First and foremost you have to realize that this disc is not authorized by Pearl Jam or their record company. This fact makes this DVD one that although interesting, it ultimately suffers from the lack of input from the band itself.
Enlisting a very good cast of characters to give their views on the band and their place in history, Under Review gives insight to the Seattle grunge scene and Pearl Jam's place in it. Along with that, the group of writers, producers and critics give their view on the Pearl Jam catalog fro 10 to Backspacer. They do have an impressive cast with Charles Cross, Greg Prato, Joe Levy, Jonathan Plum, Kyle Anderson, Ned Raggett and Tim Palmer all giving their point of view. While they do have intimate knowledge of the music scene from which Pearl Jam emerged, it is a look at the band from the outside looking in.
This documentary talks about the birth of grunge and how Pearl Jam effected the movement. It also talks about the almost co-emergence of Nirvana and spends a great deal of time on the relationship of the two bands. There again, I would love to have heard Pearl Jam's version of it instead of speculation by those nearby.
The most interesting part to me is their break down of the albums put out by the band. Some of it is very insightful and other parts will make you go huh? The band has never been one to sit on its laurels and the way that these guys try to dissect their work is at times comical. Somehow I think Vedder and the band might give a different view of what the band was doing and their place in history.
If you take this in much the same way as you watch MTV's Behind The Music then you will not be disappointed. If you expect to learn more about the band then you did before, forget it. While this is an interesting movie, I will wait for the band's autobiography instead of this unauthorized biography.
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