You've probably heard it before (and live if you're one of the lucky millions), but it's a great way to whip fans into a frenzy. "Uno, dos, tres, catorce!" chants Bono, as he encourages the 80,000 Argentineans in the crowd to sing along with the intro to "Vertigo," the lead track on U2’s 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (and uber-familiar iPod commercial jingle). Appropriately, the Spanish call-to-arms is an effective way to kick off the new multi-dimensional experience of U2 3D. But isn’t that what we look to U2 for these days - a highly dependable, stadium-rock fix? Well, despite the calculated opening, the film goes on to offer a fresh angle on a band as it closes the doors on three decades in the business. I'm not sure how true this is, but I’ve heard that Bono skips the fourth number and goes straight to "fourteen" in the Vertigo lyrics, as a nod to Dismantle, the band’s fourteenth full-length album. After watching U2 3D, I couldn’t help but feel the recorded performance SHOULD have been that fourteenth release, hitting fans with a mind-numbing live record instead of the almost-phoned-in album from which much of the U2 3D music was culled.

Filmed over two nights in March of 2007 in Buenos Aires, in front of the expected capacity crowds, U2 3D is the very first digital 3-D concert film, and it’s easy to understand why the filmmakers went with U2 to headline such a big screen event. U2 has long been known for its innovative live experiences: they seamlessly incorporated those massive and memorable video screens into their Zoo TV tour and later graced one of the longest and intimate stages for All That You Can’t Leave Behind. What’s most impressive about U2 3D is that it manages, for the first time in years, to turn the world’s biggest band - and its four 2-D icons - back into a group of living, breathing musicians reminiscent of their less-glamorous days of the War era. Well, it certainly gives you an intimate, up-close and personal look at the band in close quarters from a variety of angles. Simply put, you get to understand the band's relationship to their environment and how it relates to their own dynamic.

Oddly enough, the feature contradicts what many similar filmmakers set out to accomplish. When I first heard that U2’s live show would be turned into a 3D movie, I assumed the objective would be to bury fans in an avalanche of inconceivable masses and larger-than-life rock stars. Instead, Bono and friends leap from the screen and into your lap (it is 3D, remember), appearing not only human but also approachable as normal guys. Sure, the aging rockers are a bit more preserved than they were a decade ago and the songs aren't quite as well-executed as shows in their prime, but the 3D sound is absolutely fantastic. Much like the tone of the 3D experience, the sound isn't over-produced at all. In fact, for music fans, the incredible 5.1 surround will be the best reason to pry yourself away from your iPod in favor of the IMAX. You can actually hear Larry Mullins Jr.’s sticks bouncing off the drumheads and, unlike a few previous releases, The Edge’s backing vocals.

In terms of staging and cinematography, both the band and the filmmakers deserve a ton of credit for holding back on giving fans a number of glossy Captain Eo moments solely designed to "show-off" the 3D medium. You'll be happy to know that Adam Clayton never stops once to shuffle a deck of cards or challenge anyone to a sword fight. Aside from a single shot where Bono’s mic-stand leans into the theatre at you, the novelty pitfalls of 3D are blessedly avoided. That’s not to say that the occasional natural moment of 3D serendipity - such as a sea of fans undulating in rhythm to "Pride (In the Name of Love)" - isn’t breathtaking to behold in the 3D environment.

At 85 minutes, the film ends well before your legs fall asleep. Really, the short run-time is only fitting for the charging pace of the shows coupled with the band's live energy. At fourteen songs, though - four of which hail from Dismantle - the set suffers from its myopic scope. Most of U2’s biggest hits find their mark on the set list, including "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Where the Streets Have No Name," "With or Without You," "One," and "Beautiful Day," plus a few surprises, such as "The Fly" and "Miss Sarajevo." I certainly won't lament the exclusion of anything from Zooropa nor Pop, but getting the opportunity to see U2 actually look and sound like a *band* again made me long for a few of their early cuts (pre-1985) or tunes from Rattle and Hum. Then again, although they pulled it off in the '80s, 120 minutes of U2 in a movie theater instead of a stadium would feel too awkward.

Although U2 failed to produce my "dream set", the only complaint to level against the film is that Bono’s overly dramatic stage persona occasionally threatens to topple the entire undertaking. At one point, Bono dons a blindfold and staggers around the stage, arms outstretched, portraying (I assume) some sort of lost soul, wandering in the religious wilderness. When watching a U2 show in person, these sorts of exaggerated, ham-fisted gestures play well to the nosebleed seats; Bono shoots for the rafters better than just about anyone. But perhaps the IMAX camera should’ve pulled back during his antics as they nearly destroy the newly-found angle of the band members as real people.

During the promotion of U2 3D, the Irish rockers hinted the 3D concert film serves a dual purpose, to give fans a larger than life IMAX experience and to give the band a break from their exhausting schedule: album, tour, album, tour, etc. Is Bono really hinting that it might be a while before they hit the road again or it could simply be U2’s time-honored marketing genius at work. Only time will tell. But if you’re a music lover who has yet to see the band live, U2 3D is nearly the best approximation one could wish for. And, if you're like me and the band’s last record left you feeling under whelmed and wanting more, this might be the thing you need to fall in love with the band again (or at least start dating). Hopefully, some of the film’s intimate, multi-dimensional appeal will find its way into album número quince.