Review: U2 3D

Posted by: Brad Hutchinson  •  January 24, 2008 @ 4:19pm

Filed under: Reviews

If you've read my review of the Star Trek teaser, you'll already know I'm a Star Trek fan. Now you get to find out more about me! I'm also a big U2 fan! I have been a fan for about 15 years now, though the past few years I haven't been as hardcore as I used to be.

I began to like them in the Zooropa era and I've seen them live twice (POPmart '97 and The Elevation Tour 2001) but after the release of 2004's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, my interest waned and I stopped following the daily blogs about the band. I still enjoyed the album a lot, but I felt like I wasn't listening to the same band I grew up loving -- much like a childhood hero looking different when you look at them again as an adult.

So when I first heard of U2 3D, I was very hesitant to see it. Would Bono, The Edge, Adam, and Larry still be able to entertain and enthrall me?

The answer is an emphatic YES!!

The film was fantastic! Near the end of every song, I had to remind myself not to clap and that I was at a press screening and not actually in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, or one of the other cities this concert film was compiled from (flawlessly, I might add).

I'm no IMAX-ologist -- I can't tell you how they make these films into 3D -- but I can tell you it's an amazing experience watching a concert this way. And I'm sure the director told Bono to try and "be 3D" while on stage, as there's times where he reaches towards the camera or uses a prop onstage to help further submerge you into the 3D experience.

The film is somewhat short at 1:25. But to be perfectly honest, by the 1:10 mark, I was getting a bit of a dizzying headache from something similar to what I now like to call The Cloverfield Effect. The 3D action, while very cool, can be a little TOO cool at times, and while I don't think anyone ran out of the theatre holding their stomachs at the show I was at, some people might get a bit of a headache from it.

I gave this film a 4 out of 5 because it was a tremendous experience to see (and almost feel!) BUT I was a little disappointed at the lack of "middle era" songs included on the set list. No songs from POP or Zooropa and only two songs from Achtung Baby. Also, the headache from the 3D action might have affected my rating a little as well, though not everyone will experience it, I'm sure.

All in all, this show was pretty amazing, and as cheesy as some people might find a 3D concert, it at least made this U2 fan realize the band still has all the heart and stage presence they used to have. I'm going to go dig up all my U2 albums and take another listen!

For more information, visit: https://www.u23dmovie.com

Tags: U2, 3D, Bono, IMAX, concert

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