Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience Blu-ray Movie Review

The baby-faced pop sensations storm Blu-ray with a high-quality release...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 20, 2009

With a spiral notebook in hand, heavy lines chiseled across my brow, glasses sliding down the bridge of my nose, and The Jonas Brothers: 3-D Concert Experience spinning in my Blu-ray player, it occurred to me that my old-man metamorphosis is nearly complete. Perhaps it was the disdain I felt for the parents who allowed their daughters to fawn and fall over a trio of scruffy-haired, guitar-wielding cherubs; perhaps it was the young girls attending the live performance, acting as if Christ himself had descended from the clouds and set foot on the Anaheim, California stage; or perhaps it was the distaste I felt for singer Joe Jonas' pretentious preening and conceited look ma, I'm a clean-cut rock star! stage presence. Whatever it was, I aged a good twenty years over the course of an 89-minute performance. Ah well, love em or hate em, you have to admit the Jonas boys give their fans what they want, and do it in style.

If this image does anything for you, read on. Otherwise, there are plenty of other reviews to read...

Shamelessly pandering to the millions of weepy teenage girls who constitute the boys' fanbase, The Jonas Brothers: 3-D Concert Experience barrels along with the forced intensity and superficiality of a summer-camp romance. Fueled by hormones and cases of Red Bull, the sweat-soaked trio drift through a sea of raised hands, pursing their lips and pointing their fingers at the camera as if their very careers depended on the narcissistic energy of their every gesture and expression. The concert itself is primed for a generation of teens raised on Ritalin: its neon-drenched stage lights are aggressive enough to eliminate epileptic enthusiasts, candid footage of the boys and their ecstatic fans peppers the presentation, and Kevin, Joe, and Nick make more grand entrances in two shows than most bands make in an entire tour (I drew a personal line when Nick, eyes closed and hair drooped across his forehead, rose out of the floor playing a white piano).

Unfortunately, it doesn't feel cohesive, just chaotic. It's almost as if the brothers go out of their way to simultaneously say, "look, we're exactly like you," "look, we're a wholesome alternative to other less savory boy bands," and "look, we're unobtainable demigods of teen rock!" The wide-eyed awe they exhibit when marveling at the magnitude and exuberance of the crowd outside of the arena is a welcome respite from the band's on-stage presence, but it also feels contrived; a nod to the cameras and, more specifically, the parents watching at home. I spent the majority of the concert nursing an overwhelming desire to introduce the young attendees to better, more worthwhile bands. The Beatles, Radiohead, The Kaiser Chiefs, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, The White Stripes, Coldplay, Wilco, The Shins, Keane... anyone other than the seemingly overhyped trio at hand.

Still, I'm glad I'm not nursing a migraine. With a short and manageable runtime, the performance is at least digestible. Teenage girls will obviously get the most out of every minute, but parents forced to endure the Jonas' underdeveloped harmonies and predictable tunes should be able to stomach it fairly well (even though a preemptive dose of Pepto Bismol and a heart-to-heart conversation about idolizing shallow pop stars, even boys-next-door like these, will certainly help). And that's what it all comes down to: if you're old enough to vote, you won't get much out of The Jonas Brothers: 3D Concert Experience other than the embarrassment of wearing a pair of flimsy 3D glasses in front of your kids. This one's aimed squarely at your daughters and should be approached as such. Drop it in your cart if her pleas melt your hardened parental heart... just remember to have that chat I mentioned before handing over the remote.

Songs on the 3D Concert Experience include:

1. Tonight (Opening Credits)
2. That's Just the Way We Roll
3. Hold On
4. BB Good
5. Goodnight and Goodbye
6. Video Girl
7. Gotta Find You
8. This is Me
9. Still In Love with You
10. Pushing Me Away
11. Should've Said No (with Taylor Swift)
12. Love is On Its Way (Music Video)
13. S.O.S
14. Burning Up
15. Can't Have You
16. A Little Bit Longer
17. Love Bug (Bonus Performance)
18. Shelf (Bonus Performance)
19. Live to Party
20. Play My Music

The Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like a wad of watermelon bubblegum caked on the bottom of your shoe, Disney's dazzling 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer will leave a lasting mark on your retinas. From blazing blues to simmering magentas, the Jonas Brothers and their screaming fans are continually bathed in vivid stage lights and striking spots. Artifacting and crush hinder the image from time to time, but more often than not, the picture remains clean and stable regardless of what the boys throw its way. Whites are crisp, blacks are deep, and dimensionality is astounding. Sure, slightly soft shots occasionally mar the proceedings -- as does the inconsistent quality of the backstage footage sprinkled throughout the performance -- but any resultant shortcomings should be attributed to the shoot itself rather than the technical transfer. As it stands, overall detail is refined and revealing, textures pop, and edges are quite natural. I didn't encounter any noise reduction or unsightly post-production nonsense, any significant banding or aliasing, or any other major distractions. The very nature of the production leads to some uneven visuals, but it doesn't detract from the positive aspects of the presentation.

All things considered, The Blu-ray edition of The Jonas Brothers: 3-D Concert Experience won't give fans or critics much to complain about (at least from an AV perspective). Whether you select the 2D or 3D version of the concert, Disney's BD-50 disc offers a solid, at-times gorgeous transfer that thoroughly trounces its standard DVD counterpart.

The Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Jonas Brothers: 3-D Concert Experience arrives on Blu-ray with a commanding DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track hampered only by the erratic sonics that inevitably accompany the concert's multi-sourced backstage footage. Anytime the cameras focuses on the stage show, the boys' lyrics, guitar riffs, pulsing drum beats, and piano melodies sound absolutely fantastic. Fidelity is pitch-perfect, LFE support is powerful and resonant, and aggressive rear speaker activity inserts the raging crowd directly into the track's thoroughly convincing soundfield. There's so much going on at any given moment that the concert could have easily become a garish assault on the senses, overwhelming anyone unfortunate enough to step in front of a speaker. To its credit though, masterful prioritization and deft directionality ensure that every strummed string, weighty downbeat, and crystal clear high note fall precisely into place.

And the aforementioned backstage footage? It certainly doesn't sound bad -- on the contrary, it bests the audio quality of most Blu-ray documentaries -- but unavoidable air hiss, pinched voices, unwieldy crowd noise, intermittent distortion, and minor anomalies hold it back from greatness. Still, it's tough to complain about such inherent issues when the rest of the track packs such a hefty punch. Fans can breath a sigh of relief: Disney has produced an excellent lossless track for the Jonas Brothers' Blu-ray debut.

The Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 3-disc Blu-ray edition of The Jonas Brothers: 3-D Concert Experience offers both 2D and 3D versions of the performance, four pairs of 3D glasses, an extended 89-minute cut of the movie itself (with two additional songs: "Can't Have You" and "A Little Bit Longer"), two bonus songs from the cutting room floor (HD, 8 minutes), and Up Close and Personal (HD, 15 minutes), a semi-decent behind-the-scenes featurette that gives the Jonas boys a chance to reflect on their tour, careers, and fame. A 2D edition DVD and a standard definition DisneyFile digital copy disc are included as well.

The Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Will The Jonas Brothers: 3-D Concert Experience appeal to you? It depends... are you a teenage girl? Does your daughter have posters of squinty-eyed musicians hanging on her walls? Do any of the above screenshots make you swoon? If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are this release is already on your radar. But regardless of your affinity (or lack thereof) for the Jo-Bros (nope, I didn't make that one up), purchase with confidence: the 3-disc Blu-ray edition features an impressive video transfer, a dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, and a few enticing bonuses for good measure. My music tastes lie elsewhere, but Jonas Brothers fans (and their Mastercard-packing parents) will be pleased with the value and quality of this release.