Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man

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

"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.

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!"

If I hadn't known this was a Cirque du Soleil production I'd have thought some really creative CGI work was at hand, but this IS A Cirque Di Soleil production so I know better.

Cirque du Soleil have always been masters at pushing our imaginations with the aid of their performers who push our understanding of just what the human body can do. As for this production, the performances are weaved together by another Master of his craft: Sir Ian McKellan as "The Narrator".

I did not find the story to be trite nor the performances to be stale. As with any other Cirque du Soleil experience not filmed in front of a live audience, Cirque du Soleil showcases a few acts by interweaving them into a new storyline for not only fans of but also to give people who had never seen a Cirque du Soleil production in person a sense of what they are all about.

While I will agree with a few comments as to the length of the video, there is an old show business adage: always leave 'em wanting more...and that they have done!

The storyline, the costumes, the characters, the music, the prrformances...for these eyes it was all top notch and didn't disappoint.

The acts were marvelous. The outdoor scenery was wonderful. And Cirque reveals its dark side in several of the acts -- the closing of the Bungee acrobats scene comes to mind. I would give this feature a PG rating or maybe PG-13. Those who have seen Quidam/Mystere/O will have a sense of reunion with some long-lost friends. None of the sense of wonder I originally had with these wonderful live shows is lost in the IMAX format.

The narrator's script is the absolute pits. It is just way too pompous and serious for the material. I fondly wish that Woody Allen could do a post-production overdub of the voice in the grand style of "What's Up, Tiger Lily (1966)". Now, *that* would be fun!