Michelle Lin
In its second week since its premiere, this movie has already made almost 50 million dollars. Only one group can generate this type of hysteria and revenue- you guessed it, it’s One Direction. Their documentary movie, This is Us, directed by Morgan Spurlock, features behind-the-scenes of their 2013 world tour and many live concert clips.
As a directioner, seeing my favorite band in 3D for one and a half hours was incredible, and made me feel every emotion possible. The movie starts with how Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik came to be One Direction, starting from their humble beginnings on the X-Factor aspiring to be solo artists until Simon Cowell put them into a boy-band. It goes on to document their quick rise to fame and their 2013 world tour.
This is Us was filled with many hilarious, emotional, adorable and introspective moments, from 1D’s backstage antics to their parents’ tears over the sons they never get to see, to them musing over their success and future. The numerous funny parts really made the movie, and I laughed as much as I would if I was watching a comedy.
While I loved this movie and couldn’t stop smiling through the whole thing, I’m not completely satisfied. With 800 hours of recorded footage and a director known for unusual documentaries, this movie had so much potential to be a very unique and insightful film. As a fan, I didn’t learn anything new about One Direction and I would have loved to see more of their passion for music and the personal and bad moments in their life. None of their girlfriends, partying, or life outside of One Direction was shown, and I wish it was.
However, the good outweigh the bad. What I loved most about this movie is that it really captured the personalities, positive energy and charm of the five boys, and shows even critics how down-to-earth, modest, and genuine they are.
Many people, not even One Direction themselves, understand what it is about this British-Irish boy-band that has captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide, but maybe watching This is Us will give you some insight. And if you’re already a fan, this movie will just make you fall in love with One Direction all over again.
