If you’re a Billie Eilish fan, you need to see this in 3D. If you saw her live during her year-long tour, it will bring back great memories. For those who missed out, this is your chance to experience the show. That’s good, because Ms. Eilish is one of the best performers today.
There is some traditional music documentary behind-the-scenes, making-of kind of stuff that goes on during this film. But believe it or not, there’s not that much of it; it’s mostly the performance that you get. Billie Eilish has co-directing credits on this and co-wrote it, so perhaps this is what she wanted. She’s more focused on the music and the connection between her music and her fans than anything else.
In fact, I would say the word ‘connection’ is the common thread that runs through this whole documentary. Her fans are deeply devoted. And she gives the appearance of being just as devoted to them and to using her music to help people. As well as touching on why she dresses the way she does and why she does the things she does on stage, without getting bogged down in anything that would take away from the actual performance she gives each night on tour. I was extremely impressed with the connection you feel between her music and yourself while sitting in the theater. It is pretty impressive to achieve something like that in this medium.
If the storyline was from Ms. Elish, then the production style for this film was driven by James Cameron. He emphasized using his 30 years of 3D movie-making experience to create this immersive, deep-focus experience that captures the energy of being in the crowd. Even down to people walking in front of you or the audio that’s around you when you’re in a mass of people like that.
Instead of using traditional filmmaking processes for this documentary, he chose to have his team of specialized camera people, led by Michael Laakmann and Florian Maier, who call themselves stereographers rather than cinematographers, use 3D technology from Cameron’s Lightstorm Vision company to capture the live show portion of the documentary. Lightstorm has always focused on revolutionizing 3D stereoscopic production and mixed reality content. All that being said, this gives the documentary a richer experience for anybody willing to wear those crazy 3D glasses. These are not just any ordinary 3D glasses; if you choose to take them out of the theater, they set off alarms like you stole something from Target. So don’t forget to leave them behind with your friends if you decide to go to the restroom or go grab some popcorn once you’re in the theater. The glasses themselves are still bulky, and if you’re prone to headaches from wearing 3D glasses, it won’t be as severe with these. Just remember not to set off any alarms, and you’ll be okay.
I give Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft – the Tour Live in 3D 4.5 stars. It’s a wonderful capture of her Manchester shows. You’ll feel like you’re in a great seat. See it in 3D for the full effect.
Directed by: James Cameron, Billie Eilish
Written by: Tarik Mikou, Billie Eilish
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hr 54 min
Documentary, Music
Release: In Theaters May 8th
Starring: Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell, Andrew Marshall, Solomon Smith, Agraham Nouri, Tom Crouch, Jane and Ava Horner, James Cameron