It’s been a while since Rattle
and Hum stoked ridiculous criticisms that U2 were messianic rock fabulists
out to somehow co-opt the heritage of American music. Those for whatever reason
still invested in such convoluted detestation will get an extra dimension of
ammunition with the release of this fall’s concert flick U2
3D.

The feature-length film, shot during the band’s visit to South
America on the Vertigo Tour, is directed by Catherine Owens, with
additional direction from Mark Pellington (Arlington Road,
The Mothman Prophecies). Produced by Los
Angeles’ 3ality Digital, the movie will appear exclusively
in specialist 3-D cinemas in the autumn, exact date(s) to be determined.

Owens, a longtime collaborator with U2 on live-show visuals dating back to the groundbreaking Zoo TV Tour, predicts
U2 3D will startle audiences. “There
is no comparison with a traditional concert film seen in 2-D,” she says. “One
minute you are on stage with the band and the next you are at the back of the
stadium. …The best way I can describe it for the viewer, is that it’s like
being on the wings of a bird flying around the concert stadium — it’s really
something else.”

The 3-D shoot took place over the course of seven shows in Mexico,
Brazil, Chile
and Argentina
in February of last year, with Tom Krueger serving as the “conventional” director
of photography and Peter Anderson scoring the title of director of three-dimensional
photography. A wow-za! theatrical trailer has just begun airing alongside 3-D presentations of
Walt Disney’s Meet the Robinsons, but
for a two-dimensional glimpse, click here.