Her Music Surrounds in ‘Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)’

While you may hear grumblings from people about how music isn’t quite what it used to be, artists like Billie Eilish not only prove that good music is being made in the industry today, but that it is thriving in ways that it couldn’t back then. In the old days, there were famous shows that were captured on 16mm film, giving people a taste of what the music scene looked like back in the day. Now though, technology has advanced to the point where if you can’t afford a ticket to go to the concert, the concert can come to you in the best possible way. “Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)” may be the latest big concert release, but it stands out for a few key reasons.

First of all, the subject of the film, Billie Eilish herself, made music history at a young age and continues to be a force to be reckoned with. As the first artist to win all five major Grammy Awards for her debut album (Best Album, Best Record, Best Song, Best Artist, and Best New Artist) since Christopher Cross, a lot of pressure was put on her to be the next big thing (that pressure certainly didn’t help him). However, several hit albums and sold-out tours later, even if you think you haven’t heard a Billie Eilish song, chances are you have (oh, and she’s also won two Oscars for Best Song since then as well). What’s more, Academy Award-winning director James Cameron was on stage to capture the show. You thought it was a big deal when Morgan Spurlock made the “One Direction: This Is Us” documentary? Well, Eilish will see that and raise you the director of “Titanic” and “Avatar” while she’s at it.

Oh, and by the way, Cameron is shooting it in 3D, and (if the title wasn’t a dead giveaway) this is the format you are going to want to see it in. Because unlike those old 16mm home videos, watching “Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)” not only gives you a front-row seat to the action, it surrounds you in a way that is second only to being at the show itself. Cameron not only shows what is happening on stage, but what is happening in the audience as well. We see fans crying in ecstasy over seeing their favorite artist perform. When confetti sprays in the air, it surrounds the audience in the movie theater. Sadly, I did notice roughly a quarter of concert attendees were watching the show through their phones.

If I were in their position, I would live in the moment and wait for the pro-shot to revisit those memories, but at least people in my theater had their phones in their pockets. Whether or not you become completely immersed in “Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)” likely will have a lot to do with how much you like Eilish as a performer. As a documentary, it's not as deep as you’d hope. Sure, she talks about the frustration of wanting to wear comfortable clothes and having a world tell her that she is not desirable as a result, and there are a few backstage moments where we see how the touring magic happens (note for security: you might want to change things up next tour), but these moments are few and far between.

They aren’t bad, but when I think back to “Katy Perry: Part of Me,” the producers there not only documented her touring when she got the news that her husband Russell Brand filed for divorce, but Perry had the bravery to leave that conflict in the movie. “Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)” has no such moment. As a result, you aren’t going to walk away feeling like you know more about her (which makes sense since she is a notoriously private person), but you may walk away with a new appreciation for her music (as well as realizing you were familiar with some of her songs after all).

P.S. One scene in the movie has James Cameron telling Eilish that the movie will be credited as “directed by Billie Eilish and James Cameron.” The final film is co-directed, but Cameron is given top billing. Chances are this was done due to a ruling from the Directors Guild of America, who likely felt that while Eilish contributed to the stage production and cinematography, Cameron had more involvement in the film’s overall direction.