"U2 3D" *** (out of four): Thanks to some impressive - and vastly-improved - 3D technology, this concert film, documenting the "Vertigo" tour, is about as close as you'll get to being on stage with U2.

To some extent, 3D technology requires larger-than-life subject matter. Hence the reason you tend to find IMAX 3D movies about climbing Everest or diving to the ocean depths. There's little point, for example, in a 3D version of "Office Space". While other recent mainstream 3D efforts ("The Polar Express", "Beowulf"), have featured animated subjects, "U2 3D" is a full-length concert movie documenting the Irish band's "Vertigo" tour. This is a case of subject and technology happily coexisting. For once, the technology adds to the material, instead of the material being an excuse to use the technology. U2 is already a dynamic (at times over-the-top) presence, and the 3D technique - which is a new variant being used here for the first time in feature-length - only enhances that. Thanks to this impressive - and vastly-improved - technology (yes, you still need the glasses), "U2 3D" is about as close as you'll get to being on stage with U2.

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