It’s been inevitable for some time that 3D conversion would start swallowing up classic titles and spitting them back at us. The Hollywood frenzy to jump on the 3D bandwagon means that a whole new side-industry has exploded and filled itself with new companies and technicians, and now the process has peaked and been commodified right as virtually all 3D films are being shot natively (if the studio wants the premium). What does this leave behind? A bunch of firms that are ready and willing to run films through the pop-up-book process, with very little demand for the process to be applied to new films. This means there exists a veritable hungry turbine of filmic degradation that is ready and will to suck up your favorite films and feed them back to you. Naturally it’s the all-time, decades-long iconic money makers that will get targeted first– Star Wars 3D is coming, Wizard of Oz 3D is inevitable, The Lion King 3D is out there right now…

Fucking Top Gun 3D?

Yep, a piece of the conversion was demonstrated at a recent convention by the conversion company, with word that early 2012 is the target release window.

I get it. The movies was the top grosser of 1986 (though it only beat Crocodile Dundee domestically by 2 million), and more importantly it was true worldwide hit that saw half of its +$350 gross come from overseas. That wasn’t so much a thing in the mid-80s as it is now. And then while its total gross would adjust to something a bit north of $750m (huge, but not Pirates/Potter huge), one can only guess how much it’s made on home video and cable. But still, fucking Top Gun?

You have to understand that by the time I was watching movies with a brain that could be considered sentient, Top Gun was already a joke. I can definitely see the appeal of the famous airborne action being given an extra layer ooomph (if it translates well), but I don’t know if I’ll personally be ready to stomach all the waves of pure, distilled 80s to see it. That said, I’ve never gotten a good read on how Top Gun is seen these days by the mainstream or by more invested film buffs, so I may be flying solo on this one. I guess I’ll find out though, as I understand Nick has a review of the film’s new Blu-ray that will be up soon…

[EDIT: And here it is. Nick looks back rather fondly…]

Apparently Tony Scott will have to approve the conversion before it’s finished and released by Paramount, but considering the man lives to tear apart your eyeballs, I don’t think he’ll have a problem with it.

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Source | THR