00:00James Cameron makes an unexpected team-up with Billie Eilish in the 3D concert film
00:04Hit Me Hard and Soft The Tour.
00:07Heads up, this review does contain flashing lights.
00:09The film follows Eilish as she performs her sold-out tour in Manchester
00:13with Cameron and his crew following her on stage and off to give a truly immersive experience.
00:18So I do have to admit that I came at this from a bit of an unusual angle
00:22given I don't really listen to very much music
00:24and while I certainly know who Billie Eilish is,
00:27I only really know her from some of her biggest hits like Bad Guy.
00:30I was sort of curious because of the James Cameron part of it
00:33but I don't think most people will be seeing it for that.
00:36Certainly after watching it I got a new appreciation for Eilish
00:39and especially her physicality as she bounds and leaps across the stage
00:43which she points out is almost entirely herself
00:46rather than having a big backing band behind her
00:48and she has the injuries to prove it.
00:50In some of the backstage footage she's actually on crutches from a sprain.
00:54Her impressive showmanship is on full display here
00:56but while Cameron occasionally breaks up the songs with small doc and interview pieces
01:00there's very little personal insight into Eilish herself
01:03although having a puppy room backstage is pretty adorable.
01:06Mostly it deflects by having a strong emphasis on her fans
01:09and how Eilish's moodily confessional and sometimes dark lyrics
01:13have clearly resonated with them as they've gone through difficult times.
01:16You can often hear people shouting
01:18I love you Billie during her set
01:20and Cameron labours the point in his editing
01:22by frequently cutting to close-ups of crying fans
01:25which gets repetitive when it's in every song.
01:28But that's clearly because this film is geared towards those very same fans
01:32who can easily sing along
01:33and if you don't know the words like I didn't
01:36you might struggle because the chorus of the crowd
01:39can often drown out Eilish's own vocals.
01:41I was struck by a moment where she hushes them
01:44and it shows the command over her audience
01:46that she can make that many people go quiet.
01:49I'm not usually a fan of 3D
01:50but it does genuinely work in making you feel like you're actually there
01:54not just in the crowd
01:55but even on the stage right alongside her.
01:58Unfortunately 3D and strobe lighting are not good bedfellows
02:02and there's lots of it as Eilish goes for sensory overload
02:05and for some people that would be a one-way train to headache town
02:09and epileptics should steer well clear.
02:12Despite the marketing
02:13Karen is not reinventing the concert film
02:15there have been plenty of 3D ones before this
02:17but the airting and angles match Eilish's energy
02:20and I thought that many of the best bits
02:22are when they go behind the scenes
02:24like watching her be stuffed into a box
02:26so she can make a hidden entrance.
02:28But the absolute gold is when they give Eilish a handheld camera
02:31to run around with and film herself at several points
02:34especially during Bad Guy
02:35making it part of the performance
02:37and is great fun
02:39especially when she turns it to the crowd
02:40to give her own POV.
02:42So yeah
02:43while this definitely wasn't for me
02:45I was still pretty entertained
02:46and if the people quietly singing around me
02:49were any indication
02:49it would go down a tree
02:51for the people it is intended for.
02:53Not bad for a movie which only exists
02:55because Cameron and Eilish's mum are vegan buddies.
02:57Please.
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