![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-58-683x1024.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nSince comparisons to the Taylor film are inevitable, I\u2019ll jump right into those. One of the first things I noticed was that this film is a mashup of several Beyonc\u00e9 concerts, whereas Taylor\u2019s film was limited to one. There are points in the film that cut between performances of the same song at different venues. The editing during these scenes is always smooth, and I\u2019d be unable to tell that any cutting was even going on were it not for Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s outfits inexplicably changing mid-song. They\u2019re always great outfits, so the chance to see as many of them as possible is greatly appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then again, there\u2019s something about all the cutting between concerts that seems like cheating. With Taylor, there was a \u201cno second takes\u201d atmosphere that made the whole production seem flawless and magical (though I have since learned that some flubs were edited out). With Beyonc\u00e9, I get the impression that there\u2019s a safety net where if a take didn\u2019t go well at one concert, the film could just cut to footage from another. That\u2019s not to say the film leaves out imperfections entirely \u2013 one show is interrupted by a power outage \u2013 but I feel like the film only left this scene in as a calculated showcase for the crew overcoming adversity, and possibly so the audience wouldn\u2019t think about other mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other big difference between Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s film and Taylor\u2019s is that while that one was almost entirely limited to what the audience saw at the concert, this one throws in behind-the-scenes footage. I have mixed feelings on this idea, both in concept and execution. In concept, yes, we\u2019re getting to see exclusive footage, but I kept getting the feeling that it was at the expense of getting to see her perform more songs \u2013 including some of her biggest hits, which aren\u2019t in this movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In execution, I found the behind-the-scenes stuff to be hit or miss. Beyonc\u00e9 wants the audience to know how hard she works, which is undeniably true to a nearly impossible degree, but the point is made so often that it feels beaten into the ground by movie\u2019s end. Anecdote-wise, Beyonc\u00e9 often makes time to affectionately put over role models like her mother and a family friend named Uncle Jonny that made many of her early outfits. Uncle Jonny passed away over 20 years ago and somehow he\u2019s the breakout star of this film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll be honest, I had a hard time enjoying \u201cRenaissance: A Film by Beyonc\u00e9,\u201d despite Beyonc\u00e9 being an incredible artist with some of the most dominating charisma on the planet. Maybe it was because so many of the songs chosen for this movie were unknown to me. Maybe it was all the cutting away from the music for non-musical pontifications. Maybe it was just that after two concert movies in two months, I\u2019m all concert-ed out. I can\u2019t say I \u201cgo\u201d for this one, but if you\u2019re a member of the BeyHive, you\u2019ll probably get more out of it than I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grade: C<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRenaissance: A Film by Beyonce\u201d is not rated by the MPAA, but would be an R for language and sexually suggestive material. Its running time is 169 minutes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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