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'U2 3D' makes band seem touchable, huge

Film Notes U2 3D DIRECTED BY: Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington STARRING: Bono, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr, The Edge and U2 performers as themselves RUNNING TIME: 85 MINUTES TAIWAN RELEASE: TODAY

U2 3D opens to staccato bursts of sound and the sight of people running. It could well be a deleted scene from Cloverfield, but the monster in question here isn't that film's Godzilla-like invader but something even more insidious. Run! It's Jumbotron Bono! Run for your lives!

You could say that with U2 3D, somebody has finally marshaled a way to capture the force of the great Irish band's sound as well as the size of its lead singer's ego. What cannot be debated is the stunning visual clarity of this concert movie, which was filmed during four stadium concerts in Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Santiago during the final leg of the band's Vertigo tour.

The filmmakers also shot some close-up footage of the band performing without an audience, so that when Bono sings "wipe your tears away" in Sunday Bloody Sunday, his hand almost seems to come through the screen with a handkerchief to do the job for you. (Another nice touch here: The filmmakers drop all extraneous sound during this segment, so you hear just Bono's voice and The Edge's guitar.)

U2 3D could have used a few more original touches like that. As it stands, its innovation lies in its format, which is a godsend for people who have no use for stadium shows but wouldn't mind experiencing the virtual sensation of standing near the stage while The Edge creates his impossibly full wall of sound.

The 85-minute movie showcases 14 songs from a typical 23- to 24-song set. With the exception of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, all the usual suspects are rounded up - One, With or Without You, (Pride) In the Name of Love - as well as Miss Sarajevo (minus Pavarotti, of course) and two lesser-known songs from Vertigo.

The 3D effect succeeds best at showing the immensity of the stadium venues. Cell phone illumination makes the cheap seats resemble a hillside dotted with lights from small homes. When Bono and Adam Clayton venture out on separate platforms during Where the Streets Have No Name, you get a real idea of the vast distance between them.

Seeing that so directly, you can't help but marvel at something generally taken for granted - the ability of a great rock band (be it the Stones, U2 or E Street) - to command a titanic space with precision. U2 3D may feel at times like a truncated greatest-hits parade, but short of being right in the thick of it, you won't feel or see those hits delivered more directly.
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