

is mostly inadequate.

Seriously, you would be much better off buying the magazine

than spending $15 on this 30-minute infomercial for Sports

Illustrated. 

Images are for illustrative purpose only not representative of the picture quality or content of this disc. 

Equipment

LG 60PX950 THX Certified 3D display

Oppo BDP-93 3D Blu-ray Player

Denon 3311CI Receiver

Atlantic Technology H-PAS AT-1 fronts, 4400 center; 4200 rear speakers

SV Sound Subwoofer