I wanted to give this a better score I'm just not sure I can really justify it. It lacks the life and creativity of the Beastie Boys' Awesome, I Fucking Shot That! and the 3D can be strangely disconcerting at times. Most of the big hits are accounted for and are just as exhilirating as would be expected from the big screen IMAX format but something is just slightly off about it. Occasionally the 3D looks like layers of cardboard cutouts, occasionally the 3D effects blur on the edges, and sometimes the crowd effects look like superimposed people similar to Mystery Science Theater 3000. Still, it's a must for any big U2 fan. There is one moment that truly showcases the power and impact of 3D. During Pride (In the Name of Love) the crowd comes to life and literally an entire stadium full of people is jumping up and down: the 3D effect is incredible, it's like a sea of humanity really brought to life and you get a feeling for what it must be like to perform in front of so many thousands. To Bono's and the band's credit they don't shy from using this opportunity to espouse a message. Generally I hate 'messages' in my movies but Bono, moreso than any other celebrity (except possibly Lance Armstrong) manages to make his message as sensical and apolitical as possible. I'm a bit worried after seeing this that poor directors using 3D (Final Destination 4: I'm looking at you) will relegate the potentially amazing experience to the same sort of 80s cheap thrill it's still thought of as by so many. Here's hoping that from a concert movie perspective Shine a Light (Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert movie) and from a technological standpoint James Cameron's Avatar (THE hope for the future of 3D) turn out stronger.
Overall Score: 7/10
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