Can a film of a gig be as good, or even close to, the real thing? Audrey Donohue (not a Swiftie) went along to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert movie to find out.
It seems like at the moment, it's Taylor Swift's world and we're all living in it.
The furore over securing tickets to see the pop star next June when she brings her Eras tour to Dublin's Aviva Stadium made headlines over the summer, causing hotel room prices to soar and parents to sweat under pressure to secure the coveted tickets.
For the unlucky folks who didn't, the 12-time Grammy-winning artist has cleverly decided to further cash in from this tour by making a movie of it, which is set for limited release this weekend in 8,500 cinemas across 100 countries.
The footage is taken from Swift's six‑night run at the SoFi Stadium in California in August - a stunning venue with a capacity of 100,000.
Advance ticket sales for the nearly three-hour film have topped $100 million (€95m) worldwide - making it the best-selling feature-length concert film in history.
32-year-old UK director Sam Wrench is at the helm. He has serious form in this arena already, having directed Lizzo, Blur and Billie Eilish concert movies in recent years.
So, how is it? To borrow a phrase from another artist who's using technology to maximum effect at the moment - is it even better than the real thing?
In a word, almost. It's an absolute blast and sets a new standard for concert films, and indeed, live performance in general.
I attended the first showing of the film in a jampacked Dublin cinema on Friday evening, and the atmosphere was electric - right from the moment the trailers ended and the lights dropped, the screaming began - and it didn't stop until three hours later when Swift closed the show with Karma. It was rowdy, fun and uplifting.
The crowd - more of a mixed bag than you would imagine - was teeming with excitement beforehand, with conversations focused on the real-life gigs next year. It seems that many of the attendees were going to one or more of her stage shows, with one woman beside me splashing out on a VIP ticket, costing a minimum of €372, "out of desperation" to see the singer live.
Other hot topics included questioning if the film would spoil the gig (it does) and of course, Swift's new relationship with American football player Travis Kelce ("I'm just happy she's happy", a tween behind me stated wisely). And, rather sweetly, lots of the teenagers in the audience were swapping friendship bracelets beforehand - a staple of the Swift tour.
The gig covers the singer-songwriter through the ten eras of her career to date with Red, Reputation and 1989 garnering the biggest reaction from the crowd and the most ear-splitting screams.
Even the biggest Swift critic could not walk away from this movie thinking she is not hugely talented. The gig is a masterclass in her songwriting, dancing, singing, stage presence and instrumental abilities. 40 of her 45-song tour setlist made the cut for this film.
There is zero phoning it in here. Serious kudos must go to both her and her team who didn't scrimp, either financially or creatively. Every song has a strong concept behind it and the band, backing vocalists and in particular, the small troupe of about ten dancers, add so much to the show. Wrench's many, many cameras capture the very best moments and expressions of each player. Very positively, Swift also has ensured that there is huge diversity in her onstage crew.
Stage design, lighting, costuming, props, direction and visual effects are stunning, with a stand-out moment being during the Reputation era, when an enormous snake seemingly wraps around the huge staging out into the crowd - it's mind-boggling and had everyone gasping.
It's not all smoke and mirrors - an acoustic set in the show's last chapter - just Swift plus her guitar and piano - once again showcases her raw talent.
Frequent laughs came courtesy of moments when the crowd in the LA venue were shown - often overly-emotional Swifties and dads belting out tunes - with those in the Dublin audience very much reflecting what was shown on screen.
It was heartwarming to see young women, some aged no more than seven, clapping and clearly inspired as Swift banged out hit after hit, many of which contain inspiring messages of feminism, standing up for yourself and the importance of love and friendship.
Wrench captures every moment perfectly. One slight criticism would be that perhaps the show would benefit from further editing back - three or four less songs, particularly around the Folklore section, would have been just as effective - but fans were lapping up every moment.
It's everything you want in a concert movie and has raised the game. Run, don't walk, to a cinema near you soon while the superfans are still in attendance. They're the real MVPS here, adding much to the experience.
Swift can now add "filling movie theatres" to her extensive list of areas she has dominated, which already spans music charts, streaming platforms and stadiums. The only question that remains is - what's next?
