I saw U23D Last Night, and...

[Jon Seidman]

So U23D has finally come to Sweden. I saw it last night. My thoughts are:

It was good but not great.

I was not blown away. I expected more. I expected to feel like I was "onstage" or something. But all it was was an edited Vertigo Tour show shot in 3D. The songs they chose for the movie were predictable if not boring.

The crowd for the show was great though. In fact the crowd shots were some of the most interesting.

Could anyone tell me if any of the following could have affected my experience?

1. I was a little drunk.
2. I sat in the row in a stadium seating movie theater
3. The screen wasn't too big.
4. The sound wasn't loud enough.
5. I have seen and/or heard U2 perform about a billion times, either live, on TV, or online

I was a little disappointed because I have been looking forward to this for a long time. A friend who saw it at an IMAX theater said it was incredible.

Anyone have anything to say about any of this?

 

[The_acrobat]

My opinion is that if you are someone like myself who has watched all of U2's live DVDs a few times, and seen U2 live more than a few times (7 for me), then U2 3D really isn't that impressive.

 

[andyuk]

I saw it at the Imax and it was incrediable! i have seen all of U2 dvd's and have watched them live 8 times.

 

[popacrobat]

I saw it twice, in my local movie theater in imax, and once in Boston at the aquarium...the one with the largest imax screen on the east coast? or something crazy. it was ridiculous either way. i loved it both times, but seeing it on the ginormous screen with the sound going nuts, that was awesome. i'm not sure what you have for expectations of a concert film, but i think it was excellent.

 

[Purplereign]

what a shame for you - maybe your expectations were too high? in terms of waiting for such a long time to see it - I LOVED it, have seen a bazillion dvds, every oz tour save for the first 2 and yes, we've heard most of the songs a thousand times before but i STILL loved it . . . saw it at IMAX and it was just a colossally fun night

 

[pacemaker]

When I saw it, it was cool. I wear (seeing )glasses, so the 3D glasses were a little wonky.

I agree that there isn't anything TOO impressive about the movie. But the feat of the film in itself is pretty awesome.

When I saw it, it wasn't loud enough either.

 

[Rob33]

I was driving by the Bridge Theater the other day in LA and I wanted to see it again, but I assumed it wasn't playing...anybody know if it's still playing in the LA area somewhere?

 

[Ronnie269]

I wasent too overly impressed with U23D either, (despite going to see it 3 times! ) It was a great idea and I had v high hopes for it! but the main problem for me was the song choices, I thought there were too many slow songs, I was v impressed by "Vertigo" (the best part of the movie imo) after that it seemed to be alot of the same sort of stuff, kinda standerd performance, with Adam swinging his bass into the camera being the highlight, I know the movie was mostly a live performance with the bands priority been on the live audience, but I thought they could play around with the cameras more, such as Bono reaching out of the screen during "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and the great graphics during "Love & Peace Or Else" & "The Fly"! it was great but could have been alot better imo.

 

[last unicorn]

I want to go and see it again!

U23D at the Imax with a great sound system was just

I was impressed. I liked that they didn't really use "in your face" 3D technology. I think it was a pretty amazing concert film that lived mostly from the amazing South American audience.

You need to see it on a really big screen with good glasses and a great sound system, then you'll have the whole in concert experience.

 

[ahittle]

I could never really settle down into enjoying it as a concert experience - I was thinking too much about editing and what a nightmare the mixing must have been. It was an impressive technical feat, but I didn't feel rocked.

I'd like to see it again, though.

 

[cobl04]

I think you had to see it at imax, where there's a gigantic screen and the surround sound blows your eardrums. Then it's awesome.

 

[Liesje]

I would say of your list, 3 and 4 probably account for a lot of your disappointment. I saw it in an IMAX on a HUGE screen (apparently not all IMAX screens are created equal) with awesome sound from the last row and it DID feel like I was right there.

 

[pacemaker]

I could never really settle down into enjoying it as a concert experience - I was thinking too much about editing and what a nightmare the mixing must have been. It was an impressive technical feat, but I didn't feel rocked.

I'd like to see it again, though.

I agree with you 100%. Spot on.

 

[kingofsorrow]

 

[last unicorn]

Yeah, I was also a little disappointed when I saw it on a smaller screen with a not-so-awsome sound system. You just need a big IMAX screen where you really get the full impression of being in the middle of this experience.

 

[Popmartijn]

I would say of your list, 3 and 4 probably account for a lot of your disappointment. I saw it in an IMAX on a HUGE screen (apparently not all IMAX screens are created equal) with awesome sound from the last row and it DID feel like I was right there.

I think #2 is also a valid argument. Apparently, the 3D vision and the sound isn't the best in the front row, but better somewhere in the middle. At least, that was the case in the cinema I went to.

 

[BGD75]

I saw it few times and loved it! And to be honest with you... the times my friends and I were little tipsy it was even that much more fun!!! I do think, however, it has a lot to do with what theatre you see it in and what the sound is like....
but I could totally see it again!!

 

[Jon Seidman]

Thanks for all your inputs. I realize I made a mistake in my original post.

2. I sat in the row in a stadium seating movie theater

I should have said 2. I sat in the LAST row in a stadium seating movie theater

Because of this, the screen did not fill my field of vision. I saw everything around it. Maybe that wasn't so good.

Oh well. It's just 15 bucks down the drain.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

I think #2 is also a valid argument. Apparently, the 3D vision and the sound isn't the best in the front row, but better somewhere in the middle. At least, that was the case in the cinema I went to.

yes, this is correct. It's where you sit in the IMAX theater that makes the experience. I saw it several times and being in middle or anywhere towards the back is the best spot for that feeling of being in the movie.

 

[kassandra]

I saw it at the Imax and it was incrediable! i have seen all of U2 dvd's and have watched them live 8 times.

Yeah, I've seen it at IMAX and a smaller screen. The best experience is the IMAX. The large screen, loud music in surround sound do it a great justice. The smaller screen is just eh.

 

[david]

Seeing it on IMAX was great. I couldn't imagine seeing it on anything else. I saw it with 2 friends that are really into U2 and we had a few drinks before hand and I think that helped make it an overall fun experience. Also, there were about 8 people in the theatre when we saw it, but it was no big deal.

 

[Anji]

I saw it at the Imax and it was incrediable! /QUOTE]

It sure was! Infact it was so realistic, I nearly fell into the persons lap infront when I tried to nibble Bonos neck when he thrust it at me

 

[digitize]

I saw it for the third time on Friday night at Austin's IMAX theater. The sound and the visuals on that big of a screen, and that powerful a sound system, never cease to amaze me, especially on The Fly.

However, each time I see it, I realize how much better the setlist could have been. They could have done really cool stuff with COBL, UTEOTW, Mysterious Ways, and something like Electric Co. or IWF (most likely the latter). Zoo Station would have been cool, though.

Also, does anyone else think that Bono's voice in the movie sounds a bit off from what he really sounded like during leg IV of the tour? Like... better? Maybe it's because most of the audio came from a couple of soundchecks, and his voice could have been magically better for those un-recorded moments.

 

[zooperson]

Saw it twice in IMAX. First time it was SOOO GOOOOD! (and i met alice cooper, but he was seeing juno not u23d haha) but the second time we got there late and the hand rail was blocking my view a little in the bottom right corner. F that S!!!

so moral of the story: U23D best served chilled in the IMAX theatre, after eating sushi in the same restaurant as Alice Cooper, and without stupid yellow hand rails blocking your view (thus ruining the 3Diness). Alice Cooper totally optional. works just as well with Ted Nuggent in a steak house.