Apple's filming monsters in 3D for the Vision Pro

Apple's Vision Pro headset might not have a killer app yet, but it looks like it's going to get the next best thing: monsters! A new report says that the live-action Godzilla series currently filming is being shot with 3D cameras for the Apple Vision Pro.

The story comes via ScreenTimes' Sigmund Judge, who says that "people familiar with its production" have confirmed that the upcoming Monsterverse series is being filmed in Apple's spatial video format, which was revealed last week at WWDC 2023.

If the report is correct then this is the first 3D show made for Apple's headset, which is good news for monster fans and Apple early adopters – or at least, those early adopters who can use the standard lenses. Those of us with corrected vision may not be supported at all, or may have to pay quite a lot of cash for prescription vision. 

Is Godzilla in 3D worth getting excited about?

I'll be honest. I've been burned by 3D before. I bought a big Sony 3D TV, endured the 3D glasses and watched approximately one film in 3D before deciding not to bother any more, and I can't remember the last time I saw a 3D movie in the cinema. So to put my cynical hat on, the return of 3D movies for the billionth time since the 1950s isn't making me want to do my excited dance.

But, and it's an important but, Vision Pro is different. It's different partly because it's a properly immersive headset rather than horrible 3D glasses, and it's different because unlike my 3D TV specs it's not going make the image so dark that you could replace a Batman movie with a square of black cardboard and I'd be none the wiser. So the user experience here should be vastly superior to anything you've tried before.

The problem, though, isn't the tech. It's the content. You can currently count the number of big studios releasing 3D movies on the fingers of no hands, and while the prospect of a 3D version of the Monsterverse on Vision Pro sounds like fun it does feel very reminiscent of 2010's Piranha 3D: a hoot for sure, but maybe not a hoot you're going to want to drop three and a half grand on hardware to watch or that more mainstream studios are going to want to emulate.