What a boring and sterile concert! Clean cut millionaires masquerading as rebel renegades. The sound was crystal clear and the photography's brilliant, but far too polished. Best part was "Champagne and Reefer".

The editing is too frenetic and too cute, and kow-tows to Mick and Keith at the expense of the audience, robbing us of a master's portrait of the full breadth of the musical construction going on with this fantastic band. Real fans want to see a lot of Charlie and Ronnie, see a taste of Darryl Jones on key bass lines, see Chuck Lavell's super sturdy keyboard work and see the singers and the horn section here and there. The movie was edited like it was for Inside Hollywood - stars only. A sadly wasted opportunity. With The Last Waltz as the bar, this movie fell way short. Instead, it earns the title of the best Stones movie ever, but nowhere close to being a great movie.… Expand

Fantastic! Incredible camera work capturing a great performance by an amazing band.

What on Earth is the portentous Salon.com critic talking about? The experience is sentimental, intimate and perennial. It's equivalent to front-row tickets to a Stones concert. The DP captures the breadth of the Stones' performance perfectly. It's an especially enhanced experience if one sees it at the IMAX. To the music lover: don't miss it.

Great concert film. However, I don't understand how this can be considered as a documentary. There's maybe 10 mins. of Scorsese and the Stones prepping for the show, and then the rest is concert footage.

During "Sympathy for the Devil", the filmmaker diverts our attention away from the stage and towards the audience for the first time. The camera cranes over the sweaty humanity, looking for Hell's Angels with knives, perhaps. The camera acts as faux-surveilance; the sea of New York concertgoers become an unintentional reference point to the hippie revelers who attended Altamont in '69. Or maybe, just maybe, this was the filmmaker's intention, after all. The connotation of the red lighting might be blood, rather than the flames of hell, or the devil's skin, which you'd initially gauge as the proper interpretation for a song called "Sympathy for the Devil". If the murders at Altamont are indeed sublimated throughout this song, the filmmaker has found a clever way to indulge in his obsession with graphic violence. When Keith Richards wields that opening lick to "Jumpin' Jack Flash"(used memorably in 1973's "Mean Streets"), "Shine a Light" instantly becomes a New York movie. With that crucifix hanging around Ron Wood's neck, the Stones' axeman bears a similarity to Johnny Boy(Robert DeNiro). Even though they're both devout Catholics, both men are into drugs("Champagne and Reefer) and skirts(Christina Aguilera). Pelle Almqvist might've nicked Mick Jagger's moves, but the Glimmer Twin must be a vampire in Brussels, because he seems to have stolen The Hives' frontman's youth. Even though the whit floodlights look like the Stones are bracing themselves for the rapture. "Shine a Light" sounds like an ELO concert film. They should've called it "Trollin' for Nubiles After All These Years".… Expand

Think of this as a concert movie like no other. Filmed in an intimate setting, the band hasnt sounded this tight in years. Song selection is excellent. My only real complaint was the 'fake' audience around the stage.

Interesting begining and snapshots of early Stones life in the 60s, but really the the songs they played were awful.

Best rock movie I've ever seen. No, not the best concert - the Stones aren't the best rock band in spite of the hype. Martin Scorsese has captured the people who make up the Rolling Stones, focusing of course, on Jagger and Richards. We saw it in IMAX, and that made it even better. Seat shaking sound, perfectly crisp. I felt like I was in the first row, but without the smoke infused clothes and hangover. Go and enjoy!… Expand

Superb! My 1st IMAX experience--well worth the extra cost; better than I expected.

A solid concert film, but must be seen on an IMAX screen.

Boring beyond belief. The Stones are about as much of a Rock N' Roll band as George Bush is presidential. In other words: They're a fraud. Too bad when a once great artist lose their creativity and just regurgitate a few once great songs. An utter disappointment.

From a guitarist point of view, I loved this documentary. Keith has a very unique style, especially when he plays in open tuning and goes back and forth between rhythm and filling in with licks and leads. Ronnie Wood is no longer as sloppy as he was, probably because is not as strung out as he used to be when he played live. Same goes for Keith. Artiscally this band gave up a long time ago. But as far as a live band, they have never been better than they have the last 10-15 years. Much more sober which makes them a much tighter band. The cinematography is excellent. They cut to Keith's riffs at exactly the right time for example. They know where to focus the camera depending on where the band is at during the song. It really makes you understand the arrangements of the songs, and what made the Stones such terrific songwriters and arrangers back in the day and what makes them such great live performers today.… Expand

Brilliant Director Martin Scorsese shines a light on the Rolling Stones. This backstage production on the Rolling stones touring concerts starrs Mart Scorsese in this music/documentary. My first question is this: How much effort do the rolling stones have to get to pull off of the best that they can be on stage. Its like they're possessed and obsessed. There is only one good song the Rolling Stone's have. Yet the screenplay-work is used like a shaky motion of missed art. This huge disappointment is absolute shit, it is Martin Scorsese's worst movie he has ever associated with and officially produced, written and directed. This creation is nowhere being influential. It sticks with blank refusion in giving up. Its so annoying. It runs on nothing, no motivation at all. Its a complete bore. Absolutely terrible. I think Martin Scorsese is getting way too full of himself in showing off the Rolling Stones. But to tell the truth, this huge touring concert for the rolling stones brings Keith Richards and gang to their worst performance ever. They don't belong on the big screen.… Expand

Forget the doubters who say this is just a concert film. Many years from now this will be seen as the masterpiece it is - a brilliant celebration of the world's greatest rock n roll band in action! A joyous and magnificent experience!

Scorsese does a good job piecing the film together, and the older clips are excellent and give a great insite into who the Rolling Stones are. The concert footage is well done. My main gripe is it's too long.