Grade: B
As far as concert films go, you can’t beat the IMAX examples for getting you close to the action and letting you hear every bit of treble and bass. As a followup to their recent *NSYNC flick, the wide-screen specialists now offer a compilation picture featuring performances by a variety of artists, from Sting, Sheryl Crow, B.B. King and Macy Gray to Kid Rock, Moby, Carlos Santana, Al Green and the Dave Matthews Band. Performers appearing in joint gigs for the first time are caught in different locales, from New Jersey to Chicago to New York.
The result is vibrant and energetic, although the segments naturally vary in musical quality. If you don’t care for The Roots, though, just wait a bit and Rob Thomas will show up. By showcasing groups and individuals whose styles are quite different, the picture has a broader appeal than a concert film of just one act might possess.
“All Access” also offers snippets of interviews in which the performers talk about themselves, the other artists, and the influences that have helped to shape them. Intercut with the songs, these make for interesting insider opinions and reminiscences.
Boasting something for viewers with virtually every musical taste, “All Access” should be ideal family fare. Those with sensitive hearing might bring along a couple cotton balls to soften the blow, though; those IMAX speakers really deliver.