U23D
Review by Brett McCracken | posted 1/25/2008
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If nothing else, U23D is a landmark technical achievement. Its list of firsts is impressive: first live-action film to be shot, edited, and shown entirely in 3D; first-ever 3D multicamera shoot; first film to utilize all of the world's 3D cameras for one single project, etc. Indeed, though the subject matter (a U2 concert) is fun enough, this is a film that is first and foremost a technological show-off—and deservedly so.
The experience of sight and sound that one encounters in U23D is undeniably breathtaking. When the film—directed by longtime U2 visual effects collaborator Catherine Owens—begins with the bang that is "Vertigo," it takes a few minutes to adjust to the 3D gimmick (and make no mistake, it is a bit of a gimmick). But by the second song ("New Year's Day") the film's rapturous energy and high-impact sensory-overload has you in its grip. High-definition 3D cameras soar above the stadium crowds, swooping and weaving in and around the band and the screaming throngs with cell phone "lighters" in the air. It's a strikingly immersive experience, and were it not for the conspicuous lacking of concert smells (sweat, beer, controlled substances) and touch sensations (sweat, wind, rambunctious bodies), you might think you were there.
Bono plays to the crowd
Filmed over the span of seven shows in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina, U23D puts the spectator right in the midst of a stadium concert experience from the band's 2006 Vertigo tour. Similar to the various HBO-aired concerts (Justin Timberlake, Madonna, etc), U23D comes about a year after the tour ended, providing a cheaper "better late than never" alternative for those of us who missed the live experience. Of course, such concert films typically don't even compare to actually being there, but U23D comes awfully close.
Smartly eschewing traditional "concert film" elements such as backstage interviews and behind-the-scenes photography, U23D instead puts all the attention on the concert itself. And what a concert it is. Those who have seen U2 live can attest to their pulsating passion and inspiring stage presence. But at least half of the power comes from the audience, and I'm not sure I've ever seen audiences quite like the ones featured in this film. A fierce, revolutionary fervor rumbles forth from the soccer stadiums in Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires—unleashed by high-impact songs like "Beautiful Day" and politically-charged anthems like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Bullet the Blue Sky."
The Edge and Bono
Indeed, the concert as a whole is highly political (perhaps "activist" is a better word) in tone—even for U2. Perhaps invoking the Latin American revolutionary spirit of Che Guevera, Bono hypes up the crowd with calls for unity and solidarity against war and injustice. Always the pop-provocateur, the "sunglassed-one" dons his infamous "Coexist" headband through a multiple-song cycle. The headband uses the crescent symbol of Islam as the "C," the star of David as "x," and the Christian cross as the "t." Bono then repeats a universalist-sounding quip in which it sounds like he's saying, "Jesus, Jew, Mohammed is true, all sons of Abraham" while various "togetherness" images and words flash on the massive jumbotrons behind him. But many other U2 fans who caught the Vertigo tour insist that Bono is saying, "Jesus, Jew, Mohammed … it's true, all sons of Abraham," which could be interpreted quite differently. The former quote seems to imply that all three religions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—are all equally "true," a claim which Christians among U2 fans might find unsettling. But the latter quote seems to only claim that all three—Jesus, Jew, Mohammed—are descended from a common father, Abraham, a much more accepted statement. The fact that this sequence occurs during "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," an anti-war song, seems to indicate that Bono is merely calling for peace based on the common ground of our historical roots. Whatever one's interpretation, the crowd in the film loves this segment, and it's all in the name of love (to use a U2 phrase).
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