Talk about striking when the iron is hot. Canadian-born Hollywood movie director James Cameron is taking his other major record-breaking film out of retirement, and plans to release a 3D version of it.

Yes, I'm talking about the Titanic. Cameron says he's planning to re-release the immensely popular film about the iconic sinking ship next year so that viewers can share Leonardo Di Caprio's experience of what it feels like to be king of the world up close and personal. Coincidentally. 2012 marks the 100-year anniversary of the ship's sail.

Naturally, Cameron's move is in direct response to his new hit flick Avatar, which has not only broken records at the box office (and will likely continue to do so), but has also brought much attention to the emerging 3D format. The industry is trying to capitalize on 3D not just in commercial theatres, but also in the home with new 3D-capable TVs, Blu-ray players, and movies coming to market this year.

While new films like Avatar and the animated flick Monsters vs. Aliens will be released in full 3D Blu-ray glory, could this move spark interest in re-releasing other movies from the past in 3D? Indeed, The Lion King is supposedly set for a comeback with a three-dimensional Simba. Cameron is even hoping to capitalize even more on Avatar's success by re-releasing that film (yes, there are talks of this before the film has even completed its first run) with added scenes.

Much like the music industry, the movie industry has been stuck in a lull of lost creativity, re-releasing remakes and redos of old movies in hopes that they'll be sure bets for box office success. After all, if the story worked the first time with the last generation, chances are it will work again with this one. With 3D, these moves could help rejuvenate the commercial theatre industry: if you can't afford to get 3D in the home just yet, the ability to catch a fave flick, even if you already saw it 10 years ago, could bring many back to the Cineplex.

This isn't to imply that tweaking a film to 3D generates a quick buck: it costs lots of money, and requires tons of resources, to rework a film. In some respects, it's much like making a stop motion film. If you've ever tried to do that manually, it's a lengthy process that takes upwards of an hour just to create a minute or two of footage. One mess up and the film looks like a choppy mess. Of course with Hollywood budgets and staff who are dedicated solely to undertaking this task, the result will be a bit different than a teen making fun films in his basement with dolls. And the benefits reaped could be massive.

But the hard work involved aside, what about creativity? Or should I say the lack thereof. I've already noted before in this blog how I'm hard-pressed these days to find a film that isn't based on a novel, or, as noted above, isn't a remake of an old film. I'm all for re-releasing movies from the olden days if there's a logical reason, like adding an edge with 3D. But let's not spend all our resources on that, and forget about original ideas that take viewers to places they've never been before. After all, this is what set the movie industry sailing in the first place.

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