Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away – A Paramount Release

http://www.worldsaway3d.com/

DVD Release Date: March 12th, 2013

Rated G for some dramatic images and mild sensuality

Running time: 91 minutes

Andrew Adamson (dir.)

Andrew Adamson (writer)

Benoit Jutras (music)

Erica Linz as Mia

Igor Zaripov as The Aerialist

Lutz Halbhubner as Ringmaster

John Clarke as Sad Clown

Our reviews below:

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Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away Review By John C.

**1/2 (out of 4)

When a young acrobat (Igor Zaripov) slips through the sand after catching the attention of Mia (Erica Linz), she follows him down the metaphorical rabbit hole.  There they find themselves in a magical and mysterious world made up of performances from the numerous different Cirque du Soleil shows, as she desperately tries to get him back.

The often hallucinatory and thinly connected sequences range from nightmarish to beautiful, but if one set piece doesn’t work for you, there is bound to be another one that will.  The weirdest moment comes from an upside down bunny head that flips over and hops away on its ears, but highlights include a tricycle that wheels itself around with two yellow boots, and a beautiful acrobatic dance between the two central performers.  Although Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away doesn’t have much in terms of characters or story, the film has some spectacular scenes and is often worth seeing as a purely visual experience.

The Blu-ray includes two featurettes.  The film is also available to buy in 3D.

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Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away DVD Review By Erin V.

*** (out of 4)

Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away tells a very loose narrative about a young woman who goes to a circus and falls for an aerialist.  When he slips on the trapeze and falls into a sand pit, she jumps in to help him but they are both sucked down and drop into another world beneath – that of Cirque du Soleil.

But they become separated, and thus begins each of their journeys, (her’s mostly), as they travel from tent to tent in the strange world of acrobatics and music in an attempt to find each other.

It is a very strange film at times, but there is no denying the poweress of the individuals who can perform these acrobatics and this means the film is often stunning to watch.  The final ‘dance’ if you will between the two main characters is like an aerial ballet.  The music throughout fits well and for those interested in the work and artistry of Cirque du Soleil, it is definitely worth watching.

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Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away DVD Review By Nicole

*** (out of 4)

Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away captures both the beauty and mystery of the world’s first cruelty-free circus.  Several Cirque shows are tied together by a loose storyline.  Mia (Erica Linz) falls in love at first sight with a handsome aerialist (Igor Zaripov).  When they both fall down a sandpit, she must look for the missing aerialist.

From the breathtaking to the bizarre, Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away is a well made art film.  The visuals are stunning, and the score is hauntingly beautiful.  Anyone interested in dance or performance art will enjoy this film.

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Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away DVD Review By Maureen

*** (out of 4)

For those who will likely never have the opportunity to attend an actual live Cirque du Soleil show, Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away on Blu-ray is the next best thing.  The film follows a pretty acrobatic performer, Mia (Erica Linz) as she falls down a sand hole and travels through several Cirque worlds (the various theatrical shows) all on a quest to find her handsome aerialist (Igor Zaripov) whose picture she clutches close to her heart, showing it to everyone she meets in hopes of finding him.

The visuals and the music in this film are spectacular, and the aerial performances are particularly stunning.  The fact that the film shows segments from several of Cirque du Soleil’s shows, including Viva Elvis, The Beatles Love, Ka and others allows fans to sample the troupe’s wonderfully diverse styles.  Some segments are weird, some enchanting, all of them amazing to watch.

Executive producer James Cameron and director Andrew Adamson have done a really nice job in putting together this melange of uniquely creative performances.  The Cirque du Soleil performers never cease to amaze and Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away is a nice addition for fans.

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Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away DVD Review By Tony

***1/2 (out of 4)

Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away is a 91 minute sampler of the seven Cirque du Soleil shows running in Las Vegas in 2011, linked together by the loose narrative of a young woman (Erica Linz) following an aerialist (Igor Zaripov) through the various circus worlds. Led at first by a mime and later by a riderless triycle, she never quite catches up to him until the end when they join in a lovely aerial pas de deux.

The film begins at a traditional circus that reminded me of the opening of Oz the Great and Powerful. The O water show follows with its synchronized swimming routines and suspended ship fitted with parallel bars and trapezes. Another show features Japanese style mock battles on an extremely tilted stage. Two shows use rock music: Viva Elvis with men in superhero costumes jumping pinball style between trampolines tilted at various angles, and Love, the mashup of Beatles tunes that includes an impressive Octopus’s Garden sequence of aerial performers dressed as jellyfish and other underwater critters.

Otherwise, we are treated to the typical Cirque blend of world music, often sung in gibberish, that provides a perfect backup to the seamless choreography and technology showcasing the impressive feats of the acrobats and contortionists, as well as some really weird stuff (watch for the rabbit head) that self-medicated fans may find particularly profound (or terrifying).

For folks like me who can neither afford a trip to Las Vegas nor the steep admission prices for local Cirque shows, this is a pleasant overview. The Blu-ray disc is simply beautiful in every way–the 3D version (that I didn’t get) would be awesome.

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Consensus: Although Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away only has a thinly connected plot, the film is worth seeing for the spectacular performances, offering a good variety of sequences from the numerous different Cirque du Soleil shows.  *** (Out of 4)