Customer Reviews

Duran Duran - Arena: The Movie/Making of Arena

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I absolutely ADORE this band but even I found it quite hard to sit through. As others have commented, it is very dated, but I suppose it was a cool concept for it's time. The only part I really liked was "the making of Arena" portion of the DVD, and even then, I was still fast-forwarding through to see the parts where band members were interviewed. I think that is it's only saving grace. There were definitely some "Spinal Tap" moments, particularly when Nick was talking about how he constructed his own costume for the Wild Boys video, that really cracked me up. Otherwise, the acutal Arena video/concert portion was a total drag. I would have just preferred to see the concert itself without the alien snippet interruptions.

It is definitely entertaining to see how young the bandmembers looked back then when they do the behind-the-scenes interviews. Like I said, this is purely for die-hard Duranies.

I saw Duran Duran on this very tour,in early 1984 and one thing I remember was that it was one of the first concerts that had a ticket cost of $15.How things have changed.The live performance on this DVD is good.High quality sound,picture and cinematography through out.THAT said,there is far too many snippets/interruptions with the lame-ass sci-fi scenes of the mutated aliens making their way through the concert trail(or whatever).A little would've been okay,but this much is downright annoying.Believe that much of this DVD was the same concert that aired on MTV and maybe one other channel in the '80's by the title 'As The Lights Go Down'.Some of the classics I somewhat enjoyed experiencing once again were "Is There Something I Should Know?","Girls On Film","Hungry Like The Wolf"(my Duran Duran favorite),"Save A Prayer" and "Union Of The Snake".Even die-hards MAY not get that excited about this release.

just a quick note from one duran fan to other duran fans, including the ones who've already reviewed this DVD and missed the boat...

this was not a concert film, nor was it ever meant to be a concert film...it was an experimental film/video/concert project that was just meant to be something different. the concert footage was shot in oakland and the band/director shot additional stuff w/a really random (and loosely scripted) plot.

this is also NOT the concert film that was shown on cinemax in 1984/1985, the concert film was actually titled "as the lights go down" and was cut differently (using some additional video shots but not anywhere as much as "arena"). if you are looking for a simple concert video/film like "as the lights go down," this is not it.

so the critiques about the band not syncing up visually with the audio are weak, if you can get your hands on a copy of "as the lights go down," you can see the band playing everything just like some of the other reviewers wanted out of this DVD. they were (and still are) quite capable musicians that could always put together a good show. but this wasn't meant to be a concert film...this was something different. you might argue that it does (or doesn't) work as far as a film/art/video project, but it was never meant to be a simple concert film.

I am a REAL fan of Duran Duran. I you are not, do not buy this DVD. Why ? Because it is not a very good live representation of the band. First, this is the period where Simon LeBon, the main singer, had a hard time singing the right note on stage. He was not the best artist (vocally) in those times.

Next, the sound mixing is OK, but not gorgeous. Same thing for the picture quality. Extras are for fans only, you will find them boring if you don't know the band pretty much.

So now, why 4 stars ? Because the original idea of the movie Arena is great. It is a story in a concert. Weird, but interesting to discover for fans of the band. The life performance is the first one available on DVD since DD joined back together in 2000. It is a great gift for people who waited such a long time for a little something. The setlist is good. All the best hits from those years are there.

If you like a bit of DD, and you would like a good live DVD, wait for the new one from this year's tour, including a much better performance, fresh sound, and no weird movie you won't enjoy. Or, get the new Astronaut album with a short live DVD. Or get the greatest videos. Arena is good, if you would like to discover a new face of the band and how they were in those years.

ok, if your a hardcore fan,like me, your gonna get it anyway. - but i never liked this. not as a vhs or dvd. its just kind of corny. definetly very dated. i mean, im sure the idea behind it was meant well but everytime you get into a song its interupted by midgets or retarded aliens or just some other nonsense. the only thing i enjoyed about this was the making of arena-because it included some interviews with the band. so go with sing blue silver. thats a much better dvd.

Here's the deal:

Arena: The Movie is a 1984 concert/sci-fi movie capturing Duran Duran at their peak. The concert was once aired on MTV, but in edited form and was titled "As The Lights Go Down." This version combines that same concert with a hair-brained sci-fi plot, featuring Milo O'Shea as "the real" Duran Duran (the character from the film "Barbarella."). He and his 3 midget friends have landed from outer space and set up camp below the stage to cause havoc for the band and its fans during the concert, to somehow prove who the real Duran Duran is. Not much of a plot. The sci-fi silliness is no more than a distraction from the concert, as nearly every song is interrupted numerous times with scenes of these ridiculous characters. I would much rather have the edited-for-MTV version of the concert, which cut out the sci-fi and featured the concert only.

On the plus side, the picture and sound quality is excellent. The "making of" documentary has interviews with all 5 band members. The packaging is brilliant. There is a clear slip-case that holds the black dvd box (w/ band photos on the back). When opening the box, you will discover a sheet of Duran Duran stickers! YES!!- stickers! Not to mention a fold-out movie poster w/ photos & credits. This helps make up for the lame packaging of DD's "Greatest" DVD which was not so great.

The bonus features, which are easily found on the main menu (no Easter Egg hunt on this one!!) are as follows:

Arena TV Ad
Arena Trailer
Arena Video Mix
Save A Prayer (live)- with no interruptions from the sci-fi plot
Simon Le Bon Interview (from 1984, discussing the concept of Arena.)

So if you're a Duran Duran fan like me & have been waiting for 2 decades to see this again, here's your chance! The sci-fi plot is irritating, but if you can overlook that, this is a great way to relive the excitement of Duran Duran, circa 1984. Meanwhile I'm STILL waiting for that reunion album. Ugh!!!!

I will agree with other reviewers that the sci-fi stuff is weird-but it takes a lot of guts for a band to spoof themselves- they didn't take the thing seriously, and never intended us to! Overall, it kind of sucks, but it "has a great beat and you can dance to it" (ha, ha). Relax and enjoy it!

THIS IS A FUNNY ,ABSURD TWIST OF A D2 SHOW (MAD MAX MEETS DURAN)...NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!!!
IT'S GREAT TO FINALLY HAVE SOME DVDS OF THE BIGGEST POP PHENOMENON OF THE EIGHTIES BUT SINCE THE MUSIC OF DURAN DURAN AGED SO WELL AND IS STILL (GET MORE RECENT CDS) DEFINITELY SOME OF THE BEST TO COME OUT OF ENGLAND IT WOULD BE GREAT TO DO THEM JUSTICE BY RELEASING A DVD WITH A FULL CONCERT OF THEIR HEYDAYS (AS THE LIGHTS GO DOWN & WORKING FOR THE SKIN TRADE ARE 2 INCREDIBLE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES)...GOOD NEWS,I HEARD THEY WOULD BE RELEASING SOON A DVD OF THEIR REUNION TOUR LIVE AT WEMBLEY ARENA 2004 !!!DURAN DURAN HAD A STRONG IMAGE BUT TO MOST OF THEIR FANS MUSIC WAS THE STRONGEST SIDE OF D2 AND THIS IS WHAT WE STILL WANT THE MOST....SO HOW ABOUT A SPECIAL DVD SET INCLUDING "REAL" SHOWS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT???THE FAB 5 (4,3) DESERVE IT AND THE FANS TOO....OK,,,HAIL TO THE BEATLES OF THE EIGHTIES AND ROLLING STONES OF THE NEW MILLENIUM!!!

I must say that I am so incredibly HAPPY that this video came out to DVD! But you must be a drop dead fan to enjoy this flick. If you are not, the movie will make no sense to you. I on the other hand, am a HUGE fan and enjoyed it VERY VERY MUCH!

Sadly that part of the title is just a hint of things to come. I don't know what the hardcore Duran Duran fan will make of this DVD, but I was very disappointed. I expected this release to be a full, uninterrupted concert of some of their best songs. At least that's what it looks like reading the back of packaging. Instead you get 2/3 music along with stupid vignettes of aliens running around the building. DURING the songs. Not just one song, but every song performed during the concert drops out so we can see rejects from Star Wars running around behind the scenes. I guess the person who directed 'Thriller' decided to bring the production to a live concert. This was very annoying. You only get one full, uninterrupted track, 'Save A Prayer' in the bonus section of the DVD. Hardly what I would want to pay $30 for. This gets 2 stars for good picture and sound quality. Strong recommendation to avoid. I am taking this back ASAP.