Running time: 83 minutes
Starring: Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello
Directed by: Grant Singer
The story: A documentary film which follows singer Shawn Mendes as he goes on tour and charts how his success began.
The verdict: Justin Bieber has his 'Beliebers' and Taylor Swift has her 'Swifties,' however I had to google what the fans of Shawn Mendes are called - apparently they are known as 'The Mendes Army.' Anyway, whilst I have hummed along to a Shawn Mendes song or two if it has come on to the radio, I definitely have not earned the stripes to name myself as part of The Mendes Army. Thus, when I watched this documentary film, it was very much as someone neutral rather than as a fan - which I believe is an important distinction.
Shawn Mendes: In Wonder is an intimately filmed portrait of the singer, and uses both everyday footage of Mendes doing things such as seeing his family and writing in the studio along with concert and performance footage. It was interesting to see how Mendes approaches the writing process and how he copes with the immense fame that he has amassed.
Shawn Mendes: In Wonder is in essence a slight case of style over substance. Whilst it is very nice to look at, it does not have a massive amount to it. There is no grit, no particular revelations or behind the scenes divulgences. It is everything that you might expect a singer to do or say and what you might expect to happen on a tour. Though I certainly felt that I learnt some things about Mendes, did I learn anything that I could not have guessed or quickly googled? Not really. And I certainly do not mean that as a criticism of Mendes himself. I will shamefully admit that at first I thought Mendes was a bit self absorbed but I quickly realised that actually he is just incredibly passionate about music and what he does. When he felt that he had let his fans down, he genuinely seemed gutted. I did think that he came across well throughout.
Overall, as one expect, this is a film that fans of Shawn Mendes will love. However, for those on the fence who are looking for an interesting music documentary then I do not think that Shawn Mendes: In Wonder quite ticks the right boxes. Whilst a sweet, earnest and nice portrait that will certainly gain Mendes some sales and potentially some new fans, there needed to be a little bit more to give this film the substance that it lacked.
The rating: ★★★
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