Taylor Swift continues her pop culture takeover by bringing the eras tour to theaters across the globe.
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” came out on October 13, and fans will watch and experience the tour all over again. And while having a film gives everyone the experience of seeing her Eras Tour, marketing for the movie sometimes made the experience unbearable.
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There is no doubt that Swift is continuing to show the world that she is a force to be reckoned with. The Eras Tour has become the hottest ticket in every city she visits.
The film highlights the extravagance that Swift’s 44-song setlist is going through her music catalog, which extends over 17 years of her music.
I was lucky enough to see her Metlife show on the third night, and watching the film really makes you feel like you are at one of her concerts. The visuals transitioning to each era blend smoothly with the stage visuals she had during the show.
She may have cut out some gems such as “Cardigan” and “The Archer,” but I can see how she did not want the movie to be too long, considering it was already edging a three-hour length. The movie throws the viewer into the crowd of her shows, and giving the fans the opportunity to see it is one of the ways Swift shows how much she wants her fans along for the ride.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Swift’s music is almost infectious with how you can not just sit still while some of her greatest hits are being played, but it is still a movie theater. Sitting in the theater at some points felt intolerable with the amount of people that were just standing and screaming during the movie.
Singing kept at a minimum for everyone else feels like it should be a given considering where you are, but some people were so loud I could not even hear Swift. At times, I questioned if she was even singing or not.
Swift really had the right of heart when it came to releasing her film. Choosing to release the film directly working with AMC Theaters instead of big studios in support of the SAG-AFTRA strike speaks on her character, but I think experiencing this film would be better at home than in a movie theater.
Before the movie had been released, her team has said that she has encouraged fans to sing and dance during the movie. I get that she wants fans to have fun, but I think putting it as a film or movie was a wrong move.
She should have promoted it as more of a watch or listening party than a film. The theater felt like a listening party, but in a place that is meant to be quiet.
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Many concert films that have been released usually are straight on streaming platforms. The last concert film that generated this much attention was Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never,” and even at that time theaters were not being used as dance floors and karaoke rooms during the movie.
The Eras Tour is an epiphany for Swift fans all around the world. The success she has had for herself speaks for itself and the Eras Tour will go down as one of the highest grossing tours ever, but if you are looking to watch the film you may want to wait until you can purchase it at home.
Tickets are already priced higher than an average movie and not being able to hear Swift or even focus on the show may lose your interest halfway through.
Movie overall: 10/10
Theater experience: 4/10
