Review: Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away

Tessa Roy ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff

Cirque du Soleil makes a drastic move from tent to screen in its new 3D film Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away. The movie has an impressive crew with the wildly successful James Cameron on hand as a producer and Andrew Adamson serving as director. The combination of Cameron, Adamson, and Cirque makes for a dazzling and highly entertaining spectacle.
Worlds Away is quite risky considering it is not a manner in which we are used to watching Cirque, but it still has the elements seen in a live show. Wild costumes and makeup, human bodies bending, twisting, turning, and flying, and expressive characters are all there. Its title is quite fitting, as its beautiful cinematography and dreamlike feel whisk viewers “worlds away” into the unique atmosphere of Cirque du Soleil.
Every Cirque show has some sort of story, and Worlds Away remains true to this element as well. Its plot is nothing complex, and follows a young woman searching for “The Aerialist” she encountered and became infatuated with at a run-down circus.
Some critics have bashed the film, claiming it cannot capture the same essence as a live show and that its storyline is too simplistic. However, their complaints are petty.  It’s very obvious that a movie is not going to be the same as a live show, but does that make the artists performing death-defying acts any less talented or less entertaining to watch? Of course not. As for the plot, Cameron and Adamson were right to keep it simple. Making it too involved would distract viewers from the performers who are the core of the film.
Worlds Away is just a taste of what Cirque has to offer, and if you haven’t already, it will make you want to see one of its live shows.