Mary Bidonde, Staff Writer
It’s no secret that the “Eras Tour” movie was a hit at the box office. The people who couldn’t attend her show in person can now experience it at the movie theater. The footage itself is from the end of her North American leg of her tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The film is vastly different from being at the actual show as one would expect.
In the film you get camera angles that you don’t get at the shows. You get cleaner and crisper footage as well as getting closer than the cameras in person. The cinematographer incorporated close ups on Swift during more intense parts of the show and zoomed out when songs had more of a visual performance like during “Lover” and “The Last Great American Dynasty”. The transitions between songs and eras stayed the same. The movie was a smart marketing move on her part to get as much from the tour as possible. She is trying to keep longevity with people, and she is successful at doing that.
One thing that was a great addition to the film was the camera zooming in on fans in the audience, seeing their reactions to Swift and her performance. It was a great addition because it showed how much the fans adore her and her music. Everyone was genuinely happy and excited to be there. One of the best moments of the show was Taylor giving her “22” hat to a girl in the audience. The girl was the late Kobe Bryant’s daughter Bianka Bryant.
Seeing both the movie and getting to go to one of the concerts was a unique experience. The movie is just Taylor’s set as you’d expect, so there’s no opening act. Openers are a big part of a concert because they essentially prepare the audience and get them energized for the main act. It would have been nice to see the openers get some form of recognition in the film. At the concerts she gives her opening acts recognition for traveling with her and getting the audience ready. In the film, she does highlight her backup dancers, singers, and her band on stage at the end of the show.
A big difference between the actual concert and the film is that Swift cut a whole chunk of songs out of film. When I went to The Eras Tour during the summer, she performed “Cardigan”, but in the film it wasn’t performed at all. Whether this was done to not stretch the film out for more than three hours, it still would’ve been nice to hear songs like “Long Live” or “The Archer”.
Overall, the movie was worth the three-hour watch and braving the buses at night. It makes a great alternative to the actual shows for people who couldn’t get tickets. Fans can experience the show even if they didn’t go to the actual concert. They can also get limited edition merch like people who went to the shows. It’s smart that she had merchandise made for the movie so people could feel like they went to the show too. If you’ve been considering seeing The Eras Tour movie, you should experience it and have your own unique eras tour experience.
Leave a Reply