U2 in 3-D

We preserve the cool things in our mind as if they happened yesterday. Long live cinema, only ask yourself when the last time you actually cheered out loud in a movie theater as if you were at a sports event was. Well that was too long. Welcome to the new millennium and please deliver 3-D cinema soon so that those of us who actually enjoy going out to the movies have something to look forward to.
Case in point: the exclusive IMAX film U2 in 3-D, currently playing at the IMAX house at the Edwards Marqe off I-10. This feature length concert film utilized 3-D effects in a manner that made the effect itself meld into the experience so that you forget you are watching a 3-D flick. There are repeated shots from the crowd so you get used to seeing people’s heads in front of you. At one point you will find yourself leaning to the right or left to see around one of the projected images. U2 in 3-D was shot using IMAX 3-D equipment and that makes a difference when it's eventually projected. You become immersed in the crowd and you will see more cell phone cameras being pointed at the camera by concert goers than you can imagine. You begin to actually look at the individual cell screens.
The film makes good with diverse angles and a spacious mix. I kept looking to see who was playing tambourine on two songs, which led me to wonder if there were overdubs. Concert footage was taken from five venues in Mexico, South America and Australia. U2 plays their brand of rock and then make their political statement with a couple of songs. In many ways Bono was thrust into his current position of rock diplomat to the world, a post more spiritual than actual and previously held by John Lennon or Bob Geldof.
U2 in 3-D will play best to fans of the Irish band but it’s smooth production values (it’s not cut too fast like a lot of concert films) provides a good sit for interested film-goers. You can see the frets of the guitar The Edge is playing during One Love and the clarity of the detail just grabs your attention. And the guy never strums the same guitar twice. The glasses you wear for the effects were comfortable without any noticeable headache or eyestrain and you only see a minimum of ghosting to the image, and that’s when you turn your head. Isn’'t that what we really look for in a 3-D movie?