It’s no surprise that in the past year Taylor Swift has swiftly taken over the media with her successful Eras Tour bringing in billions and her announcement for rerecording her records. Now she’s taking over theaters with The Eras Tour movie. Sitting at two hours and 49 minutes long, the concert film takes you through Taylor’s 17 years of discography.
Upon arrival at the concession stand, fans were offered limited edition Eras Tour cups and popcorn buckets designating immediately which movie people were going to see. Everyone was either wearing Taylor’s merchandise or a DIY outfit they made.
The film began with the 13 second countdown clock which is an immediate eye-catcher to any Swiftie, as the number 13 is Taylor’s favorite number that she purposely hides for fans to notice. The fans and I took our seats in anticipation of the film starting.
First set: Lover
Once the countdown finished the concert started. The audience was met with the opening with Taylor appearing from the floor as she sang “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” after she started singing her number one hit on “Lover”, “Cruel Summer.” The cinematography was impeccable, the quality was crisp, and it felt like you were truly at the concert. The fans in the audience, including me, were screaming every single lyric and the atmosphere in the theater was infectious. Taylor then finished the “Lover” set with “The Man”, “You Need To Calm Down,” and lastly “Lover.”
Second Set: Fearless
Taylor then went into her second set capturing the “Fearless” album. The audience immediately lit up with passion when “Fearless” started playing. I watched as some girls in the front row walked to the side of the theater to dance around and scream every single lyric. The girls in my section to the left of me were also stating every lyric. The audience all came to life when the iconic fearless heart with fans’ hands all went up towards the screen. Taylor then finished out the set with the songs “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story,” which even the parents and older ones in the audience were singing.
Third Set: Evermore
One of Taylor’s more forgotten releases “Evermore” was the third set. It started with Taylor and her band “The Agency” dressed up in cloaks and holding lanterns to show “Evermore’s” earthy and witchy aesthetic. Some Swifties were simply there to enjoy her older music or the cinematography, due to “Evermore” being one of Taylor’s more underrated albums due to the double release after “Folklore” and “Evermore” was never spoken about again by Swift until this concert some people weren’t The set included some of my personal favorite songs, “willow”, “marjorie”, “champagne problems”, and “tolerate it.”
Fourth Set: reputation
Arguably Taylor’s best album and my personal favorite set was “reputation.” “reputation’s” set started with the iconic snake imagery and an amazing snake CGI creation that looked like it was coming out of the screen. Then Taylor started singing “reputation’s” opener “…Ready for it.” Everyone in my section except for a couple of fathers all stood up to dance and sing. This was by far the most alive the audience was during a set. Everyone in the theater was dancing so much that you could feel the ground shake. The “reputation” set ended with “Delicate”, “Don’t Blame Me”, and “Look What You Made Me Do.”
Fifth Set: Speak Now
Now, this was probably the most disappointing thing about the movie. The “Speak Now” set seemed a little rushed. The set only included one song, “Enchanted,” which I wouldn’t normally call a disappointment saying as during the beginning of the Eras tour the set list only had one song from “Speak Now.” However, when (Taylors Version) of “Speak Now” came out a couple of months ago, the set list changed and Taylor added “Long live”, a song dedicated to the fans. It was disappointing to see that they cut that song from the movie. “Speak Now” deserved more tracks played in the shows, which would’ve added more of this era into the movie as well.
Sixth Set: Red
“Red” was one of the albums I felt Taylor incorporated the most within her concert and the film. I absolutely loved the outfits she wore; it brought a wave of nostalgia through me. For this portion of her performance, everything was just like her Red Tour I attended in 2013. She sang classic hits like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Another fun incorporation was that she gave away the black hat she wears for this era to a fan. I feel she did a fantastic job of making this era nostalgic for a lot of her older fans that grew up loving “Red.” The fans in my theater interacted with this album the most with their noticeable singing and dancing.
Seventh Set: Folklore
During Covid-19, “Folklore” was in the making. Taylor wanted her fans to feel she was still making music and wanted to have a connection with them during lockdown. Similar to “Evermore,” “Folklore” is one of those more forgotten albums that some of her fans have at the bottom of their lists. The outfits for this era were my favorites throughout the whole performance. The beautiful flowy dresses and mystical vibe of this era turned out beautiful on both the stage and cinema. The chill indie vibe of this era made a good balance in the movie, giving everyone a taste of all of Taylor’s versatility.
Eighth Set: 1989
After seeing the Eras Tour live, I was probably the most excited to see the “1989” era on the big screen. “1989” has always been in my top three Taylor albums of all time. Following her performances of “Style” and “Wildest Dreams,” I fell even more in love with the album. For this era, Swift wore very sparkly jumpsuits and dresses, these looked absolutely stunning on the big screen and were surprisingly way better than seeing it in person. “1989” is definitely at the top of my list, even after seeing The Eras Tour movie, and I loved the vibe in my theater during “Shake It Off.”
Surprise Songs:
Since the movie was filmed during her last two shows of the U.S. leg in LA, there are two surprise songs from the last shows at MetLife Stadium featured in the film. Taylor sings “Our Song” from “Taylor Swift,” her Debut album, and “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from her most recent release “Midnights.” I love how she played one from her first album and one from her most recent; this way it follows the theme of the Eras Tour by reminiscing on Taylor’s musical journey. I think this also shows how Taylor pays attention to her fans and recognizes the new ones and the ones who have stuck around for years, wanting her fans to soak in every moment from first to last.
Ninth, and Final Set: Midnights
Taylor ended the film with her “Midnights” era, just like how she ended her shows as well. As expected, “Midnights” was one of the most fun and upbeat eras to hear live. I also felt her fans reacted the most to this era since all of her “Midnights” songs are brand new and publicized. I loved this era but as a longtime fan it’s not one of my favorites. Nonetheless, newer fans may disagree. This era had my favorite stage decorations and dances. Taylor’s “Vigilante Sh*t” dance routine with her chairs and dark purple sparkly jumpsuit was my favorite part of the movie as well as her live show. She looked amazing and incorporated her background dancers very well during this part of the show, giving them a lot more spotlight and room to be themselves on stage.
Some songs were sadly taken out of the movie, but understandably so because the movie couldn’t be too long. “Long Live” is one of my favorite songs by Taylor and I was so devastated when it was removed from the movie. During the end credits some songs that were taken out were finally featured. Unexpectedly, I heard “Long Live” as I was exiting the theater and it made me smile. I was so happy that it wasn’t totally forgotten in the list of songs.
Overall, the Eras Tour Movie brings the Eras Tour to life and creates such a unique and fun perspective for her fans. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wasn’t able to attend the Eras Tour. As someone who experienced both, they are extremely similar other than Taylor not physically being in the cinemas. The cinematography was unforgettable, and every Taylor Swift fan should experience the Eras Tour Movie.
