Written, directed, and produced by “Queen B” Beyoncé herself, this concert film gives cinema-goers the best seats in the house to enjoy her spectacular Renaissance World Tour, in support of her seventh studio album Renaissance (2022). But the film also chronicles the development and execution of the tour, and takes us behind the scenes into the superstar’s life as a wife and mother.

First and foremost, the film captures what a truly astonishing, once-in-a-generation live vocalist and performer Beyoncé is. Although, unlike 2023’s Taylor Swift concert film, the editing (Danny Tull, Ruth Hogben, Tom Watson and many others) sometimes makes it look like Beyoncé is miming, as the film deliberately highlights the difference in costuming (Tina Knowles Larson; Shiona Turin; Karen Langley; Julia Sarr-Jamois; KJ Moody) on Beyoncé’s 56-show tour across Europe and North America.

The choreography (directed by Fatima Robinson) is gasp-inducing, and the film expertly captures the entire spectacle of the production (with stage design by Stufish Entertainment Architects and Es Devlin Studio, plus lighting by Tobias Rylander). In fact, at a near three-hour runtime, it’s all a bit overwhelming, and hard to keep up with at times.

This is where Beyoncé’s inclusion of quiet, reflective behind-the-scenes footage really helps to break up the onslaught of music and spectacle. It’s particularly wonderful to see how Beyoncé and her team handle a ten-minute power cut in the audio at State Farm Stadium (Glendale), in Phoenix, Arizona. Her dedication to her craft, her fans, and her family, is a defining feature of this awe-inspiring concert movie.

Playing in IMAX cinemas from 1 December 2023.