Movie Review: Glee: The 3D Concert Movie

Let me go straight to the point and say that Glee: The 3D Concert Movie was straight up disappointing. And yes, I say this as a HUGE fan of the show. So, what went wrong?

I expected this movie to literally be a CONCERT experience just because I didn't get to catch the tour - which is impossible geographically! Haha - but what I got was an after school special. I seriously had no idea that this was one of Glee's attempts to make themselves more prominent as the "savior" of the underdogs. Really?

Two years ago, Glee established itself as a series that satirized high school life in a snarky and smart way complete with show tunes. The portrayals were indeed over-the-top, but the characters were human enough that it didn't make the series just about stereotypes. But as soon as the fans ate it up and confessed to have identified themselves with the characters, the show became self-conscious and turned it into a life long mission to end bullying.

Sure, there's nothing wrong with that, but that little snarky, satirical show with a heart of gold that had the power to inspire people, WITHOUT EVEN TRYING, was gone. Instead of a fun experience with the concert and whatnot, all I got was a movie about how important Glee has become. Seriously? I loved Glee for the fluff, and not this! Maybe it's a bit cold-hearted, but I didn't really care much for the three Glee fans they introduced. No offense against them, but the self-congratulatory vibe that I got was annoying.

If it was just a couple of mini-testimonials here and there, it would've been fine. But to follow these fans in their schools and homes complete with crying and re-enactments of their "life changing" stories, everything felt a little forced and heavy-handed.

See! Notice how I'm almost halfway into the review and I didn't even mention a single thing about the performances! Sigh. Good thing, the musical numbers were amazing that it somehow - though not completely - made me forget about the weird fan narrative. To me, this should have been front and center and not the fans and how Glee changed their lives. I only wanted to see the CONCERT and by adding those stories made everything disjointed.

I even hated the fact that some songs and performances were cut off at the beginning just to give way to the interviews. Transitions were frustrating!

Of course, the 3D technology didn't help one bit. Just like in Justin Bieber's Never Say Never, putting it in 3D was pointless. I couldn’t concentrate on the performance with Finn Hudson’s huge head coming at me. The hands waving in front of my face was utterly distracting. WTF!

All that being said, I still love Glee and the characters make the show worth watching. As for the film, it wasn't as bad as Justin Bieber's - or maybe I just wasn't his target audience - but I was overly underwhelmed. This should have been called Glee: The Concert Documentary instead. Just saying.

RATING: 5/10