I am a fan of Cirque du Soleil, and have seen them twice in Vegas: their show Mystere, at Treasure Island, and O, at Bellagio. Both of these were a while ago (though I'm hoping to see a Cirque show when in Vegas next month!), but I still remember the artistry of their shows and the uniqueness of them. Worlds Away showcases more than five of these shows, while trying to string togeher a coherent story, and if you like Cirque you will like this film; if movies without words, for the most part, are not for you, then you will not.
The synopsis of this movie from IMDb is "Two young people journey through the dreamlike worlds of Cirque du Soleil to find each other." This is correct, except really the filmmakers only created this flimsy plot to hold together a film showcasing the world of Cirque, which is fine by me, as the sylph-like creatures, clowns, and people of that world are more interesting anyways. A girl goes to a circus and sees a handsome young man working there, basically, and goes to find him; a clown there shows her a picture of him, which is an advertisement for The Aerialist, the part he plays in the circus. She ends up getting lost in the Cirque du Soleil's world, so to speak, but finally (semi-spoiler) finds him in the end.
At first I didn't think the 3D was that great in this film, but as it went on, it did get better, and helped make the acrobatics more "real." Each of the scenes were based on Cirque's shows, including Mystere, O, Love (featuring songs by the Beatles), Zumanity, and more. It was interesting to note that there was no dialogue in this film at all, except for one scene where the main character says "Help!" Some of the songs played throughout do have lyrics, but in terms of words actually spoken by the characters, this was the only exception; it was almost like watching mimes, in some scenes. The music also was very melodic and instrumental for the first half of the movies, and then when the Beatles and other songs are introduced, they become more brash and loud.
Yes, see this film, but keep in mind what I said at the beginning: if you don't like acrobatics or abstract-type films, you won't like this movie. If you are a fan of Cirque du Soleil, however, or you'd like to be a fan, this is a great piece that will keep you very entertained throughout it's short one-and-a-half hour runtime.
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D is in theaters today, December 21st, and is not rated, with a runtime of 91 minutes. 4 stars out of 5.
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Liz Parker is a University of Michigan graduate with a degree in Creative Writing and Literature, and she loves going to the movies. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films