To 3D or Not to 3D?

Call me old fashioned, but I just don't get all the hype about 3D. It seems like every movie that comes out now has an option to see it in 3D, and in certain theaters is only offered in 3D. Can someone tell me what's so great about 3D?

For me, it's more of a hassle most of the time. Wearing geeky glasses that (depending on the theater) may have had previous owners who could have had god only knows what in their hair or on their faces is not exactly my cup of tea. Yes, I know they supposedly sterilize them between uses, but until I see it for myself I'm still skeptical. Even if I'm lucky and I get those special plastic-wrapped 3D glasses that you get to keep, I still get an unnecessary headache with them on my face for 2-plus hours. Not to mention the juggling act I have to perform carrying my purse, popcorn, drink, candy AND glasses. I don't know about you, but I only count two hands...

Okay, so sometimes 3D isn't bad. I can totally understand something like the 3D ballpoint & highlighter combo pens because you can put your logo on three different sides or those fun 3 dimensional erasers you collected as a kid, but making every movie in theaters 3D, I just don't get.

I blame Avatar. Great movie - but it sparked this whole new 3D revolution. Before Avatar, you'd walk through the TV section of a store and see LCDs and plasmas up on the wall with crystal clear pictures. Now you walk through and see 3D televisions all around with pictures you can't make out without the magic glasses. Of course LCDs, plasmas and now even LEDs are out too but I feel like the selection has dwindled. I also don't understand why anyone would want a 3D TV at home anyway. Why would you want to wear special glasses every time you watch TV? And what about those of us who are visually impaired to begin with? Sure I wear my contacts most of the time, but if I want to relax in the evening and give my eyes some relief from my lenses, can these 3D glasses really fit comfortably over my regular glasses? Let's say for argument's sake that they can... who the heck wants to wear two pairs of glasses to watch TV??

I digress. So Avatar in all its digitally enhanced graphics and special technology that I'm not even going to pretend to understand somehow convinced filmmakers that 3D and IMAX options were necessary to have a hit. Take the last Harry Potter movie, for example. Fantastic movie. Multiple audiences. The last in an epic series. It's going to have a huge turnout. But was that enough? Nope. "Let's add 3D to it so we can charge people even more!" Having seen the movie both in 3D and not in 3D, I much preferred it without my geeky (albeit kind of cute) Harry Potter 3D glasses.

According to a post on Moviefone, here are the movies to see in 3D this summer:

Captain America: The First Avenger
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Well, you know my (perhaps somewhat outdated) opinion on the subject. Now let me squeeze my custom-printed TV stress ball while you tell me yours...