Film review: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL – WORLDS AWAY (3D), from Built For Speed
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3d brings the famed Canadian theatre circus to the cinema screen. The film comprises a selection of segments from their various live shows which are loosely connected by the romantic story of a young woman (the pixie-like Erica Linz) entering a circus fantasy world to search for a bare-chested muscleman acrobat (Igor Zaripov).
The story which, in addition to the two lovers, features leaping lizard men, Kung Fu masters and giant plastic bugs, doesn’t make a lot of sense. Still, we don’t watch Cirque du Soleil for the narrative, we watch it for the spectacle and on that level the film generally succeeds, with astonishing acrobatics, eye-watering contortionists, dynamic wire fighting and elaborate stage settings. All these aspects benefit greatly from the 3d format but not the odd framing of shots that occasionally fails to capture the most exciting aspect of the performance.
Less welcome are the justifiably maligned arts of water ballet, clowning and mime which feature a little too prominently in some of the segments.
Each set piece is backed by distinctive music and while the Beatles mash-up taken from the Love show is rousing, some of the scented candle, new-age symphonies that feature in other segments are nauseating.
For Cirque du Soleil fans this is will no doubt be a must-see. For those who haven’t seen Cirque du Soleil and who were sceptical of the format, this highlights reel is a fair introduction as long as you can handle the girning clowns.
Nick’s rating: Three stars.
Classification: G
Director(s): Andrew Adamson
Release date: 21st Feb 2013
Running time: mins.