I am always appreciative of extra efforts made by producers to improve their work, even if it means spending more. I know that these are done mostly with an eye towards the box-office. Make a better or I should say, more commercial movie or concert and more people would watch. With more people watching, the box-office will keep on ringing merrily counting the money as it comes in. Still, I get this feeling that what I think matters and as an audience, I am important.
I hope that that was what the producers of Glee: The 3D Concert Movie had in mind when they decided to shoot the picture in 3D. Yes, the Glee phenomenon has made it to the big screen and in 3D yet. This is the documentary of The Glee Live In Concert Summer 2011 Tour featuring the young cast as seen from the point of view of fans and from backstage during a New Directions concert tour. The mood is upbeat throughout and a celebration of how diverse human beings do make ours a better world if they are united by music. As the Gleeks say with utmost emphasis, “It gives a story to everyone who doesn’t have a voice.”
Glee, the movie, is now showing in theaters on 3D. That means, it is bigger than the TV show and that it is as big as the effects laden spectaculars we now get regularly. It made the concert movie sound, what else, but doubly important. Now, saying it is in 3D might be good for the promo but I do not see anybody in Glee kicking an enemy off to high heavens like Kung Fu Panda does. That is great stuff for 3D. I also do not see anybody flying out to the audience in broomsticks like they do in the Harry Potter movies. Truth to tell I see no way for 3D to enhance anything that happens in Glee. In fact, in some instances, the 3D effects distracted from the musical numbers and distorted the heads and bodies of the actors. There was no need for 3D in Glee.
That said though, I can honestly say that there is a lot for Gleeks to enjoy in this movie. Glee is mainly about the music and all your favorite songs from the show are here, performed live by the cast. From Don’t Stop Believing, which has become the theme song of the series to Kurt’s moving I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Britanny’s soulful I’m A Slave 4 U to Puck’s amusing Fat Bottomed Girls, Santana’s heartfelt Valerie and even Forget U done by concert guest Gwyneth Paltrow, and all the other memorable tunes, this Glee movie does not disappoint.
I admit I am somewhat disappointed that Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch are not in the picture. His Somewhere Over the Rainbow would have made a nice quiet moment and her Vogue, would have been a great number for the ensemble. Still the cast is all here and bigger than we have ever seen them before. Diana Agron, Chris Coffer, Cory Monteith, Lea Michelle, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Darren Criss, Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, Mark Sailing, Chord Overstreet and all the others are all in the show.
You know how it feels while watching Glee on television and wondering what song a character will perform for a particular moment? You get them one after the other in the movie. I counted 23 songs in all and that is more than any episode or Glee soundtrack album ever had. And people are singing and moving to the beat on their seats throughout the movie, joyfully imbibing all that energy coming off the movie. That is how irresistible those songs are. Sing, Happy Days Are Here Again, Get Happy, Raise Your Glass, PYT (Pretty Young Thing), Silly Love Songs, Don’t Rain On My Parade, Teenage Dream and others.
And speaking of Teenage Dream, this is the song that has made Kellen Sarmiento, the youngest Gleek in existence a viral phenomenon. Four-year-old Kellen who, by the way, is Filipino, lives in San Diego and adores Darren. His mother posted a video of him doing Darren’s moves to Teenage Dream in his little Warbler uniform on the net. He has since then received two million hits and been noticed by Darren and the Glee cast and producers, earned the tag of Mini Warbler and made it to the Glee movie.