Documentaries and films have always been a method of promoting a band to their fans and to the general public. The Beatles were certainly no strangers to it and The Monkees actually began as a TV series band and only later began to tour as a fully fledged pop band. However, the real key to a male pop band and their success is really their die-hard fans, something that both of the above never really had a shortage of in the past.
The Beatles were essentially the first real “boy band”. Let’s be fair, Elvis was really the first man to instill mass hysteria amongst his female fans in a really big way. Girls would scream buildings down, faint in the aisles and generally throw themselves at the King. This trend continued in a very different way with Beatlemania, the band eventually refusing to play any more gigs to thousands of screaming women claiming they couldn’t even hear themselves play.
Every generation has their own boy band, sometimes they are even rival boy bands, this generation’s boy band, without any real competition, is most certainly One Direction. The band who began on the X-Factor have unexpectedly become a huge international phenomenon, selling out concerts and generating huge album sales worldwide. The have already been the subject of a documentary on ITV, it was only going to be a matter of time before they took to the cinema screens in their latest bid for worldwide domination… part 2.
Let’s get this straight from the beginning, this documentary is really for the fans. If you are under the illusion that you will be watching an analysis of the current pop industry and how it operates, then you are most certainly in the wrong place. Some have described the piece as propaganda and of course it is, produced by Simon Cowell and delivered by the team who bring One Direction to the general public, this was definitely conceived to promote the band, and their world tour, further.
The “documentary” itself is more of a behind-the-scenes look at the band while they embark on their World Tour. The band themselves are interviewed separately throughout the film, as are various members of their families and friends. This Is Us is basically a glimpse into the lives of the band, how they prepare for their shows, who they meet on their travels and how they deal with being the biggest band in the world. Despite the obvious benefits, this isn’t the easiest life for five pretty young guys who have to deal with missing their families and leaning on each other for support.
None of the bigger topics, and ones that would certainly be quite interesting, are dealt with it; there is no hint at all about the women in their lives, perhaps not to aggravate fans. The documentary never discusses whether these five guys are actually the best of friends, even though they keep emphasising the fact, or whether they actually got into something that they can’t really get out of. Their lives are most certainly not their own anymore, it is only a matter of time before the shine wears off.
However, the documentary does have a light side. Most of its running time shows five young boys who are just out touring and having some fun along the way. If you do like the tunes from the band, you will be happy to sit through some of their stage performances, the 3D actually works here and the effects are pretty amazing.
All in all, it’s not the music documentary you are looking for, but it is a fun ride. Even the parents who will be dragged to this multiple times will find it very difficult to not like this.
