(Cover) - EN Showbiz - James McAvoy thinks 3D movies are just an excuse to charge cinemagoers more.

The actor is in this summer's blockbuster X Men: First Class, in which he plays Professor Charles Xavier. The latest instalment of the franchise goes back in time to the 60s when the professor met Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto.

Although many of the biggest Hollywood releases have been in 3D lately such as the newest Pirates of the Caribbean movie On Stranger Tides X Men: First Class didn't bow to the trend. James is pleased, because he thinks such pictures are overhyped.

"I think it's good thing X-Men is not 3D," he is quoted as saying. "In fact, thank God this movie is not in 3D. 3D it just an excuse to charge you an extra ten bucks at the theatre. And then in the end it's not 3D at all, it's just a waste of money."

Avatar is the movie most people associate with the impressive special effect. Director James Cameron spent years perfecting the picture and has been open about his own feelings on 3D.

He thinks it is becoming too common and is only interested in seeing it used properly. James rejects the method of adding the effect in post production, singling out 2010's Clash of the Titans as a movie which had poor effects.

"I maintain you can't do a good conversion of a two-hour movie with high quality in a few weeks like they tried to do with Clash of the Titans," he said.

"I don't mean to throw that movie under the bus because my buddy Sam [Worthington, star of Avatar] is in it, but I think everybody realised that this was a point at which people had gone too far." (C) Cover Media