honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, August 22, 2008

3-D 'Hannah' a must-have for teenybopper fans

By Jen Chaney
Washington Post

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Miley Cyrus stars in the film "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Concert: The 3-D Movie," released Tuesday on DVD.

Disney Enterprises

spacer spacer

Every day, it seems, there is news about Miley Cyrus. She posed in saucy photos for a Vanity Fair spread. She's feuding with fellow Disney Channel star Selena Gomez. She's dating actor Adam Sevani.

But here's the thing: The average 10-year-old fan of the show "Hannah Montana" and its gangly teen superstar doesn't care much about any of that. She just wants to see Miley, and perhaps the Jonas Brothers, in three dimensions.

And that's exactly what she gets in "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Concert: The 3-D Movie," a feature that highlights 16 songs by Cyrus and Montana (her blond rock-star alter ego), as well as a couple by the aforementioned brothers Jonas, the same ebony-haired trio that may be directly responsible for every text message that exceeds your adolescent daughter's prepaid limit.

Suffice it to say that most viewers won't fire up this DVD and expect to see a documentary on the order of "The Last Waltz Starring Miley Cyrus." They'll just want to be entertained for 82 minutes by some catchy, mindless pop songs, and occasionally impressed by the 3-D effects that seemingly fling drumsticks, guitar necks and confetti right into your living room. On those terms, the movie succeeds; most young Miley fans will consider it a masterpiece of its kind.

The special-edition DVD, released Tuesday, comes with two discs and four pairs of 3-D glasses, making it possible for the whole family to gawk simultaneously at the images onscreen. For the record, the plain, vanilla two-dimensional version of the movie also comes in the package. But honestly, who would opt for 2-D when they can easily experience 3?

Indeed, that extra layer of depth perception — which boasts a wow factor, even if it's not as impressive at home as it is in a theater — stands as the DVD's primary selling point. The extras, meanwhile, can best be described as minimal. They include a couple of additional performances from Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers (not viewable in 3-D); a sing-along option that pairs lyrics with the performances (also not in 3-D); and "The Ultimate Personal Tour," an 11-minute featurette that dishes out a teensy bit more backstage footage than what appears in the movie.

Some parents may object to the Disney promotional glaze that coats almost every aspect of this DVD. But "Best of Both Worlds" is less objectionable than most products their daughters might covet. Make no mistake, though: This is a product.

Cyrus comes across as an energetic and pretty well-adjusted teen during most of "Worlds" and its DVD features. She even proves to be a decent stage performer. But during the "Personal Tour" featurette, she makes a comment about her musicianship that could come back to haunt her if she ever decides to go indie rock: "I couldn't tell you what key most songs start out in. I couldn't tell you exactly how to play it. But I can tell you that I love it, and what the lyrics mean, and what they mean to me when I sing the song." For now at least, Bob Dylan's position as America's Master Songwriter is safe.

ALSO OUT THIS WEEK

Frances McDormand and Amy Adams join together to turn "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" into frothy, old-fashioned fun.