The first image centers on the familiar figure of Robert Smith, his silhouette set against a stage consumed by darkness, his voice immediately landing with strength and clarity. The Cure: The Show of a Lost World captures the band’s sole major 2023 performance in London as a nearly three-hour cinematic record of sustained musical craft. The performance itself stands on firm ground, supported by high-grade sound that renders each instrument with sharp definition.
The concert follows a multi-act design, divided into four chapters that move through decades of material. The opening section leans heavily on the dense, reflective songs from Songs of a Lost World, then shifts into a carefully assembled run of deep cuts, familiar tracks, and a focused return to Seventeen Seconds. The structure highlights the band’s cohesion and frames them as musicians fully in command of their history.
The Geometry of Indifference
The film’s most challenging element lies in its visual approach, which often clashes with the strength of the music. Editing choices rely on frequent, rapid cuts that interrupt any sense of immersion. Constant shifts in viewpoint block the formation of a stable spatial relationship with the stage, creating a fragmented viewing experience.
The staging leans heavily into black-on-black visuals, with dark amplifiers, a metal drum kit, and muted clothing blended into dim, moody lighting. Band members frequently dissolve into shadow, an effect heightened by dense imagery on the rear screen.
These choices obscure clarity. The lighting design itself carries real impact, shaping atmosphere with precision and scale, though the camera work fails to translate that impact effectively. The film stays locked onto the performers, offering few looks at the venue or crowd, which reduces any impression of scale tied to the live setting.
The Visual MVP
Across the runtime, the band’s performance shifts in tone and energy. The opening stretch draws from Songs of a Lost World, grounding the show in slow, heavy moods. Energy builds across the following acts, with the band, and Smith in particular, loosening their posture and leaning into playful gestures that echo earlier eras of their catalog. Smith’s voice handles deep sorrow and sudden brightness with ease, paired with his familiar physical quirks and expressive vocal textures. Simon Gallup emerges as the dominant visual presence.
Moving across the stage in a leopard print jacket and rockabilly styling, he delivers constant motion and a strong sense of identity. Perry Bamonte remains mostly stationary, resulting in fewer appearances on screen. Reeves Gabrels injects urgency and momentum through sharp, forceful guitar work that cuts through the mix. Musical highlights include the forceful performance of “Burn” and the emotionally charged readings of “Endsong” and “Plainsong.”
The Measure of Time
Pacing in The Cure: The Show of a Lost World follows the internal logic of the band’s songwriting. Many compositions stretch outward through long instrumental openings, shaping a slow, deliberate rhythm across the concert. The decision to open with a restrained, low-energy piece establishes a patient atmosphere that guides the full runtime.
Movement through new material, deep cuts, and familiar songs flows with consistency, giving space to each phase of the catalog. The film asks for sustained attention across its length, presenting a three-hour experience built on gradual escalation and tonal control. Viewers willing to settle into that rhythm find a performance shaped by restraint, focus, and emotional weight.
The concert film The Cure: The Show of a Lost World is a cinematic presentation of the band’s single 2024 performance in London, which took place on the release night of their album Songs of a Lost World. The film is a recut, remixed, and 4K remastered version of the full 31-song show, featuring the complete new album along with a selection of deep cuts, hits, and an anniversary set for Seventeen Seconds. Directed by Nick Wickham and featuring a new surround sound mix by Robert Smith, the film was released in cinemas worldwide for a limited time on Thursday, December 11, 2025, and is expected to be released on Blu-Ray and DVD in late December 2025.
Full Credits
Title: The Cure: The Show of a Lost World
Distributor: Trafalgar Releasing, Lost Images, Polydor, Mercury Studios
Release date: December 11, 2025
Rating: FSK 0
Running time: 2 hours and 47 minutes (167 minutes)
Director: Nick Wickham
Producers and Executive Producers: Robert Smith, Paul Corkett, Celia Moore
Cast: Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Jason Cooper, Roger O’Donnell, Reeves Gabrels, Perry Bamonte
Composer: Robert Smith, The Cure (Music Performed by)
The Review
The Cure: The Show of a Lost World
The Cure: The Show of a Lost World delivers a musically brilliant performance, capturing the band’s mastery and emotional depth across their lengthy catalogue. The sound is impeccable, and the band’s stage presence, especially Simon Gallup's, is compelling. The film's major flaw lies in its perplexing and indifferent direction and editing, which fails to capture the spectacle or the atmosphere of the live event. It is a powerful concert preserved by flawed filmmaking.
PROS
- The band’s playing and Robert Smith’s vocals are powerful and terrific.
- The multi-act show, moving from the weighty new album to deep cuts and hits, is compelling.
- Simon Gallup's energetic stage presence is a consistent highlight.
- The stage lighting is impeccable and successfully sets the mood.
- The high-quality mix perfectly preserves the concert's audio fidelity.
CONS
- The editing is frequently random and indifferent, disrupting the flow.
- The dark, black-on-black staging, combined with the camera work, makes it hard to distinguish the band members.
- The film fails to convey the sense of a massive live event or the atmosphere of the venue.
- The very slow opening and reliance on long songs may be challenging for casual viewers.
