Lord of the Dance

[Beate]

And what was the bloody point of the 3D? We got an intro speech from someone who said they shot it all in 2D first and then converted it into 3D which cost three times as much and takes three times more people to do and three times this and three times that so I thought, why do it? You won't sell cinema tickets for three times the price and people won't b*y three times the amount of popcorn just because of it so just leave it out!

And then he said something about houserules and I stupidly thought this is the point where he tells people to put their cameras and phones away, but no, it was about social networking and that we should all do it and tweet about the film and the person with the most "likes" would get invited to the premiere and meet the man himself. I can't think of anything I would less like to do than meet a bloke with an ego the size of Ireland ("this is the best show in the world").

[ejwrank]

Well Michael Flatley certainly does NOT suffer from an inferiority complex. I didn't like the film either but there were lots of people raving about it (your OH for one Beate thought it was great!). It was so ridiculous with Flatley fighting against another group of dancers who were dressed as silly stormtroopers in order to capture the Lord of the Dance diamante belt! So incredibly silly. The encores went on and on and I thought it would never end.

I was glad to meet a_person, Beate and OH and then saw sunnysaver, her mum and auntie at the bus stop. They were seated in the back row too but on the side. I didn't realise sunny has never met a_person and always assumed they were buddies considering their colourful banter back and forth on the board!

[bevvy]

Well Michael Flatley certainly does NOT suffer from an inferiority complex. I didn't like the film either but there were lots of people raving about it (your OH for one Beate thought it was great!). It was so ridiculous with Flatley fighting against another group of dancers who were dressed as silly stormtroopers in order to capture the Lord of the Dance diamante belt! So incredibly silly.

Boy, am I glad that I was unable to get to this.

The plot sounds just as pathetic as that of the horse show thing at the O2 (Apassionata).

[Sunny Saver]

I LOVED IT... My mum and auntie gave it 6/10 and thought that 15 minutes was enough. However, I really enjoyed it. To me the time flew by and I was immersed in it, I would have happily clapped along, it's just no one was clapping near me (bit like going to a bl**dy football match and none of the other fans singing).

I could go and watch it again and again. It's one of those 'no need to think' "films".
Also everytime I heard Lord of the Dance it made me think of an anti-ManUre chant!

Hubby didn't want to go, so I guess if more tickets come up and he can go with me next time . I told him that I'd like him to be as fit as Flately when he's 52. I also told him I signed us up for dance classes every Tuesday night. He looked a bit .

Given that none of you seemed to like it then maybe I should do the facebook thing and if I'm the only one of us lot doing it, I might have a chance of winning.

[jeanelle]

The plot sounds just as pathetic as that of the horse show thing at the O2 (Apassionata).

There was a PLOT??

Actually you have to admire the precision and energy of the dancers. I bet those girls can eat anything they like.

[jennyw888]

Was bored after the first 15 minutes, was tempted to leave but end up staying to the end just in case the film got better. Bad decision overall not my kind of film would give it 4 out of 10.

[Kaybeelon]

The external factors were all perfect:
- the cinema was lovely
(except for some very cold air blowing straight onto me all the time),
- my seat was very comfortable,
- the projection extremely high quality, the sound excellent
(too loud for my taste but I am older than the average movie-goer and therefore perhaps less deaf),
- the dancers incredibly precise, well-rehearsed and energetic ...

... BUT unfortunately I have to agree with most of what has been said
(except Sunny Saver, sorry, but then again this is brilliant for you, as you won't have any competition in your attempt to meet the man himself.
Good luck! ) :
- the music was repetitive (very similar dynamics and most of the pieves in the same key),
- there was hardly any variation in the dances,
- it had no recognisable plot, fairly arbitrary beginning and end of what I suppose was meant to be a "story"
- Flately was hugely inflated ...

And I kept asking myself WHY did they have to film something in 3D which most of the time happens on a horizontal plane with no perspective? They would have had to change the whole choreography to get a proper 3D effect. Or they could have saved themselves some trouble by shooting in 2D as the main stereoscopic effect was on the front credits!

I find it difficult to imagine why anyone would want to produce this film, and the directing can't have been a terribly creative job, either, as there were no major changes to the stage show (I am told).

We got an intro speech from someone who said they shot it all in 2D first and then converted it into 3D which cost three times as much and takes three times more people to do and three times this and three times that so I thought, why do it? You won't sell cinema tickets for three times the price and people won't b*y three times the amount of popcorn just because of it so just leave it out!

I heard the director say that unlike others they did NOT shoot it in 2D and process it afterwards for 3D (I think he meant two 2D cameras instead of one 3D camera with something like two lenses or split lense) but that they shot it straight with 3D cameras. But so what? Big deal! Its the result that counts, isn't it.
The rest of what he said was nonsense. You do not need 3 times as many people. If anything it would be twice as many as "normal" film already has 2 dimensions but even that is nonsense as apart from the film cameras everything else should stay pretty much the same.

But regardless of what tools they used to achieve the 3D effect I don't think the result justified the effort!

In a way that intro was as inflated as the show that was to follow, so I couldn't complain he hadn't prepared me.

OH walked out after about 2/3 as he couldn't stand it anymore.
I had brought some friends so stayed with them (till the bitter end).

[valda]

well I must have left at the right time. I left when I thought the main show was over, but from what I read, there was lots more after that.

As fro the great man himself He is the Creator,Producer,Director of Lord Of The Dance, Feet in Flames and Celtic Tiger no less. grrrr

[prettyxcool]

I had no idea what I had come to see, thought it was a spiritual version of Riverdance and did not realise it was like a documentary recording of a live dance show. I enjoyed the film and would have loved to have seen it live! Granted it was repetitive and the story was rubbish, but I was impressed with the precision, professionalism, and energy. I just enjoyed the dancing. I liked the music too, thought some of it was soothing and beautiful, at other times I was carried away with the passion and enthusiasm, and tapped along. I know the repetition can grate on some people, but I really thought it was amazing, and having two left feet, I was very much in admiration. If you have ever done line dancing, you know what I mean, if you miss a beat or lose concentration for a second. The 3D was stupid - it made no difference and the glasses just got in the way. They should have saved the money. 7/10

The row behind must be fans as they clapped and whooped at the end of every dance, I really wanted to join them, but felt it just was not right in a cinema watching a film! Although towards the end I relented a bit and clapped along with them!

Thanks valda for taking me on your tix. Shame you had some annoying people in front and behind you. I thought you were going to change seats when you got up to go. Sorry you had such a bad experience and the film was not your thing. Nice to see Beate, her OH and a_person before the film. And afterwards to see Kaybeelon in the foyer and properly introduce ourselves!

Can the person who talked to me as she was coming down the stairs please let me know who you are? Sorry, I was busy talking to my friend when you waved at me and in the darkness I thought it was Beate waving goodbye and I waved back. It was only a second later I realised it was not Beate when you asked me if I enjoyed it, and I answered back, and then you had turned and went down the stairs before I could ask who are you!

[Kaybeelon]

the director said it was filmed in 2D and then converted to 3D... so it would take maybe 3 times the time of a normal film for the editors/3D effects and that is about it...

As both OH and I were sure we had heard 3D I got curious
and checked with the producer Vicky Betihavas.
I did not really expect a reply very soon, but just got the following e-mail:

"Hope you enjoyed the film today
It was indeed shot in Stereoscopic 3D
We had 5 x 3D rigs (with 2 cameras per rigs)
The show was covered over 4 nights
Post is done stereoscopically as well
we had 3D offline and then stereo grading and stereo colour grading was done in Stereo
so indeed a true stereoscopic production!"

Hope that helps?!?!