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Cirque du Soleil - Journey of Man

Cirque du Soleil - Journey of Man

List Price: $24.95
Your Price: $22.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ENCORE!
Review: BRAVO! BRAVO!

[5 stars except for the extremely flat vowelled narration - sorry Ian ....it's just too preachy and jarring for the rest O'Toole? Better.....]

However, this is the kindof experience one needs after a long long week - just get home put this in theplayer and relax - like a bath for the soul and no aftertaste!

[except for the narration]

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: keep them coming!
Review: Cirque du soleil is one of the most intriguing artistics statements in our society today. This particular piece, as seen in 3-D Imax, makes a provocative, tasteful introduction to what Cirque represents. The scenes are wildly colorful and poignantly dramatic, so much so that it brought tears to my eyes! My only wish is that the DVD would ship as 3-D as well. If you have a chance to see this in IMAX do so before you watch the DVD. You will NOT be disappointed.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Perspective on Journey
Review: For the fan of Cirque, consider this the video equivalent of a souvenir program: beautiful but too short and too expensive. Let's face it, Cirque is best experienced live. Second best is "The Journey of Man" in IMAX 3-D. We thoroughly enjoyed it and it really took advantage of the 3-D format to not only showcase acts but also tell a story, all through the typically remarkable vision and design of Cirque's creators. The only thing that video offers over live is good multiple camera setups and editing to give you many points of view. On the multi-story IMAX screen Journey's visual effect is dazzling and the sound thunderous. Friends gave us the DVD for Christmas and my first question was, "does it come with the glasses?" Sadly, no. So at best, the Journey DVD is only a reminder of the 3-D IMAX experience, as any Cirque video can only be a reminder of the actual performance. But after all, I still leaf through my souvenir programs years later and I still watch the videos. How could I not? Cirque in any form is amazing.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I am a Cirque du Soleil fan and waited eagerly for the release of the Journey of Man. With the hype and previews, I expected this one to outshine the recent others. Much to my dismay, not only was it about half as long, but had only two acts I considered equal to their reputation.

Much of the time was taken up with scenes and music that are common to many a movie/performance. I normally love the story lines that accompany the performances, but this one spent way too much of the already short time on "nothing".

The two performances that were worth veiwing were still not enough to make me want to keep the video. I sent it back.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great but not the best
Review: I have been fortunate to see live performances of C du S's La Nouba and Quidam which were both exqusite and breathtaking. The originality that C du S brings to their performances brings out the child in me and every time I see them I am moved. This is what circus should be about. I have seen journey of man several times at the IMAX cinema at the Ontario sicence centre and it is only this large screen format which does this film justice all the acts in J of M are wonderful if a little short, but as a 29 year old man it always brings me to tears. I think I would recomend buying other C du S movies before buying this one, unless you are a die hard fan. However, I would also recomend not buying any and saving your money to go and see a live performance! Nothing can top the thrill of seeing a man flying around a theatre on red silken wings. go to http://www.cirquedusoleil.com where you can view excerpts from some of their shows.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Feast? Or Famine?
Review: I received this as a surprise, just in time for my birthday. How excited I was as I plopped the disk into my DVD player and sat back in joyous expectation of an hour or maybe 90 minutes of the sort of pure entertainment found in other Cirque du Soleil titles. We put a pizza in the oven. By the time the pizza was done, so was the damn film!

Journey of man is a visual feast for the eye but a famine for content. It is beautifully filmed in natural settings that appeal to my Pagan little heart. Moving from the sea, to a forest, to a rocky desert, it is visually entertaining. We move on to what appears almost like a Roman villa with classical statuary, which turn out to be performers who deliver an impressive strength demonstration. Then we move on to a stylish set that might conjure in the mind a more modern estate for the closing performance.

The problem is, that closing performance comes surprisingly soon. I was taken aback at how quickly the whole thing was over and done with. I thought I must be mistaken. I grabbed the shuck and checked the table of contents. Nope. There were no lurking "additional" scenes. No expanded version. I checked the running time, and it claimed the whole thing should run appx 39 minutes.

39 minutes! That's a grand total, folks. 39 whole, complete, total minutes! That includes the credits.

As I sat, feasting on pizza, I was disappointed right out of my skull with the famine of content found (or should I say 'not found') in Journey of Man. It was like a bad case of "visualis interruptus!"

Meanwhile, the basic premise that everything would be simply peachy if the world would break down and embrace "dreams, faith and love" struck me as horribly naive. How Septermber 10th! It is nearly as Pollyanna as Bush's claim our economy is fundamentally sound!

Caveat Emptor ~ the film is great visually, too bleeding short and stingy of content, has a message to deliver that is inherently juvenile and only 39 total minutes.
Being armed with this information, you make your own decision. It is a mixed blessing, feast or famine.
Investing in this DVD is the electronic equivalent of purchasing WorldCom or Enron stock!
Personally, I strongly recommend other titles in the C du S line.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: CIRQUE TO THE (I)MAX
Review: I saw "Journey of Man" in 3-D and felt I could catch the Banquine flyers in my lap. The movie is the next best thing to a live Cirque du Soleil show, even though nothing compares to the being there. The soundtrack, written by Benoit Jutras, not only proves to be a great background for the film, it is great to listen to even without visuals. I hope this movie is eventually released on DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: only too short!
Review: I saw Journey of Man in IMAX and was very impressed by it. The wonderful Cirque du Soleil acts we have become accustomed to are as good as ever and set as they are in beautiful landscapes, they become even more beautiful in a surreal but intimately familiar way. From the grace of an underwater ballet to the lively banquine, every act is a gem. I especially liked the dance of two human marble statues with the theme of "Love". In addition, the soundtrack is inspiring and lovely.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: only too short!
Review: I saw Journey of Man in IMAX and was very impressed by it. The wonderful Cirque du Soleil acts we have become accustomed to are as good as ever and set as they are in beautiful landscapes, they become even more beautiful in a surreal but intimately familiar way. From the grace of an underwater ballet to the lively banquine, every act is a gem. I especially liked the dance of two human marble statues with the theme of "Love". In addition, the soundtrack is inspiring and lovely.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Magical -- a Feast for the Eyes and Mind
Review: I'd never seen a live Cirque du Soleil performance, so I expected some fine, but predictable acrobatics and sets. Nothing in this beautiful production is ordinary or predictable, and the decision to shoot it as an IMAX 3-D film was necessary to capture the essence of these fine actors and gymnasts. The 3-D experience combined with the exquisite performances are very powerful, and I saw many people in tears after the show.

The only dissapointment is that the movie ends too soon!


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