For those of you that are not already aware… I am a GLEEK. I absolutely adore the television show! Having said that, I am going to keep (or at least attempt to keep) my review as objective as possible.
GLEE: THE 3D CONCERT MOVIE is… well… just what it says in the title. It is a 3D concert put on by the cast of GLEE, while they remain in their characters from the show. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), Finn Hudson (Corey Monteith), Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris), Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale), Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley), Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman (Mark Salling), Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron), and the rest of the cast, as well as a few surprises make their way on stage performing songs from the hit FOX television show.
After seeing such films as JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER in 3D, I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed in this film. First off, this is supposed to be a concert put on by New Horizons, the show choir from William McKinley High School, which is all fictional. They keep the actors in character, which is understandable for what they are trying to do, but for some odd reason it just doesn’t work well. I think it’s because when they show the preparation for the show, with the cast members backstage, it feels too fake. Part of the appeal (for a 3D concert film) is to see real preparation. I want to experience the real emotions that the singer/musician/dancer etc. is going through before they go onstage, and even catch some real shenanigans behind the scenes. By having actors respond as their characters just really took me out of things. I don’t know… I really enjoy how they do things on the show, but it just wasn’t executed very well for the film. Maybe it’s because the characters we all know and love are underdogs, yet they are playing a big concert. It could have all been thought out and executed in a much better fashion.
Another giant disappointment is the fact that they do not play songs in their entirety. Instead, they do snippets, and then cut to clips, or the behind the scenes footage. The songs are all rushed. With the word “concert” in the title, I expected to hear the songs in their entirety! I don’t need all of that filler. Give me the songs that I have grown to love! With all of the random filler, they should have given it a different title. One of my favorite concert films is THE LAST WALTZ, which is the last concert, in entirety, by The Band. I am certainly not trying to compare the two films, because I am a firm believer in taking each movie for what it is worth… for what it is meant to be, but a concert film should be a concert. THE LAST WALTZ didn’t need filler, flashy effects, or extra content, it was about the music. The music from the show is what fans are there to see, and GLEE: THE 3D CONCERT MOVIE should have delivered with, at least, that much.
The 3D itself was ok. It could have been better, but it also could have been worse. Still, there was no real need for it. If it were a real concert movie, it could have been a cool tool (hehe… I rhymed!) in making the audience feel more involved in the show. I’m getting kind of tired of the overuse of 3D when it is not necessary.
Also, anything more than a few shots of screaming fans is always too much… (I really don’t think I need to add more to that.)
So… the film was entertaining, but the filler and lack of complete songs left me slightly annoyed! (Don’t worry… I still love GLEE!)
OVERALL RATING: 2.5 out of 5 stars
