Movie Review: The Eras Tour
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is a breathtaking film, successfully capturing the essence of attending one of the pop icon’s sold-out concerts in all its grandeur and intimacy. (Flickr/Paolo V)
Can you really watch The Eras Tour any other way than with a crowd of enthusiastic girls screaming in excitement?
To fully embrace the experience of The Eras Tour, a documentary that manages to be both intimate and spectacular, it’s best to fully immerse yourself in the entire spectacle — the glitzy cowboy hats, the boots, the friendship bracelets, and, most importantly, the unabashed screaming. Be prepared for a lot of screaming.
From a technical standpoint, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is a breathtaking accomplishment, successfully capturing the essence of attending one of the pop icon’s sold-out concerts in all its grandeur and intimacy.
Director Sam Wrench’s camera work is nothing short of remarkable, as it appears to be everywhere simultaneously, documenting Swift’s performance with precision. The cameras envelop her as she and her dancers traverse the expansive SoFi Stadium stage in California, which comes alive with imaginative lighting synchronized with each era. The cameras even ascend to the skies, encompassing the entire crowd aglow with cell phones resembling a swarm of 70,000 jubilant fireflies.
The concept of the documentary revolves around a concert that delves into Swift’s albums, cleverly arranged in a non-chronological order. The stage performance showcases Swift confidently strutting and play-acting alongside a talented ensemble of dancers who double as impressive actors. The show alternates between straightforward musical performances and stylized set pieces, where she takes on the star role in her own cinematic story.
One of the joys of The Eras Tour is it transforms the movie-watching experience into an interactive, call-and-response event, with audiences dancing in the aisles and waving at the screen as if Swift can see them, which, given her superpowers, wouldn’t be entirely surprising.
After years of experimentation, both lyrically and literally, Swift has arrived in the world of American cinema, and we can only anticipate her next move. For now, it’s all about those heart hands—times a thousand.
Irrespective of the specific era Swift revisits, what truly shines is her unparalleled capacity to forge emotional connections with her songs and audience. As she evolves from one album to the next, the same artist who brought us the powerful “Anti-Hero” from her latest release, Midnights, also embodies the spirited newcomer from “Our Song” during her early days.
She seamlessly transitions between being the endearing, down-to-earth enthusiast and the fierce, unforgiving vixen. Swift’s ability to maintain relatability within her stratospheric superstardom is a remarkable feat, one that continues to shine through no matter which song she’s performing.
The concert offers a selection of her biggest hits, from the ever-present earworms like “Shake It Off” and “Bad Blood” from 1989 to playful anthems such as “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” from Red. Additionally, The Eras Tour movie allows ample time to savour her achingly vivid song writing during the evermore and folklore eras. Standout moments include her performance of “champagne problems” at a moss-covered piano, a song co-written with her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, credited as William Bowery, and her rendition of “betty” on an acoustic guitar from the rustic folklore cabin.
While she has long been celebrated as a fashion icon for women and an aspirational figure for young girls everywhere, it’s Swift’s evocative storytelling that remains her most profound and transcendent strength. This film wisely affords us the opportunity to rekindle our appreciation for that storytelling prowess.
Every minuscule element reflects the seriousness and dedication with which Swift has approached this monumental undertaking, and they all come to life vividly on the big screen.
Watching it all unfold over the course of 165 minutes might feel like a marathon, especially for those who aren’t hardcore Swifties. However, purely as a cinematic experience, The Eras Tour offers tremendous entertainment value. So, put on a couple of friendship bracelets and let yourself be swept away by this phenomenon.
