I have to admit this wasn't exactly as I thought it would be. I once saw John Williams in concert at the Chicago Symphony and it was AMAZING. He played so many of his iconic pieces of music and in the background scenes from those movies were projected. I thought this recorded concert event would be something like that. While Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert didn't project scenes from the movies in the background, you were still transported to how you felt when you watched the movies as each piece of music played. I'm not sure if he played one piece of music from each movie or if it was a compilation of pieces from each movie, but all of it was wonderful. The musicians were very good. Many of them had a bit of a staring role with each song. They really played into the drama with their outfits/costumes, make-up and movements/facial expressions. It's like some of the musicians were playing characters. The interviews were interesting. They focused on the music and the process by which it was created and/or the inspiration behind it. The interview with Zendaya was particularly moving and added another layer of context to the Lion King movie. Since this was a concert I thought the show would be contained there. However, they expanded the story to other locations for the film, and they tied it back to the concert in an interesting way. The opening scene was mesmerizing. I bet it would be a fun concert to see in person as the room would feel electric with the beating of the drums, the lightshow, and the passion with which the musicians played.
Now for a little bitter to go along with the sweet. The camera work was annoying. If you didn't mind watching the Blair Witch Project, you'll probably be ok with this. At times the camera work was almost nauseating. Camera going in circles around people until the viewer felt like they were spinning too. Fast edits from one thing to another, jumping in and out, left, right and all over. I had to really concentrate on the music because for me it was distracting. Maybe other people weren't bothered by it.
Having said that though, I'm still glad I saw this concert film and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates the role music plays in a movie and celebrating a truly talented composer. At the end I felt like going home and rewatching the movies.
