From the lighting to the cinematography to the CGI effects added to enhance the set design, the film truly felt like a recorded manifestation of the concert. During the Reputation set, instead of just showing a video of the video playing on the stage, they brought the image to life with 3-D effects. Additions like these made you feel more present in the moment rather than just watching it from afar. The sound details were also incredible; you could hear Taylor talking and the little differences that truly made it sound like a live recording, but the audio was also super clear and crisp.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed the experience in the theatre, some things about the movie also could have been fixed. The movie did not show various songs that were performed in concert such as “The Archer” and “cardigan.” For me, this was kind of a disappointment because they were some of my favorite songs in the live concert and I was really looking forward to hearing them in the movie. That being said, the “folklore” set was extremely long with seven songs in total for that one era alone and I think that section could have been cut down slightly.

Nonetheless, it was an incredible concert experience, and you could tell that everything from the videos in the end credits to the advertisements played before the movie was precisely thought out and intentional to enhance viewer experience. The energy in the theatre was also impeccable; there were little kids and adults standing up, singing and dancing the whole time, reflecting the camaraderie of a true concert experience.

Check out the Instagram review with photos from the movie at @hockadayfourcast.