BLAND FAITH (THIS IS US)

And so, the movie I've been dreading all year has finally arrived.

As his 'X Factor' show blasts onto ITV for a tenth series, Simon Cowell has been adopting similar blitzkrieg tactics in our cinemas.

A documentary about the 'X Factor's' most famous alumni, the world's biggest boyband, One Direction has invaded multiplexes.

And with that comes the horrible realisation for mums and dads everywhere that there's no avoiding seeing Commandant Cowell's smug, 'cat that got the cream face' puffed up on a 9 by 21 metres screen.

One Direction's fanbase stretches from primary school kids right up to teenage girls.

So in the McGinn household, like many homes across the planet, we're occasionally treated to inane One Direction trivia gleaned from TV shows and magazines such as Liam Payne has a phobia of spoons.

I've been resigning myself all summer to the inevitable trip to the multiplex to see Morgan Spurlock's One Direction documentary 'This Is Us'.

And yet the film critic in me has been fascinated at the prospect of Spurlock, a slightly subversive Michael Moore style documentary filmmaker, taking on such a task.

After all, this was the filmmaker who highlighted the problem of obesity and fast food culture in America by filming himself on a strict 30 day diet of McDonalds products in the Oscar nominated documentary, 'Supersize Me' and ended up struggling with headaches, from depression, lethargy, weight gain and heart palpitations.

This ended up inspiring the '30 Days' television series, with Spurlock and others taking on a number of challenges from living on the minimum wage in Ohio for 30 days to spending 30 days in a Virginia jail.

Long before the Al Qaeda leader was eventually located and shot in a compound in Abottabad, Spurlock gave us the documentary, 'Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?', visiting Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Aghanistan and Pakistan to demonstrate to Americans the people there were not that much different to them.

And then there was 'The Greatest Movie Ever Sold' which mercilessly lampooned product placement in Hollywood movies, with the director offering prominent advertising to companies in return for financing.

So given his penchant for tongue in cheek, gimmicky filmmaking, what could we expect from Spurlock's treatment of One Direction?

Spurlock certainly brings energy and a little bit of wit to his biggest ever gig as a director.

But mostly, 'This Is Us' is as bland, clinical and inoffensive as the boyband it portrays.

Shot in 3D, the documentary follows the well worn music industry path of mixing concert footage with interviews and scenes of the band engaging in pranks and coping with the demands of being on tour.

Think Phil Joanou's 'U2: Rattle and Hum' or Michael Apted's po faced Sting dcoumentary 'Bring on the Night' and you're on the right track.

The overall impression is of five young men riding a rollercoaster of fame that they are struggling to comprehend.

"1D in 3D" is at its strongest when we see Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne away from the tour and with parents who are also struggling to comprehend the whirlwind that has taken their boys away from their homes.

During a visit to a Nike store in Amsterdam, on a rare outing away from the tour bus, arenas and hotels, the band are swamped like the Beatles in 'A Hard Day's Night' by Dutch fans as Twitter quickly spreads the word where they are.

But there is also the odd moment when Spurlock's trademark tongue in cheek humour shines through. 

When Cowell struggles to explain the hysteria generated among One Direction's fanatical fanbase with the phrase "I'm no neuroscientist", the director gets a real neuroscientist to explain the chemical reactions taking place in the fans' brains.

Prior to one gig in London's O2 arena, the band's guitar playing Niall Horan from Mullingar disguises himself as an early Billy Connolly lookalike, adopts a Glasgow brogue and shows fans to their seats, slagging off One Direction.

But mostly Spurlock is careful not to rock the boat and, rather curiously, there are no girlfriends on the scene nor any hint of the band having gay fans.

Instead we get snatches of interviews with gushing teenage girls around the world and references to how Twitter fuelled the 1D phenomenon. 

In the tightly controlled world of Cowell, the only camp sequence in the movie is one where the band bring tents into a wood in Sweden and muse around a log fire about fame and their eventual legacy.

Although, there's a slightly weird sequence when the band are serenaded in Tokyo by Japanese bar girls - Harry Styles' eyes popping with excitement.

Technically, Spurlock and his film editors Guy Harding, Pierre Takal and Wyatt Smith keep the action rolling amiably along and cinematographer Neil Harvey does a competent job.

Like a lot of 3D movies, the images are underwhelming - a point underlined in a sequence where Martin Scorsese, who spectacularly pushed the boundaries of 3D with 'Hugo', turns up backstage in Madison Square Garden with his young daughter Francesca.

Scorsese, of course, made the greatest concert film of them all, 'The Last Waltz' about The Band's farewell appearance in San Francisco with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Dr John and Eric Clapton.

And while the concert sequences do not scale even a quarter of that film's heights, Spurlock manages to convey the boyband putting on a decent spectacle for their fans - even if they manage to drain Wheatus' 'Teenage Dirtbag' of any hint of rebellion.

'This is Us' is amiable, if undemanding entertainment for teens and pre-teens. Our junior film critic will testify to that.

Parents will come away thinking there are a lot worse pop acts for their kids to follow, that Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan etc. seems nice enough pop idols and there have certainly been a lot worse 92 minutes spent in the cinemas with our children.

And while the One Direction juggernaut rolls on with its David Beckham-style hype, impervious to criticism, it will be fascinating to see how indie filmmaker Spurlock copes with accusations that he has finally sold out.

('This is Us' opened in UK and Irish cinemas on August 29, 2013. This review originally appeared on Eamonnmallie.com)


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