In the wake of the Taylor Swift documentary’s success, observers were saying that Beyoncé was perhaps the only other current pop star who could draw similar crowds to a concert film. And well they might say that, because even before The Eras Tour had hit theaters, Beyoncé had already announced that she would release a film of her Renaissance tour from this past summer. I’m probably going to mention the Taylor Swift film at least once more than I should in this review, because it’s an inevitable point of comparison. Forgive me, because this new film is impressive in its own way and also deserves to stand on its own.
Unlike The Eras Tour, Renaissance does give us the behind-the-scenes footage. If you’re expecting some thunderbolt of revelation that crystallizes what Beyoncé’s music is all about, you won’t get one. She does say that her current album is stemming from her newfound peace of mind, but she doesn’t really discuss her previous troubles in depth. We see a brief glimpse of her reunion with her Destiny’s Child bandmates, and we can only wonder what was said at that meeting, because she doesn’t give us the audio. While I don’t doubt the truth behind Beyoncé’s thoughts about balancing motherhood and career, it’s nothing that we haven’t heard from many other professional women.
Even so, there’s more than a bit of good material for fans and non-fans, like her explanation that she put the stage show’s crew members in reflective uniforms so that concertgoers could better appreciate the work that they do. The sidebar on her backup dancers and their background in the New York ballroom scene is good to have, and her remembrances of her gay uncle Johnny who designed her first stage outfits when the major fashion labels weren’t interested is affecting stuff.
Speaking of fashions, Beyoncé directs this movie as well, and she cuts between different performances so that we can see different outfits worn during the same song. (The dancers’ pink outfits against the silver background on “Alien Superstar” are quite striking.) The skill this is done with could be down to the film’s bevy of editors, but the director deserves credit, too. She finds some cool shots, like the one with the camera at the back of the stage taking in the dancers as they parade on the catwalk at the very front.
Unlike Taylor Swift, Beyoncé brings on a few guest performers for this show like Diana Ross (whom she calls “The Queen”). I’d have liked to hear more from Megan Thee Stallion on “Savage Remix” and Kendrick Lamar on “America Has a Problem.” The revelation here is Blue Ivy Carter, who comes on as a featured dancer for “My Power.” More than just being able to do the steps, Beyoncé’s 11-year-old daughter seems to have inherited something of her mother’s stage presence as she moves with the same kinetic force.
As for everything else, this movie is proof that your friends who bought tickets to the show and came back raving were not overselling it. The visuals here might not be as ambitious as the ones in the Taylor Swift movie, but they still make a great backdrop for the numbers. Beyoncé herself is in glorious voice whether negotiating the beauty of “Flaws and All” or displaying great power on “Drunk in Love,” and despite recent knee surgery (to correct an injury from a stage mishap in 2009), she still busts out dance moves with no loss of authority on “Formation.” Contrary to its title, Renaissance seems less like a rebirth and more like a deluxe-sized summing up of all its creators’ formidable powers.
Renaissance: A film by Beyoncé
Starring, written, and directed by Beyoncé. Rated PG-13.
