Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience - Deluxe Extended Edition

Teenage girls everywhere swoon for the clean-cut, chaste Disney-made pop band the Jonas Brothers. I must make a confession, before reviewing this Blu-ray I had never heard one of their songs. After viewing this Blu-ray I'm pretty sure I don't want to hear any of their songs again. They play some catchy pop music, but overall it's pretty generic. I'm getting all of this out at the beginning of the review, because people who are going to buy this are already fans.

The film follows the Jonas Brothers through some of their day-to-day shenanigans, while most of the film is comprised of footage from one of their concerts. They run in and out of radio stations in New York doing interviews, all the while being stalked by the city's teenage girl population. Some girls are so overwhelmed at the sight of them that they burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

Each and every one of the cutaway scenes feels extremely forced, almost scripted. When the brothers are at the table eating breakfast at the beginning of the film they shoo away a server. I guess that's how rock stars are supposed to act.

The concert scenes are like any other concert Blu-ray you've ever watched. Lots of lights, screaming fans, and sweaty singers. I don't care for their music, but your daughters do, and from what I can tell, most of it is harmless bubblegum pop.

Fans of the Jonas Brothers don't care what a man in his late twenties has to say about the band. I'm not sure I really care what I think either. It's 89 minutes of pop music belted out by three pubescent boys. You know exactly what you're getting into if you pick up this film, you don't need me to tell you.

The 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer from Disney is fairly flawless. Concerts are some of the most interesting events to watch in high definition. The flashing lights, the crowds of adoring fans all packed next to each other, and the myriad of colors. Whites from the spotlights burn white hot, while other colors like purple and blue are deep and rich. Blacks are consistently nice throughout.

Some of the non-concert footage falters a bit by not having the same quality as the concert, but this is mostly due to the filming, rather than a problem with the transfer. Some artifacting is noticeable at times, but, overall the transfer here is very well done.

The Blu-ray even comes with a 3D version and four pairs of cardboard red and blue 3D glasses. The 3D version is less than desirable. It's nauseating at times and all the colors are replaced by red and blue. Watching this in 3D got really old, really fast. It comes across as gimmicky instead of something that could help out the film. But don't worry, the disc has a very helpful feature: If you go back to the menu and pick the 2D version it will go straight back to where you were instead of starting over.

With its DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, Disney has produced a stunning soundtrack for the concert footage, but it does lack a bit when the back stage footage rolls around.

The concert, if you like music of the Jonas Brothers, sounds almost pitch perfect. The master audio track gives this an organic feel, like you were actually there, stuck in the middle of a bunch of screaming 14-year old girls. The track presents a fantastic blend of lyrics, guitars, and drums. In the rear channels you can hear the crazed crowd clearly.

Some of the backstage footage does suffer though. At times it's hard to hear dialogue. For example, when the brothers sit down to eat breakfast at the beginning I had to turn the sound up quite a bit just to hear what they were saying.

Overall, if you have a nice sound system, this soundtrack will keep your daughters jumping for joy.

The 2D and 3D versions are included on this Blu-ray. You also get 4 pairs of red/blue 3D glasses that feel like they were made from old cereal boxes. Two additional songs have been added to this 89-minute extended cut of the film, "A Little Bit Longer," and "Can't Have You."

• Up Close and Personal (HD, 15 min) - A small featurette where the boys get to talk about their tours, careers, lives, and how they deal with all of their fame. It was mildly interesting to me, but will probably be extremely interesting to fans.
  

It's hard for a man in his late twenties to review a concert film about young teenie-boppers. I'm not a fan of the music or of the Jonas Brothers, but I understand they have quite the following. For the people who love the Jonas Brothers, you'll love this film. Plain and simple. About the only piece of advice I can offer fans is not to bother with the 3D version of the film unless you have a strong stomachs. It gets pretty nauseating watching red and blue images through cardboard glasses.