U2 - The DVD Collector's Box
Chrome Dreams
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From their humble beginnings in a Dublin classroom to becoming the most influential band on the planet, U2 are without doubt the most important rock act of the past 20 years. These four friends have remained together against the odds, constantly reinventing the music that has inspired millions of fans around the world. An Unforgettable Journey takes fans behind the scenes to discover what it took for these everyday Irish lads to reach such stunning heights. Using interviews with the band and those who've known them along the way, this documentary takes you where the cameras haven't previously preyed, to achieve an uncensored look at a truly extraordinary band.

Informative -- absolutely. Entertaining -- not so much. That pretty much sums up U2 - The DVD Collector's Box Set, a packaged pair of unauthorized documentaries that patch together interviews from various sources.

U2: An Unforgettable Journey charts the rock band from their earliest days through to their present-day superstardom. The hour-long documentary uses a couple of sparse and superficial sound bites from the band with the vast majority of the discussion coming from various music folks with various levels of expertise. Bono: God's Favourite Son charts a similar path, only this time focusing in on the main singer rather than the entire group.

Being a big fan of U2's music, these documentaries did hold my interest. But this is largely because I don't read a lot about them or listen to much beyond their CDs. However, to the hardcore fan, there's likely little new to be discovered from these documentaries. The information contains a lot of overlap as well, giving them both a sort of generic VH1 sort of feel.

Video: How's it look?
Gleaming largely from archival television interviews, both documentaries are appropriately shown in full screen. The quality of the picture is a mixed bag given the various sources used to put it together.

Audio: How's it sound?
Sound is in a basic and bland stereo mix. However, because it's unauthorized there's no U2 music that gets destroyed in the process.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• U2 discographies breaking down every album the band has put out.
• Trivia games. Answer all the multiple choice questions correctly and solve a puzzle. But don't worry, even if you get the wrong answer you get second, third and, if necessary, fourth guesses to make amends.

Closing Thoughts
Although informative, these unauthorized documentaries feel more like they belong as bonus features on a bigger disc. There's a generic and distant feel to both that limit their replay value and the lack of real depth may turn off the big-time fans most likely to be interested in a release such as this.


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com