by Megan Sechrist
Taylor Swift’s newest concert film showcasing her Eras Tour was a fun experience. I went to the movie theater the week after it opened, and it was still packed with fans who were singing, dancing, and trading friendship bracelets. Even AMC was in the spirit by providing free posters, collectible/reusable cups, and popcorn buckets, and giving their employees AMC brand friendship bracelets to trade with Swifties coming to see the show! It was really a very exciting time and it was only the second max capacity theater I have been to this year, the first being Greta Gerwig’s, Barbie.
The film follows the set list of songs of Swift’s tour for the most part. It starts with the Lover album, followed by Fearless, evermore, Speak Now, Red, folklore, 1989, to the acoustic “surprise song” set that changes with each show, ending with her newest album Midnights. The concert itself has roughly a 210-minute runtime, so fans quickly became alarmed when it was released that the film would only be 169 minutes long. After its release, it was revealed that fans' favorite songs such as “The Archer,” “tis’ the damn season,” “Long Live,” “cardigan,” and “Wildest Dreams,” as well as many of the speeches Swift made throughout her show, had been cut from the film. While this was disappointing, I do believe it was a necessary sacrifice to keep audience retention throughout, as a 210-minute movie feels much different than a 210-minute concert. However, Swift quickly turned this around by announcing the release of the extended cut of her Eras Tour film a little over a month late.
The timeline of this film’s release is surprising to me. The footage was filmed over the course of Swift’s five Sofi Stadium shows during the first leg of her U.S. tour. During these shows, fans started to get a hint that an Eras Tour film was coming due to the camera people present on the stage with Swift while she was performing. These five shows took place from August 3rd to August 9th, 2023, which means that the entire film was shot, edited, and distributed in approximately two months to meet the release date of October 13th, 2023. Because of this, the movie felt quite rushed. There were minor issues throughout, and some of the film felt a little thrown together. That being said, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour remains a very enjoyable experience.
The film follows the set list of songs of Swift’s tour for the most part. It starts with the Lover album, followed by Fearless, evermore, Speak Now, Red, folklore, 1989, to the acoustic “surprise song” set that changes with each show, ending with her newest album Midnights. The concert itself has roughly a 210-minute runtime, so fans quickly became alarmed when it was released that the film would only be 169 minutes long. After its release, it was revealed that fans' favorite songs such as “The Archer,” “tis’ the damn season,” “Long Live,” “cardigan,” and “Wildest Dreams,” as well as many of the speeches Swift made throughout her show, had been cut from the film. While this was disappointing, I do believe it was a necessary sacrifice to keep audience retention throughout, as a 210-minute movie feels much different than a 210-minute concert. However, Swift quickly turned this around by announcing the release of the extended cut of her Eras Tour film a little over a month late.
The timeline of this film’s release is surprising to me. The footage was filmed over the course of Swift’s five Sofi Stadium shows during the first leg of her U.S. tour. During these shows, fans started to get a hint that an Eras Tour film was coming due to the camera people present on the stage with Swift while she was performing. These five shows took place from August 3rd to August 9th, 2023, which means that the entire film was shot, edited, and distributed in approximately two months to meet the release date of October 13th, 2023. Because of this, the movie felt quite rushed. There were minor issues throughout, and some of the film felt a little thrown together. That being said, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour remains a very enjoyable experience.
For the most part, The Eras Tour is well made. Enticing cinematography, well-designed titles themed around leading audiences through each of Swift’s “Eras,” and other creative elements to keep fans interested for the entirety of the runtime. I appreciated the intentional editing choices of this film, based on which era Swift was performing at the time. For example, her folklore set had much longer shots to convey the album's escapism, nostalgia, and romanticism. On the other hand, her reputation set was fast-paced and intense, with dramatic angles and quick cuts to better reflect the tough, intimidating style of music she is playing.
One thing that could be improved upon, which is not necessarily the fault of the filmmakers but rather the distribution, is the price of admission. Swift’s team decided that admission would cost $19.89 to pay homage to Swift’s birth year, and her fifth studio album’s rerecording was released just a week after the film's opening. While I think this is a cute concept, the admission price is almost $9 more than any other film being shown at AMC. A notable downfall of a “virtual concert” based on concert compilations is the film continuity, as the problem with filming one movie throughout five shows is that they are five slightly different shows — Her hair looks different, dancers are at slightly different positions, her nail polish is chipped, and so on — It is these slight differences between shots that ruin the illusion of a continuous video of the concert.
The cinematography, however, makes up for the continuity errors. Shots from the reputation set and the “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” song are among my favorites. It effectively captures the mood of each era/song and adds to the immersive quality of the film. My favorite shot in the movie is the arc shot during the transition between “Don’t Blame Me” and “Look What You Made Me Do”. The fast pace circling of Swift’s silhouette as she rises up on a platform with flashing lights in the background truly captures the essence of reputation as an album.
The other valuable aspect of the production is the graphics. As I previously mentioned, each set on her tour is themed around a different “era” and each one of her “eras” has a different theme. The choice to include the names of each album before the songs began is relevant because each of the titles is designed to represent the essence of the era and helps the film’s overall organization. The credits are quite impressive as well. The names of the cast and crew, as well as the statement of thanks from Swift, are all presented as letters on friendship bracelets to pay homage to a tradition started by her fans. The tradition of trading friendship bracelets is inspired by a line from the fifth track on the Midnights album which says, “…so make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it, you’ve got no reason to be afraid.”
One thing that could be improved upon, which is not necessarily the fault of the filmmakers but rather the distribution, is the price of admission. Swift’s team decided that admission would cost $19.89 to pay homage to Swift’s birth year, and her fifth studio album’s rerecording was released just a week after the film's opening. While I think this is a cute concept, the admission price is almost $9 more than any other film being shown at AMC. A notable downfall of a “virtual concert” based on concert compilations is the film continuity, as the problem with filming one movie throughout five shows is that they are five slightly different shows — Her hair looks different, dancers are at slightly different positions, her nail polish is chipped, and so on — It is these slight differences between shots that ruin the illusion of a continuous video of the concert.
The cinematography, however, makes up for the continuity errors. Shots from the reputation set and the “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” song are among my favorites. It effectively captures the mood of each era/song and adds to the immersive quality of the film. My favorite shot in the movie is the arc shot during the transition between “Don’t Blame Me” and “Look What You Made Me Do”. The fast pace circling of Swift’s silhouette as she rises up on a platform with flashing lights in the background truly captures the essence of reputation as an album.
The other valuable aspect of the production is the graphics. As I previously mentioned, each set on her tour is themed around a different “era” and each one of her “eras” has a different theme. The choice to include the names of each album before the songs began is relevant because each of the titles is designed to represent the essence of the era and helps the film’s overall organization. The credits are quite impressive as well. The names of the cast and crew, as well as the statement of thanks from Swift, are all presented as letters on friendship bracelets to pay homage to a tradition started by her fans. The tradition of trading friendship bracelets is inspired by a line from the fifth track on the Midnights album which says, “…so make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it, you’ve got no reason to be afraid.”
This film is as valuable as its predecessors: Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour and Miss Americana. It is pretty aligned with the concert films genre at large, and it would have benefited from an extra few months in the editing room and a cheaper ticket price. The Eras Tour was still a good time, and as someone who stood outside Acrisure Stadium to listen to the tour, it was fun to finally have a chance to experience what was going on inside.
