Rattle and Hum was such a cool movie experience (I saw it on opening night at Beaucatcher Cinemas back when Beaucatcher was the biggest and the best Asheville had to offer) that I couldn’t wait to see U2 in 3D.
If you enjoy U2, it is absolutely worth the $10.50 admission. It’s like being at their concert with the best seats in the house but without the jostling and the concert-going drunk guy sloshing beer on your shoes. It’s visually stunning, and the sound was surprisingly awesome—the opening riffs of With or Without You and Pride (in the Name of Love) literally made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I did some singing along and some dancing in my seat much to Minime’s horror. The 3D effects are ample, so it seems like you’re right there beside Bono or you’re close enough to Larry to bang on the drum along with him during Love and Peace or Else. It is interesting to note that even though you get insanely “close” to the band, you really don’t get too many sweaty facial zoom-ins like you do on the big screen at a real concert…perhaps someone decided I didn’t need to see if The Edge has crow’s feet or laugh lines?
It’s not the same as being there, sure, but when the camera sweeps over the audience, it’s so packed, I don’t think I’d want to have been there in the first place. It looked like it was miserably crowded and hot, with security giving out cups of water to sweltering concert-goers by the stage. If you want U2 without the drama of seeing a band that sells out arenas, check this movie out…you won’t have to pay to park, no one is trying to sell you $50 tshirts, no one will spill beer on you or puke near you, you’ll be able to actually see the band instead of craning your neck around the tallest person at the concert all night. It was really neat, and I’m quite happy I went.
Go while you can! It’s only showing 2 times per day at Carmike in Asheville.