ScreenWize

Who are the Jonas Brothers? They’re Generation Y’s version of The Monkees, an all singing, all dancing phenomenon prefabricated for your children’s entertainment by the House of Mouse, pressed from the same fabric as Miley Cyrus, whose show Hannah Montana they have appeared on. Australia seems to have dodged a bullet as far as the Jonas Brothers are concerned, and unless you have pay television (their show Camp Rock is on Disney) or have tweenage girls in your family, you are probably blissfully unaware of them. As it should be, because having experienced Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, I have to say they didn’t set my world on fire.

The film opens with the boys, Greg, Peter and Bobby… okay, kidding, actually Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas, going through their schedule on the day of the filmed concert, and segueing into a fun homage to the Beatles film Hard Days Night as the boys are chased through the streets of New York by thousands of screaming girls. What follows is pretty standard stuff as far as concert films go, following the formulae of two songs interspersed with ‘authentic’ backstage moments. These moments are interesting, observing the military precision the boy’s schedules must follow. The kids come across as quite grounded and genuinely excited about the hysteria around them.

Not much can be said for the music, which is formulaic, with only a few songs (Burning Up, Video Girl Syndrome) featuring decent hooks. Lead vocalist Joe has a serviceable voice and real charisma, and performs some amazing on-stage acrobatics with younger brother Nick, who does his best not to murder a tune. Not sure what oldest brother Kevin contributes aside from pointing and winking at the camera. Perhaps he’s the musical genius behind the trio, but I can’t work up the enthusiasm to google them to find out.

The film features two guest spots with other artists from the Disney stable, Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift. Swift is a star of the future, and I guess you can bet on her own 3D film in the pipeline, but Demi Lovato, whoever she is, oughtn’t give up her day job – there were more missed notes in her segment than at the Dead Letter Office. Real D 3D technology is definitely the way to watch a concert on the big screen, but director Bruce Hendricks doesn’t waste much time on 3D gimmickery. This is a pretty straight-down-the-line concert experience. Strictly for fans.

CK
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Filed Under: Reviews by Simon