Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man

"Cirque du Soleil - the Journey of Man" is a visually stunning 3-D film that would be more rewarding if it was longer than 40 minutes and had a fuller message. As is, it serves as an enticement to see the complete Cirque du Soleil performance whether in person in Las Vegas or by recorded videotape. The stream of consciousness involving the little boy becoming an aging man symbolizing his development is not intuitively complete. In showing man's self discovery and his experiences of love and joy with us, the film fails to bring us his uniqueness and his identity. It may be enough, for some, just to see the virtuoso acrobatics of the four set pieces - the underwater magic of five synchronized swimmers, the quartet trapeze artists dangling on rope who twirl their bodies forward rhythmically from their waists, the couple with precise control who raise and lower each other by sheer muscular strength on a water lily platform, and the finale involving multi-level players standing on each other's shoulders and the star figure jumping somersaults to reach a pinnacle. But these are merely appetizers that lead us astray, making us anticipate a piece-de-resistance that will not be forthcoming.

If you've watched the Cirque du Soleil shows on vhs/dvd there is really nothing new here, save for some cool drumming and a water ballet at the start. Everything else will be instantly familiar. CDS really should have found some fresh talent for a production of this magnitude. Any fan will tell you that while the old standard acts are still amazing, one wishes for something new. As I long I'm bashing a production that I otherwise love, The trite "story" of a man's life cycle is just that...trite. It adds nothing and actually detracts from what the viewer really paid to see...the performances. It was totally uneccesary, CDS seemingly thinks it's necessary to make each production into this mystical, deep and cosmic experience. It's just not necessary, they need to stick to what they are good at, extraordinary human tricks and some darn good music, anything else is just filler. 5/10

Though this is not the best of the cirque performances, it is worth watching when the conditions are right. I first saw this on an imax screen and it was fabulous, I went back to see it again! However, if you are going to watch a cirque show at home, this one is not the best. The acrobatic scenes are short and the narration scenes are long making for a awkward performance. If you do make it to the end though, you are rewarded with a meaningful message about life. If you have not seen any other cirque shows and happen to see this one first please know that they are not all like this, the average show is much heavier on the acrobatics, music and lighting and most shows do not have the forced narration and story line that this one features.

Cirque du Soleil The Journey of Man: This unique circus troupe from Montreal ha been a feature act in Vegas for several years, but does their act translate well to the big screen (and being IMAX I mean B-I-G!)?

The first three segments are particularly uneventful: synchronized swimming has never interested me inI in 2-D and don't care for it any more in 3-D; blasé trapeze work with women suited up to look like canaries (they're hooked up to bungees so there isn't even a sense of danger) and a surreal balancing act that does little more than flaunt beefcake. The final two segments are much better and take advantage of the 3-D experience: two "statues" (a painted duo) move in slow motion and perform an amazing balancing act, whereas the final acrobatic scene is extremely imaginative and well choreographed.

Next time you're in Vegas stop in for the whole show, but make the movie a miss.

Huh?

Overall, some very impressive acrobatics, but a sketchy, shaky plot line fails to hold it all together. My 3 year old liked it, but it would have been better if filmed and presented as, "Hey, look at us!"