1D releases extended cut | The Triangle

1D releases extended cut

Grab your popcorn, everyone — the biggest boy band on the planet now has its own movie! The past three years for One Direction have been an absolute whirlwind. Both of their albums have gone straight to the top of the charts, and their third is currently No. 1 on iTunes despite the fact that it hasn’t even been released yet. When people achieve fame this quickly, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that they are still human, but the members of One Direction didn’t want this to happen. They had camera crews follow them around during every waking moment for several months on the British leg of their Take Me Home tour. Fans can now get an up-close and personal look at the pop stars’ lives and get an idea of who their idols actually are.

“This Is Us” is currently in theaters everywhere, and an extended edition was released Sept. 13. This version gives fans even more to enjoy with 20 extra minutes of footage as well as four more songs from the concert. It is a must-see for everyone, whether you are a Directioner or not.

The heart of the film is all the personal, behind-the-scenes footage that fans can never get from Twitter or Google. Despite the fame, you get to see that Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne are still the five crazy teenage boys who originally auditioned for “The X Factor” three years ago. In more than one scene, they can be seen smacking each other in the face, shimmying around the stage during tour rehearsals and running away from their security guards. One even had to physically carry Styles over his shoulders to the dressing room so that he wouldn’t escape. Before shows, the boys have food fights in the hallways and trash their band’s dressing room. Horan is the craziest of them all, shaking his behind, laughing hysterically and farting in almost all of his scenes.

One of the main things to take out of “This Is Us” is that One Direction is still a group of five incredibly humble men. Fame has not gone to their heads in the slightest. Before their biggest gig to date at Madison Square Garden, you get to see all of their parents. Styles’ mom, Anne, talks about how she is so proud of her son that her heart could burst. Horan’s dad says that the roles of father and son are reversed and that it is Niall who is teaching him all about the world and life. Meanwhile, Payne’s mom bought a cardboard cutout of her son because it is the closest thing to actually having him home. The most touching of all is when Malik buys his mom, Trisha, a beautiful new home. He set out to be a star in order to give back to her, and now that dream has become a reality.

Throughout the film, scenes from the Take Me Home tour are also shown. With the 3-D effect, it looks as if your favorite guy is singing directly to you from the stage. They are shown performing their hit songs, including “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Kiss You.” The boys are natural performers, and whether or not you were able to see the tour in person, the movie footage is pretty darn close to the actual thing.

Fans are also a highlight of the film because the boys wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without them. The best scene is when Horan explains how they have the best fans in the world. To prove it, he runs over to the window, sticks his head out to the roar of thousands of fans down below, and after waving, he closes the window and exclaims, “Proof!” In another scene, Tomlinson dresses up as an old, fat man on the street giving out free hugs. Needless to say, most of the people avoid him. However, when one little girl is brave enough to give this stranger a hug, he takes off his costume and absolutely makes her day.

The One Direction craze is taking on the life of Beatlemania, and this film will serve as a piece of history as the boys’ success just keeps growing. The film proves that no matter how famous they get, they will be the same five lads who are still amazed by it all and still remain complete sweethearts to their fans, friends and family.