The live show itself looked to be a ton of fun, especially after seeing clips and full segments that were posted online after the fact. However, this behind-the-scenes documentary didn't measure up.
This hour-long look backstage of the tour starts with each main cast member talking about their birthdays... Oh boy. Most of the interview segments, especially in the beginning, are so random and scattershot. There is no cohesion, and pretty much every interview, although existing in the same segment, will talk about varying, unconnected topics. Most of which were pretty mundane.
There was no story on the whole, no structure, and no path for the audience to follow their favorite creators' through the tour. Just random interview segments of half-baked questions and comedic bits. Running gags would appear out of nowhere and then get forgotten about. Same with the title cards telling the audience the date, time, and what new city they landed in (which appear after like 15 minutes. I thought they were already on the road for that timeframe). Said title cards were the most uninspired, boring, white text on a black background I've ever seen. The ending nostalgic look back on the tour felt pretty hollow given nothing much of substance was shown throughout a lot of the runtime.
There were also some really weird transitions in the beginning. I can't tell what they were meant for. For example, there would be mystical music playing over streaks of gold moving on a white background between scenes. Almost like close-ups of letters for a logo that we never see. Then, there is a basic dissolve effect and we go right back to whatever the next segment will cover. That's only one example, but a surprisingly frequent one too.
The second half is what saves this documentary. Eventually, both the audience and the editors find a groove. The antics and random cuts make more sense after getting acclimatized to the tour itself, and the uber strange transition effects are gone. There are some more in-depth talks with the boys about their lives and charity work, alongside some moving discussions with Mark. He shares some unique insight into his past and present that even as a long-time fan of his, I never knew. It gave me a new outlook on him, and a bit of my own life.
It's hard not to compare this to Dude Perfect's "Backstage Pass" documentary that went over the EXTREMELY similar ground just a year after, but I can't help it. In no way was I expecting this one to measure up (given that 'Backstage Pass' is one of the best documentaries on YouTube in general), but this documentary failed to even do the simple basics of story and structure.
All in all, this isn't a video that will entertain the layperson or one that is a fan of documentaries. This is specifically for fans who don't care what the content is, as long as Mark and his friends are in it. There is no structure, and the creators expect you to know all of the information already going into it. Which, is already an unrealistic ask of any documentary. The first half is treated just like the second. There is no introduction to what is going on, just random bits of backstage banter that eventually culminate into some attempts at a narrative by the end. This review is harsh, but I didn't hate it. I'm a fan of Markiplier and it was fun seeing him and his friends doing something as crazy as a live tour. I'm just criticizing this work on the merits of it being a behind-the-scenes documentary. While this was enjoyable purely from a fan standpoint, it was disappointing from a documentary standpoint.
