In October, Mairead McGill and Eve Laurito went to see the Eras Tour Movie. This review will cover the songs, performances, and overall theater experience of the movie.
From the second we arrived, we had the experience of going to an actual concert. We could immediately spot anyone going to the Eras tour movie, based on the colorful outfits and people decked out in friendship bracelets. Although we didn’t trade with anyone, we came prepared with our own friendship bracelets. If you’re going to see the movie, we encourage you to find someone to trade with! As Taylor said, “Make the friendship bracelets.” Another thing that made the experience special was the special cups and popcorn buckets made especially for the Eras Tour movie. It was a wonderful souvenir to take home and remember the movie by.
The only thing that was surprising in a not-exciting way was the songs that were cut out of the movie. We understand that the movie couldn’t be over four hours long, but it was still a little disappointing to see our favorite songs like: “Long Live,” “Cardigan,” “The Archer,” “No body no crime,” and “Wildest Dreams” cut from the movie. Alert! Stay for the end if you want to enjoy “Long Live” in a theater full of Swifties. All that said, the surprise songs definitely made up for those missing from the setlist! The two chosen for the movie were none other than “Our Song” from her debut album, Taylor Swift, and “You’re On Your Own Kid” from Taylor’s most recent album, Midnights.
Taylor Swift truly is a mastermind with which songs she chose as the surprise songs. As the name “Eras Tour” suggests, each concert has songs from 9 out of her 10 albums released. The one notable absence was any songs from her debut album, titled Taylor Swift. The song she chose to perform as the first surprise song was the fan-favorite “Our Song” from her debut album. This marked the last Era in the movie. The second surprise song was from her Midnights album, and was “You’re On Your Own Kid.” This song is about Taylor’s journey navigating her life in the spotlight, and all the things that come with it. Having the first surprise song be from her debut album and the second about her life being famous feels like a heartwarming symbol.
One thing that remains a mystery after seeing the movie is how Taylor could possibly change outfits as quickly as she does. She performs the ultimate quick changes, somethings with only a minute between outfits. And what outfits they were. They each represented the album she was singing and were colorful, fun, and creative. Another thing that stood out were the choreographed movies for every single song. How she can remember dances to a 3 hour long show is beyond impressive. She truly is multi-talented, and deserves all the fame she has.
What made this movie most enjoyable, though, was the energy in our theater. Several little girls were standing up and dancing in the aisles, and almost everyone was singing the songs. A traditional way of seeing a movie was abandoned, as scream singing and videotaping commenced. One thing we’ll never forget is the group of 10-year-olds in the row behind, leaning on the rails and singing their hearts out. They knew every word and weren’t afraid to show it. Every time we looked back from our seats, we could see them hovering over us, singing their favorite songs. In all the videos we took, Taylor’s voice was drowned out by the sound of everyone in the theater scream-singing.