Iris Maas

Crowds in the movie theater have a full concert experience through the big screen.

Over the summer, Barbie and Oppenheimer brought cultural impact back to the cinema. Now, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour has continued that trend. 

In late August, Swift officially announced the October release of her movie, and fans across the country ran to secure their tickets before seats filled up. International fans swiftly followed in their footsteps after she announced the movie would also be released worldwide. The Exorcist: Believer, a film expected to premiere on Friday, Oct. 13, moved its premiere date up a week, knowing it would never beat out the competition of the Eras release that same weekend.

I quickly bought my own tickets, following her announcement, eager to see how Swift would execute the film. 

It’s safe to say that it was a roller coaster of emotions to watch and experience, as the journey through Swift’s ten ‘eras’ made the audience smile, laugh, scream, and sob. The film began with Swift performing songs from her album, Lover. Her grand appearance never gets old, as every person in the theater cheered as soon as she revealed herself on screen. 

The focus quickly shifted to Fearless, the album where it all began for most Swifties like me; emotions quickly arose while hearing the songs that shaped my childhood. Quick-change, never failing to impress the audience, Swift came back for evermore and audiences experienced heart-wrenching songs, a beautiful tribute to “marjorie” as the audience turned on their flashlights for the song, and an audience ovation after “champagne problems.” 

I had to  wipe my tears and get ready for it–a giant 3D snake glitch onto the screen sending the audience around me into shrieks! Next came Speak Now. The audience immediately swayed along to Enchanted, which Swift performed in a gorgeous lavender ball gown. Continuing on to RED, the audience screamed along to Taylor’s famous breakup pop songs, followed by a ten-minute “All Too Well.”  The film  shifted to Swift’s folklore era, as fans sang their hearts out to poetic emotion-filled lyrics, before dancing to Taylor’s critically acclaimed pop masterpiece, 1989.

But shake it off ‘cause here comes surprise-song-o’clock, wait for it…we’ve got “Our Song” and “You’re On Your Own, Kid!” (More tears were shed.) Two perfect songs that bookended the beginning of Swift’s career and her latest the fan favorite. The selections tied the perfect ribbon onto this tour.

Last, but certainly not least, Midnights. We danced to shimmering lights and bejeweled bodysuits before ending the night with sparkling smiles and fireworks. But stay on the lookout during the credits, and you might see yourself, if you attended one of her shows.

Ultimately, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour film is truly about the experience, more so than the movie itself. I felt the same feelings in the theater that I did while seeing her live. Walking into the movie theater, I immediately saw many fans dressed in some of Taylor’s most iconic looks and wrists covered in bracelets they proceed to trade. Swifties have an incredible sense of community that flooded into theaters. They sparked conversation and connection with strangers who share the same love of Swift’s music. This was truly the Eras Tour experience brought to the local cinema. For the hundreds of people singing in the parking lot outside the stadiums at which Taylor played, this movie is for them.