Review Roundup: One Direction Documentary THIS IS US

One Direction, the British-Irish boy band that has swept the planet, adds another milestone to their already impressive resumes: movie stars. Their documentary 'One Direction: This is Us' opens this weekend and teen girls across the world are thrilled. One Direction's members include Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson.

'One Direction: This is Us' is directed by award winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, of 'Super Size Me' fame. This Is Us follows the lives of the five members of the boy band, One Direction. It contains live concert footage from London's O2 Arena, and footage from their lives pre- and post-X Factor appearance, and gives insight into the preparation for their concerts and ultimately what it is like to be One Direction.

Let's see what the critics had to say:

Miriam Bale, The New York Times: With a group so evidently versed in the visuals of rock history, it's a shame that a filmmaker wasn't hired who would pay homage to classic pop films instead of offering a satisfactory paid promotional. In the end credits - Richard Lester-style scenes of the boys in costumes doing pranks - we see how this film might have been more successful: as an obvious fiction starring these appealing personalities rather than a tame and somewhat fake documentary.

Mark Olsen, The LA Times: The boys don't dance, they aren't particularly interested in their singing, and they seem only nominally invested in their music. So what do they do? Can youthful cuteness be a skill and vocation? "One Direction: This Is Us" leaves the larger questions it points toward teasingly unexplored, making the film little more than a harmless keepsake.

Jim Farber, The New York Daily News: They ponder an arc like the character of Benjamin Button, who lived his life in reverse. In part, they pine to get this grown-up part of their lives over with so they can settle down and have a normal, dull existence. From all Evidence here, they should slip into that role smoothly.

Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter: The filmmakers' intent to depict them as "normal guys" mostly succeeds, primarily due to their not inconsiderable charm. Scenes featuring their predominantly teen female fans are limited to crowd shots and brief sound bites, while any footage revealing smoking, partying or romance has been studiously excluded.

Anthony Quinn, The Independent U.K: It's a global tour movie, gussied up to keep the fanbase happy and the revenues ticking over. The five boys come over as polite, personable, hard-working and almost neurotically appreciative of the screaming girls who have made it all possible for them.

Sara Stewart, The NY Post: The power of social media made this group what it is, and they seem appropriately thankful. They're such nice boys! Still, just once I'd like to have seen these popsters - as their own song advocates - go crazy crazy crazy till they saw the sun.

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