‘Bono: Stories of Surrender’ now streaming on Apple TV+, with an immersive Vision Pro edition

Apple’s newest original film, Bono: Stories of Surrender, is now streaming on Apple TV+. And if you happen to own a Vision Pro, there’s also an immersive version that puts you right on stage with the U2 frontman himself. Well, sort of.

Directed by musical documentarian Andrew Dominik (One More Time with Feeling), the new movie mixes Bono’s one-man stage show, spoken-word storytelling, and animated visuals drawn from the singer’s own sketches.

The movie is based on Bono’s 2022 memoir “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story,” and it explores key moments in Bono’s artistic and personal life. The documentary also features intimate renditions of classic U2 songs, and footage from his recent stage tour.

Two ways to watch it

The flat version, available on the Apple TV app across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV devices, was shot to work independently, with no headset required. But if you’re watching on Vision Pro, there are portions of the movie that take full advantage of the 8K video, Spatial Audio, and a 180-degree field of view.

At 1 hour and 26 minutes long, the documentary is by far the longest immersive video Apple has ever released for the Apple Vision Pro. However, to be clear, this is not an actual full-length immersive video. Rather, it has 3D scenes interwoven with regular 2D scenes. Still, for Bono or U2 fans, it is a treat.

More immersive content on the way?

In an interview earlier this month, Bono spoke about the experience of filming for immersive video, about Apple’s ambitions for the platform, while acknowledging the steep price tag:

“I know Apple are dying to make the Vision Pro more affordable and more democratic, but they’re committed to innovation, they’re committed to experimenting. They know not everyone can afford this, but they’re still going for it, believing that some way down the line, it’ll make financial sense for them. But the fact that they may have to wait a while is not putting them off.”

In any case, the movie’s immersive edition is available for free in the Apple TV app on Vision Pro, alongside recent releases like Submerged, and the recent Metallica immersive experience.

The Apple TV+ version, on the other hand, requires a regular $9.99/month subscription, which also gives access to hit TV shows and movies like Severance, The Studio, The Morning Show, Shrinking, and Silo.