Comin' at Ya!

The 3D format was a half-forgotten novelty by the time this 1981 low-budget Western resurrected it, achieving surprising box office success. But while the film deserves credit for restoring the reputation of then-much-maligned 3D, Comin' at Ya! is not exactly classic cinema. The brainchild of two spaghetti Western veterans—director Ferdinando Baldi and actor/producer Tony Anthony—the story follows newly married H.H. Hart (Anthony), whose bride has been kidnapped by a pair of criminal brothers operating a white slavery business. Hart embarks on a quest to find his kidnapped wife, which involves the usual amount of B-Western mayhem. Throughout, the viewer is assaulted with an endless stream of objects that are thrust directly at the camera: coins, a yo-yo, a bowling ball, a snake, flames, and even a bare-bottomed baby—all meant to exploit the 3D experience. But what might be amusing for a few minutes eventually becomes something of an endurance test—a particularly pointless one for those who watch the 2D DVD release. The 3D Blu-ray (featuring a frame by frame digital conversion of the polarized over-and-under format of the original 3D release) at least showcases the film's chief claim to fame, but viewers will need to have a 3D TV to enjoy it. Optional. (P. Hall)