Adele: Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)

Nice effects though.

Just perfect...

How sad is this?

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

As I expected, Adele's performance was nothing short of amazing. Vocally and visually, she is stunning. The musical arrangements, instrumentals/vocal backing and atmosphere was a joy to behold. I would have rated this DVD a perfect 10 except for the dizzying and confusing editing/direction. While I realize a certain artistry and visual interest is needed to make any video enjoyable to watch, in this case it was so over the top, that it detracted from Adele's unique talent, that being vocally as well as her easy repartee with the audience. The camera stayed on Adele for no longer than 5 seconds at a time while she performed. And sometimes even less. Switching from Adele to shots of the audience, the architecture, the stage decor, the musicians, and for some ridiculous reason, the chandeliers, with a dizzying speed that made my head spin. Rather than adding visual interest for the viewer, to me, it created nothing short of an irritation which lasted over 100 minutes. During a concert where Adele is the star, and her amazing voice and personality are on showcase, it amazes me that the director sought fit to focus the cameras on almost everything but Adele's beautiful face. Fortunately, the CD was included in the pack, which will be much more often listened to than the DVD. This is heartbreaking for me, because visually, Adele is wonderful to look at - but alas, this DVD direction and editing did not use her beauty and stage presence to best advantage,but rather focused more on the surroundings and decor of the theatre, rather than its amazing star performer.

A wonderful performance showcasing Adele's truly awesome vocal and song writing talents. Clearly the audience was in love with Adele, and her with them - a love fest. The emotion was palpable at times. Adele's beautifully lusty vocal cords, always filled with emotion, establish her as the best contemporary musician IMO. The blu-ray video was truly a treat for all the senses.The only criticism of the performance was some of the camera work which moved around far too often, the average sound quality (Dolby Digital), and Adele's failure to acknowledge some of the other band members. Particularly Miles Robertson at the keyboard who IMO anchored her performance and added a beautiful musical depth.

Of all the concerts in the present music industry, this one was by far the simplest and that is indeed the highlight of it. The band was brilliant and the orchestra worked beautifully. Needless to say, Adele's voice sounded expectantly top-notch but her humor was something of a treat for the audience. It seemed less like a singer singing for the audience and more like a bunch of friends singing together and having a great time.Talking about the much vexed topic of the camera direction: Although the footage was prune to frequent change of camera angles, it did not bother me much. In fact, for me, it worked more then just fine. I found myself fully realizing the augustness of the setting, audience, music and the moments that made this concert such an amazing experience. Every shot of Adele was nothing but gorgeous, graceful and well cute. The audience looked very involved and connected with whatever was happening up on the stage.The two concluding numbers stole the show. Someone like you just made you shed uncontrollable tears while rolling in the deep made the audience sing their souls out! The sheer emotions of these moments just makes this DVD an actual ticket to Royal Albert Hall where you can experience the entire beautiful night on your screen.So, all in all a pretty well directed concert footage which truly captures the heart of this act both visually and musically. So don't miss this one, sit back and let Adele do what she does best: Make you cry and laugh at the same time.Rating 9/10Review by: Usama Lali

Let me start by saying I signed up here just so I'd be able to review this DVD. I've been an IMDb fan for a long time, but Adele was my trigger for actually registering.She is one of the most popular artists today and, if you ask me, it's rightfully so. This concert would probably mark the pinnacle of her career (at least when it gets to performing live). I mean, it's the Royal Albert Hall, y'all! I liked it a lot. In fact, I was left with a huge smile on my face and such warmth around my heart. Such emotion, such delivery. As always, she stays true to herself and all she needs is a mike, a stool and her band (although I have no doubts she'd do well without them). So, when it comes to her, it's a pure 10/10, no question about it.I did have a little problem concentrating because of the fast switching between cameras in some up-beat songs. There were some moments when I wished to see Adele's face and her expression, but was left staring at her drummer or a random person in the audience. Luckily, there were just a few of those moments and they didn't manage to ruin the overall positive impression.I just can't help it, I have to give it a 10/10. It is very rare these days to witness such stage presence, emotion, ability and vulnerability all at the same time. I highly recommend it, even to those who are not Adele fans. Whether you like her or not, you cannot deny the fact that this was one amazing concert.Almost forgot to mention her great sense of humor, she is so funny! Enjoy! BTW (SPOILERS AHEAD!) The Amy Winehouse tribute was wonderful, with all those lights in the audience and the disco ball - I almost cried there.And then she got to Someone Like You and I couldn't hold my tears back. I think it has a lot to do with the fact she talks about almost every song before she performs it and you get to see the story behind it. Plus the fact that she writes her songs and they all have a real deep meaning to her. So, when that audience started to sing, when she kept trying to keep it together (and managed till the end of the song) and when she finally broke down at the end - I just lost it. She was so genuine, pure and open to everybody at that moment.So, once again, don't miss it!