Fridae

Sometimes you have to wonder about product cannibalisation. As it is, Glee: the 3D Concert Movie splices footage from two live performances featuring songs from the first two seasons of the television series. There are no new numbers; everything you hear in this film, you would have either seen in the series or heard in the cast albums. Heck, you might even have bought the Glee movie soundrack over iTunes already.

The concert film consists of sets from the live performances, backstage footage with the cast who for some reason insist on being in character for their awkward segments, and some documentary-like footage of the fans who attended the concert.

The backstage footage is mystifying since there’s no explanation why the Glee club would have a nationwide concert or a film made about them, and with all the adult characters (notably Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester, easily my favourite in the series) conspicuously missing.

To my completely untrained eyes and ears, the live performances presented here (aside from a few pieces by Lea Michele and Amber Riley) are mostly pre-recorded with less Auto-Tune and more reverb. The visuals tend to be matched with the audio from different live performances, so background singers appear to be out of sync with the music. That’s not to say that this is a dud. The cast of Glee do perform with sincerity and energy, and they do possess a charisma that can charm socks off the audience. If you are already a fan of Glee, the concert segments won’t disappoint.

What many will love about this concert film is its focus on the Glee fandom. Various fans and concert goers are introduced and their inspiring life stories told. There’s a very short person, an eccentric girl with Asperger’s, and a young man who was ostracised for his sexuality in high school. I can’t imagine any other live concert film that would want to feature a bunch of ‘losers’ except for Glee – and this level of sincerity is very much appreciated.