Is One Direction's 3D movie really worth your $22?

This was originally posted on the Macleay Newsroom website.

We review This is Us and here’s the verdict.

***

To be brutally honest, no it’s not. It’s also not worth watching it in 3D (which is what bumped admission up to $22).

But despite the ridiculous ticket price, the doco has still nabbed the top spot in box office sales, according to this report.

In a nutshell:

The movie follows the biggest boy band – Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson – around the world on their Take Me Home tour. Fans get an insight into their behind-the-scenes antics and life away from the One Direction phenomenon.

The good stuff:

As a One Direction fan, I thought the movie was great, just not worth all the cash. It definitely ticks all the boxes that makes it enjoyable to watch. It’s nice to see another side to the boys, like their funny banter and cheeky personalities that Directioners love.

The movie also provides screaming teenage girls (and their less-than-impressed boyfriends) with plenty of eye-candy – there are lots of shots of the guys shirtless – and a chance to sing along with the five lads and pretend they’re at a 1D concert. Being in 3D means you can reach out and lightly (or roughly, whatever floats your boat) stroke Harry’s dimpled cheeks. I have to hand it to the director Morgan Spurlock: the CGI concert snippets throughout the documentary are pretty cool.

The not-so good stuff:

It feels like a repeat of their 2012 TV movie, One Direction: A Year In The Making. Both documentaries show their life before X-Factor, their X-Factor journey and life after the reality show propelled them into the stratosphere.

When you compare this to Justin Bieber’s 3D documentary Never Say Never it doesn’t make the cut. While audiences walked into Bieber’s movie expecting just an hour-long concert movie, they walked out with new found respect for the superstar. That’s what This Is Us lacked – it didn’t give the audience a new perspective on the 1D boys.

The other major let down was the overpriced tickets and the fact that it didn’t need to be in 3D, which would save audience’s $4 on ticket price.

All in all, it was a fun documentary, but maybe wait until it’s on DVD.

Rating:

For the film: 7/10

For the price: 0/10

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