Ryan McNeil
I’m as big a fan of U2 as it gets, and even I was skeptical about what U2 3D could achieve. To me it smacked of a project by a band trying to bide more time in between albums. It felt like a cash-grab…a stunt just a sliver more reputable than presenting a laser show to the music of Pink Floyd at a planetarium. However, being the fan of blind faith that I am, I dropped my $15 anyway, grabbed my 3-D glasses and took my seat. Eighty-five minutes later, I couldn’t believe how misguided my skepticism was.
The film was created by National Geographic, presented on IMAX screens, and avoids much of the cheap tricks that one usually associates with the golden age of 3-D. Instead, what the audience gets is amazing footage of a band at the top of its game, presented with intricate effects. The movie captures U2’s stadium show in Latin America, during the final leg of their 2005-2006 Vertigo Tour. While the tour began in North America, it became something very different when it moved to the rest of the world and became an outdoor show. Twenty thousand fans a night gave way to eighty thousand fans a night, and thus the communion between the band and the audience was increased…making the end result all the better for both sides.
The show is shot gloriously on IMAX, with cameras at every conceivable angle. When you add in the 3-D element, it suddenly feels like you are standing at every conceivable angle. What makes this movie work so well, is how well the effects and photography combine to make you feel like you are at a concert, rather than sitting in a theatre. I recently read about someone who saw it, and how they were annoyed by someone down front constantly standing up and distracting him from the movie. Only after a few moments did he realize, that the silhouette down front was in the movie. This optical trickery never gets old over the eighty five minute concert – no matter how many times the film cuts back to a hovering camera over the drum kit, you still feel like you could reach down and tap Larry Mullen’s snare drum every time.
Perhaps what impressed me most about the visuals is the way they were cut together. The editing of this movie is rather unique, because it doesn’t only deal with the linear, but also works with physical space within the frame. In many instances, we watch one shot layered over another…Adam Clayton will play his bass within Bono’s silhouette…the shot will linger on Edge as he plays guitar, while the images from the video displays are pulled forward over his shoulder. This sort of technique is a tricky one. If used incorrectly, it ends up feeling like a Sears portrait from 1981. Fortunately, the editor’s use of framing and space knows just when to stop, and thus avoids becoming tired or corny. One further achievement in the editing – I was surprised to discover that the movie was stitched together from filming that took place over seven separate shows. The results are seamless, and you’d never know you’re watching a greatest hits pack from a week worth of concerts.
Of course, the best part of seeing a rock-doc in an IMAX theatre is the sound mix, and U2 3D doesn’t disappoint. There are more than a few instances where the sound designer had a bit of fun -throwing a vocal to an over-the-shoulder channel, dropping the audience’s cheering down, isolating various instruments at just the right moment – but by and large they stick with taking the thirteen anthemic songs, and blasting them until you feel your bones rattle. Hearing the music presented this way is one of the reasons I’d urge people to take in this movie in a theatre. The other big reason of course being to get the whole 3-D experience, which I highly doubt will translate well to DVD.
There is a moment or two where the film downshifts towards music video territory (one direct bit of eye contact from Bono is especially jarring), and the setlist is somewhat perplexing, leaving a lot to be desired. Making matters more difficult is the love-hate cycle mush of the public has with U2, who seem to be caught in an endless off-the-grid/overexposed loop. However, the merit of the movie is purely visual. You don’t have to be a fan of this band to enjoy the experience; it can impress and amaze as a film-going experience all its own. While I’m certain this sort of movie is expensive to make, and has a rather limited market, I sincerely hope that more features like this are produced, if only in the name of love.
very nice review! even for this U2 diehard…
when i saw the film the scorcese RS trailer played before hand. what a juxtaposition! the prentention and tragedy that is the Stones these days (old men who hate each other playing old music) vs U2. U23D just bursts open with songs, hardly any dialogue, just four guys with their instruments and a stadium full of adoring fans. Bravo Catherine Owens!