Leading article: New dimension

So is the future of film going to be in three dimensions or not? Until recently, it looked like the argument was settled. The box office success of James Cameron's Avatar and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland had many film executives believing that they'd finally cracked it.

Every cinema-goer would one day sit in the dark wearing silly glasses watching objects appear to fly out of the screen. But now, as we report, some are beginning to complain of headache and dull colours. And the old cry that 3D is simply a gimmick to distract from deficiencies of plot and an excuse to jack up cinema ticket prices are being heard again.

Far be it from us to come down on one side or the other of this debate. But we would point out that the fixation of directors and film executives on the visual sense might be missing the point. Aren't there other ways of transporting audiences to another world? Our suggestion: park 3D and bring back Smell-o-Vision.