Justin Bieber: Our World review: strictly for fans

It can be difficult for some people to understand just how much Justin Bieber, who once seemed ready to founder on riverbanks child-celebrity maturation, continues to be. The 27-year-old is one of the best-selling artists of all time (150 million albums sold worldwide and above), and continues to dominate pop music on a level unimaginable to most. His most recent Release, This year Justice, debuted at No.1 and produced a hit alone with “Peaches.” Her 2020 album Changes makes him the youngest artist to have seven no.1s albums on the Billboard charts, breaking a record formerly held by Elvis Presley. No matter what you think of him the guy is moving the units to an absurd degree. In other words, he’s sold more albums than ABBA, Jay-Z, or Bruce Springsteen, and he’s only been working on them for a little over a decade. The guy is a machine.

HSo that’s it a grown man now, like the new concert movie/behind the scenes documentary Justin Bieber: Our World works overtime to call you back. We get plenty of photos of him at home with his wife, Hailey Baldwin, and seemingly endless clips of family, friends and employees talking about the noble and selfless soul he is – so gifted and thoughtful. at the same time, Jesus Christ may as well be a garbage bag. Bieber previous documents, Never say never and Justin Bieber’s belief, were appallingly shameless slices of carefully managed PR propaganda, the first so carefully molded to create a rags-to-the-messiah image, she didn’t even allow her own subject to address the camera.

This one may have a looser feel, but it’s no less manipulated and staged for its COVID hook elements or its ‘authentic’ video footage of Bieber himself filming little moments from his daily routine. If anything, the film doubles as loyalty to the idea of ​​Justin Bieber as an artist who can’t hurt. And to be fair, when we look at the concert footage of a talented artist standing out after several years of absence, that’s a more plausible claim; like with To believe, the disproportionate spectacle of the live is the real star of this film. Corn almost anything else can trigger the gag reflex. Bieber The interview segments may just be expressions of gratitude for his lovely life and proclamations of commitment to loved ones, but they all come across as carefully orchestrated variations of “Isn’t he just the greatest?” guys already? “

As with any media covering a period of time in the past 18 months, COVID-19 is an unwanted costar. Due to quarantine restrictions, Bieber’s planned live New Years Eve concert was moved to the roof of the Beverly Hilton, where a small, socially distant audience watched. hotel rooms nearby as it was broadcast in 150 countries. The documentary element of the film adopts a clockwork structure, as the star’s team of musicians and choreographers, as well as a large production team, have 30 days to build and run an arena-style concert from zero, while being under the need for strict security procedures, including masking and daily testing.

The film made a big deal outside the group’s public commitment to these security measures; aA member of the team intones solemnly from the start: “If even a major actor gets it, the show is over.”This assertion turns out to be a bit misleading, because choreographer Nick Demoura – a key player in the show in every way –gets the coronavirus with 21 days left. Needless to say, the show continues and Demoura returns after her designated quarantine period. Likewise, it is a little strange to see everyone masked and preach faithfulness, except for Bieber himself, who blithely spends his days without a mask and in close contact with everyone, which makes the angle of the story a little ridiculous. (especially since, to this day, the singer did not declare having been vaccinated).

But if you put aside the behind-the-scenes praise of Bieber’s greatness (methodically interspersed with his own serious statements of humble gratitude, of course), the show itself is a must-see. As To believe director John Chu before him, director Michael D. Ratner knows how to frame shots for maximum shock and awe, with the laser light show, pyrotechnics, and the fantastic backing dancers (especially them) providing a Stunning visual accompaniment as the singer flies through a hit list like “All Around Me”, “Forever”, “Love Yourself”, and more. It’s a reminder that there’s a reason this movie exists beyond the hackneyed interview footage – when you have the best production crew money can buy, you get one hell of a show.

But this sanitized shine feeling running through it all means that Justin Bieber: Our World probably won’t change their mind one way or the other. Believers will see an elegant and engaging performance by an artist they love, peppered libwith undoubtedly well-meaning representations of his modesty and professionalism. Those who aren’t fans of his music to begin with may respect his producers’ staging more than the artist himself, or be completely put off by the awkward hagiography. In other words, this is an effort for the fans – no one else is going to want to come near Bieber here, especially since he is unmasked.