Being a Cirque movie, I kinda knew what to expect (loose plot, allegorical imagery, etc.) but the visuals were really breathtaking. Seeing the acts up close, with vivid costumes and colours, it would look great even if it wasn't in 3D! It would have been great if they could put La Nouba in, and some of the touring shows, but time and logistics constraints didn't permit. So it is a sort of promotional film for Cirque's Las Vegas productions.
Generally speaking, the music composed specially for the movie was only mildly memorable. I had fun, though, identifying the existing themes and tunes from the different shows (there was even a bit of Simcha in the old-school circus at the beginning ;)
However, the one thing that bugged me after seeing the whole film was that there was too much Beatles! Although Zumanity didn't appear much (for the sake of family-friendliness perhaps), and as a whole the acts selected were awesome, it seemed to be one Beatles song after another. Cirque has always emphasised the use of Cirquish (an invented language) for lyrics, which does not distract us from the act. And to add insult to injury, Mystere only made a single appearance in the film (a cube act, I believe). How can the longest-running Cirque show in Vegas only merit a passing mention? Thank goodness Viva Elvis only made a single appearance (a trampoline act).
Nevertheless, the saving grace of the movie was the inclusion of much material from O and Ka. Ka really brought home the point that it was possible to do dramatic fight scenes live on stage, and 'O' showed us what was possible with water.
I'd still recommend Worlds Away to my friends, as a gateway into what Cirque du Soleil is about.
Generally speaking, the music composed specially for the movie was only mildly memorable. I had fun, though, identifying the existing themes and tunes from the different shows (there was even a bit of Simcha in the old-school circus at the beginning ;)
However, the one thing that bugged me after seeing the whole film was that there was too much Beatles! Although Zumanity didn't appear much (for the sake of family-friendliness perhaps), and as a whole the acts selected were awesome, it seemed to be one Beatles song after another. Cirque has always emphasised the use of Cirquish (an invented language) for lyrics, which does not distract us from the act. And to add insult to injury, Mystere only made a single appearance in the film (a cube act, I believe). How can the longest-running Cirque show in Vegas only merit a passing mention? Thank goodness Viva Elvis only made a single appearance (a trampoline act).
Nevertheless, the saving grace of the movie was the inclusion of much material from O and Ka. Ka really brought home the point that it was possible to do dramatic fight scenes live on stage, and 'O' showed us what was possible with water.
I'd still recommend Worlds Away to my friends, as a gateway into what Cirque du Soleil is about.