Friday the 13th was the opening night of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie, and it was flawless—really somethin’.
Miabella Baeza ‘26 was able to see both the concert and the film and shared, “The Eras Tour movie was a great opportunity to experience the concert with a friend who was not able to go. Although the people in the theater I was in weren’t super high energy, my friend and I still sang along the entire time and had so much fun bonding over the music.”
For those of us who couldn’t get tickets to a concert, we treated the movie like one. I got my “Midnights” dress weeks in advance, and I made about 20 friendship bracelets to trade.
In hopes that I would one day get concert tickets (that never happened), I avoided online videos to keep the show as much of a surprise as possible.
The ticking clock before Taylor’s entrance, “Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince,” and “Cruel Summer” made me feel like I was getting the classic Eras Tour experience. Taylor’s voice also sounded different (in a good way) in the movie than I expected—it sounded a little sweeter and softer than it does on Spotify.
During the Fearless Era, I half-expected the film crew to have filmed one of the “Love Story” proposals I’ve seen online. Even without one in the movie, the Fearless Era was definitely one of the best, especially because of Taylor’s playful fringe dress, the glowing gold visuals, and nostalgic favorites like “You Belong With Me.”
Taylor’s performance of “champagne problems” during the Evermore Era was absolutely incredible; the way she threw her head back while singing as well as the tears in her eyes, which the camera captured in great detail, made the entire song so emotional and highlighted what a beautiful storyteller she is.
The editors of the film also included a huge snake visual in the Reputation Era—the only era with an extra special effect—that made me wonder if the “reputation (Taylor’s Version)” announcement is coming soon.
During the “Speak Now” segment, Taylor looked like a princess in her “Enchanted” dress, and I had a fabulous time screaming the song since some people in my theater got really into it. While I was sad “Long Live” wasn’t in the film, I was happy it played during the movie’s end credits. Abigail Smith ’27 alluded to a special surprise at the end of the film: “I really loved the movie, and I think it represented exactly what the concert was like and how much all of Taylor Swift’s fans love her and how much she loves them in return.” To find out what Abigail means, go see the movie!
I started losing my voice during the Red Era, but I still sang as loud as possible during “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” The camera really honed in on Taylor’s facial expressions during the latter, so I got a great view of one of my favorite songs. The same happened with the “folklore” set; I could see Taylor’s wide smile as she sang “betty,” which made me happy to see her happy.
Even though my entire theater was screaming every song, we went especially crazy during the 1989 and Midnights Eras. Dancing to every song (especially “Style” and “Shake It Off”) made me even more excited for the release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” on Oct. 27.
I wasn’t completely sure if Taylor was putting surprise songs in her movie, so I was thrilled when she played “Our Song” and “You’re on Your Own, Kid.” The sweetest little girl traded me an “Our Song” bracelet after the show, so I got a reminder of one of my new favorite tunes.
On top of all this, the film’s video quality is insane—because of the exceptional clarity, I could see every sequin on Taylor’s outfits and every sparkle in her eyeshadow. The videographers also used a variety of angles; sometimes I felt like I was right next to Taylor onstage, and the camera occasionally zoomed out to the audience or to a bird’s-eye view to give Swifties more of a concert-like experience.
My only critique would be the removal of “no body, no crime” and “Wildest Dreams” from the film, but I loved the entire experience anyway.
Overall rating: 13/10. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” exceeded my very high expectations, and I’d do it over and over and over again if I could.
