Music is a subjective thing. To one fellow, Bach might be the greatest musician who ever lived. Another listener might declare that Avenged Sevenfold fits that title. But for many, it’s the latest boy band that is truly responsible for the greatest music ever made, whether they be The Beatles, Backstreet Boys or the latest craze One Direction. These lads have reached a seismic level of fame that’s unimaginable, and their latest endeavor, the 3D movie “One Direction: This Is Us” is a harmless affair that showcases little more than some great music, interesting backstories and some surprisingly meager looking concerts.

One Direction is comprised of five guys (Harry Styles, Liam, Louis, Zayn and Niall) who sing songs about a variety of subjects, including women who are unaware of their beauty and living while they’re in peak living condition. Showing their start from “The X-Factor”, all the way to recent concerts in many locations all across the globes, all while reminding us they’re just like us; except they just so happen to richer, better looking and have Barbie dolls based on their likenesses.

Believe it or not, it’s not hard to see the appeal; Their songs are undeniably catchy and shockingly well-made (my favorite tune is the wonderfully touching “One Thing”). Unlike many other modern day pop stars, these guys can actually sing and seem to also be having a fun time creating and singing. Plus, their backstory (which I was completely unaware of before seeing the movie) is interesting, although I have a feeling they made sure to leave out many details from their origins, solely for worry that it would put the boys in a bad light (Gotta keep that PG rating intact!).

Surprisingly, for a band whose songs seem so full of zest and life, the concerts shown in the movie seem oddly small and shoddy. Those kind of production values wouldn’t be a problem if these concerts weren’t the main focus of many scenes, but they are. After the fifty-ninth song sung on these meager stages, even I was checking my watch. Thankfully, the film has other tricks up it’s sleeves, including returning to the hometown of these singers. However, the repetitive nature of the film knocks it down from the greatness that the bands music has hit. I’ll say this though: the 3D is really fun and is one of the few things the concert portions of the film utilize well.

The director of this film, Morgan Spurlock (the man who brought us “Super Size Me”) doesn’t bring anywhere near as much wit or insight into One Direction as his other documentary subjects. To boot, his film lacks coherency and pacing in several scenes, not to mention the film being little more in the end than a 92 minute commercial for One Direction merchandise (Now at your local Toys R Us: One Direction Barbies!) Yet, it’s hard to deny the fun these guys bring in their songs and personality and many of the film’s more fun moments, such as Martin Scorsese popping by backstage or one of the band members dressing up as a surly security guard. Above it all, perhaps “One Direction: This Is Us” shows once and for all the reasoning behind why One Direction is part of the zeitgeist currently; their sense of euphoria and joy is a stark contrast to the bleak world we occupy, and if for three minutes people can escape to a land of one things and best songs ever, well, that might be the truly greatest thing One Direction and other bands of their nature provide this planet.

Also, OMG, like, Harry Styles hair totally looked off in that one concert, amirite? #stylesprobz