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• U2 3D

In this photo released by National Geographic, A 3-D presentation of U2's global "Vertigo" tour. Shot at seven different shows, this production employs the greatest number of 3-D cameras ever used for a single project in "U2-3D." (AP Photo/National Geographic)

It's well-documented that the Beatles inspired thousands of youngsters to become musicians when the Fab Four performed Feb. 9, 1964 on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

"U2 3D" may shape some lives, too.

The film, which opens today at the Indiana State Museum's IMAX Theatre and will run through March, offers an intoxicating portrayal of what it's like to play music for tens of thousands of fans and bask in their adoration.

Bass player Adam Clayton -- forever the least "rock star" member of U2 when compared to hot-blooded Bono, the cool Edge and ultra-cool Larry Mullen Jr. -- is a full-fledged hero as he walks a ramp from the stage into a sea of concertgoers.

With the aid of plastic 3-D glasses, viewers experience the band's 2006 "Vertigo" tour in small details and large quantities.

For minutiae, check out set lists taped to the stage, an orange beverage placed at Mullen's side and the effects board that gets a workout at the feet of the Edge.

It's also intriguing to see the four musicians frequently packed together in a small huddle, a contrast to their far-flung stations on 1997's "Popmart" tour (which received the DVD treatment last year). Thanks to cameras that capture U2 from above and behind, there's a sense of isolation (if not an outright "us-against-the-world" mentality) to cranking out hit songs for sold-out football stadiums.

In the massive category, U2's video-centric stage backdrop often fills the IMAX screen that's famously six stories tall and 80 feet wide. Filmed mostly in South America in 2006, "U2 3D" makes stars of audience members who bob up and down in excitement and sing every lyric with gusto.

Billed as the first live-action movie ever shot, produced and exhibited in digital 3-D, the film is at its most eye-popping when Mullen's drum kit is on display. The layers of cymbals and drums provide clearly defined layers, and various camera angles amaze. It's odd to say, but the film would be entertaining even if every frame were devoted to Mullen's drumming.

The gigantic scope of IMAX doesn't always treat Bono kindly. But if the years have taken a physical toll, the singer retains all the charisma that's long worked wonders on sorority women and stuffy politicians. Bono reaches out to do everything but physically touch viewers of "U2 3D," and he sings about things that some people find annoying: idealism, compassion and self-confidence.

The "Vertigo" tour to promote 2004 album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" never made it to Indianapolis. There is a slight and tangential connection to the Circle City, however, that shows up in "U2 3D" when one of Julian Opie's animated "walking men" accompanies a performance of "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own."

The film stitches performances from multiple concerts into what appears to be a single show from beginning to end. With no vignettes or interview segments breaking up the action, this may seem like more than a casual fan of the band is willing to sit through.

But at a running time of less than 90 minutes, the film actually has a breezy pace that may leave hardcore fans wanting more after the closing credits roll.

And while "U2 3D" is a smashing visual achievement, its sound is far from a weakness through a parade of signature tunes that includes "Vertigo," "Beautiful Day," "New Year's Day," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "Where the Streets Have No Name," "One" and "With or Without You."