Movie review: 'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour' captures performer's brilliance

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Taylor Swift's takeover of cinemas feels like the movie event of the century. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, in theaters now, lives up to the hype.

Filmed at Swift's performances at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Swift performs selections from each of her albums.

The filmed concert captures the production of the concert. The widescreen frame showcases the entire stage, while cuts to close-ups of Swift bring audiences closer than even front-row seats.

The film captures the sense of the full stadium audience, too. They're wearing light-up wristbands that illuminate all four levels of the stadium in the dark.

Surround sound at a top-notch movie theater envelops the listener probably more clearly than most stadiums.

The concert production is excellent but Swift truly stands out from even the most elaborate staging. Swift has a way of making every viewer feel like she's personally performing for them whether they are sitting in the back row or in a movie theater.

This is possibly the most famous performer in the world, but she engages her audience with humility.

Early in the show, Swift says she hopes every time the audience hears these songs again, they remember her performing it for them live. The show is so memorable that the filmed performance is likely to become just as vivid a recollection.

The eras don't go in chronological order, which actually works as a programming decision. This way, Swift is able to flow effortlessly from sensual to more bubbly songs.

The show breezes through each era. Perhaps they edited out some of the transitions, but many seem smoothly built into the show, like a simulated underwater swim between 1989 and Midnights.

When it transitions to Reputation, the editing becomes more aggressive to match the more aggressive songs. Some eras only have one song while others have five, but it's a well-balanced show.

Every wardrobe change conveys personality, not only for Swift but for her background dancers. Elaborate sets bring a cabin in the woods or multi-floor office building to the arena.

The thing is, it's enough just to see Swift singing and strutting on stage. She commands the stage regardless of what's surrounding her.

Fans who attended Eras in person can relive their experience with more flexible showtimes including matinees and late nights with this release. If there are any uninitiated left, Eras is a primer for why Swift is such an enduring performer.

Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.