U2 3D: See the Legendary Band in a New Perspective
Written: Feb 07 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: State of the art 3D Digital IMAX presentation is flawless. This is a Must-See film.
Cons: I don't care what you think of Bono personally...go see this movie.
The Bottom Line: This is exactly how U2 should be experienced: larger than life. If you've never seen them before, if you've seen them many times, be sure to see them in U23D.
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| bob_tomato's Full Review: U2 3D |
Is it possible for U2 to be any bigger than they already are? Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr are megastars of the highest order in music, and Bono is arguably just as famous for his humanitarian efforts as well. Having sold many millions of records over the past twenty-five plus years, performing live at sold-out stadiums year after year, tour after tour after tour - can they top themselves yet again?
The answer is to be found at IMAX theaters nationwide - the world's first 3D digital live-action film U2:3D is a massive spectacle, and it elevates the legend of the band yet again.
My wife and I went to the first showing of the film at Dallas' Cinemark IMAX theater, and for the entire length of the 85 minute film, we enjoyed the best (virtual) seats in the house at concerts throughout South America during last year's Vertigo Tour. Filmed in the IMAX format using nine pairs of high-end Sony digital cameras synchronized by computers and Swiss timing elements, the three-dimensional picture is stunningly real.
From high overhead center stage, your perspective falls slowly down until you are level with Mullen's drum kit, shining and sparkling in the bright light, each drum head grooved and gouged by the incessant beat. Cameras fly over and into the crowds, hundreds of thousands packed into enormous football stadiums, countless sweaty bodies jumping and dancing, lost in the moment and the music. Hands and arms are raised seemingly right in your face from the crowd level perspective, and Bono looms over you, forty feet high, as he sings at the end of a stylized red and black striped runway; his microphone stand swings out over your head as he sings with passion and zealous fervor.
Everything is rendered in extremely high-definition, and the three-dimensional aspect of the film takes nothing away from the picture's overall quality. In fact, seeing U2 splashed this large over a theater screen at such high resolution (both video and audio) would have been incredible even without the 3D; the band is magnified even more with this new way of viewing them. The camera perspectives put you into the best seats in the house - every cinematically gorgeous angle is well chosen, and the extra dimension adds to the reality that you are actually there.
From a purely performance standpoint, the concert is wonderful - the set list is tight, running through major hits and a few deeper album cuts in a thoughtfully thematic presentation. Bono fully embraces his role as lead activist, and he bangs the anti-war drum loudly in this show, urging peaceful co-existence of the world's countries and religions. Clayton and Mullen are a tight rhythm section, and they keep the entire show moving ahead, pulsing with a vital energy. The Edge is the real sound of the band, his guitars circling and swirling through Bono's dynamic vocals.
The best thing about the movie is the visceral sense of really being "there" - the sounds, the visuals, the extra dimension - all these things are presented in supremely rendered quality, and the IMAX experience makes all the more incredible. I'm sure that those who can't stand Bono personally would never admit to it, but I truly doubt that anyone who enjoys pop and rock music would not enjoy this movie. And for any fan of the band like myself (I've been following U2 since the days of "War" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" back in the early eighties), there are fantastic moments throughout this film that will make you want to stand up, scream, shout and sing right along with the other fans gathered "around" you.
U23D is an incredible concert film experience, even without the added dimensions of 3D and IMAX to make it that much more special. And with the band's marvelous performances presented in crisp, clear digital 3D on a huge theater screen, one can't help but be transported into the audience, caught up in the rush of the mighty sights and sounds of the greatest rock band in history.
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Set List
Vertigo / Beautiful Day / New Years Day / Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own / Love And Peace (Or Else) / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet The Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / Pride (In the Name Of Love) / Where The Streets Have No Name / One / The Fly / With Or Without You / Yahweh
Recommended:
Yes
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bob_tomato
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Member: Andrew
Location: Dallas Metroplex
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