Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I remember seeing U2 back just before my 16thbirthday at a club on Long Island called Malibu.  It was December 1981 and not many people had heard of them yet.  There was a thriving fan base on Long Island thanks to the radio station WLIR.  I knew what I heard then was something special.

The collection of videos in U2: The Best of 1990-2000 are videos from what I consider later in U2's career. These are very slick productions for the most part as opposed to videos from the earlier part of their career. Videos at the time were a way of keeping musicians as a visual presence in the days before the internet and streaming.
U2 was never a band known for being heavy on concept videos.  If there was a message, it was generally illustrated in between cuts of them performing.  For the most part they stayed away from the gimmicks and crazy imagery that dominated many videos on MTV.

Some highlights of this DVD are Even Better Than the Real Thing which is a performance video but very professional. Here they cut the performance with images off of television at the time.  Good imagery and use of effects without feeling gratuitous.  Mysterious Ways is more of the same with distorted video of the band performing in a desert setting.

Beautiful Day is filmed at an airport (think they could do that now?) and has a feeling of the euphoria one could feel when traveling. This is also cut with images inside the airport with the band performing. I loved the look of Edge in this one.

Electrical Storm is the rare video that seems to have a story. It’s filmed in black and white, it's a version of the mermaid story where a man falls for one and they yearn to be together only to be separated by their very different worlds.  Miss Sarajevo has a variety of images including that of a beauty pageant in a war-torn country but it also draws in the benefit concerts staged by U2, showing them on stage with the likes of Luciano Pavarotti and Prince Charles and Princess Diana (that alone dates it.)  Stuck In a Moment takes on the persona of “Charlie Brown” a.k.a. “the goat” at the football game with a place-kicker who misses the kick.  Discotheque is a fantastic video that shows the band against the backdrop of a 70's discotheque. Bono wears a John Travolta Saturday Night Fever suit at times and together with the rest of the band also does their best Village People.

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me is from one of the Batman movies (with Jim Carrey) and it's a mix between a cartoon and shots from the film.  Until the End of the World features the band performing in a large arena framed by a "news broadcast".  One is another black & white video with different imagery of isolation.
Most of these videos can now be found on U2’s Vevo channel.  However, especially for fans, this DVD is still worth picking up.  The plethora of extras on it are exciting, especially the “making of” featurettes.  Some of the Bonus Tracks included on the DVD are a bit harder to find online.

I loved watching this DVD, especially the background information.  I have been a U2 fan for more than 30 years now and looking at these videos from the middle part of their musical career is quite enjoyable.  Fans will want to buy it, and it’s worth checking out for just about anybody.


Track Listing:

Even Better Than the Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day
Electrical Storm
One
Miss Sarajevo
Stay (Faraway, So Close)
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Gone
Until The End of the World
The Hands That Built America
Discotheque
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
Staring at the Sun
Numb
The Fly

Extra Features:

• Documentary "A Story of One"
• Documentary "Missing Sarajevo"
• Documentary "U2 Sur Mer"

Bonus Tracks:

Please
If God Will Send His Angels
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Lemon
Last Night On Earth
Mofo
The Ground Beneath Her Feet



© 2012 Patti Aliventi

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD