We're seeing double in the cyberpunk epic that is the singer's new video.
Taylor Swift is going full cyberpunk in her new music video for "…Ready For it?"
The video, which seems to be inspired by the live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell and several other classic sci-fi franchises, is a robot-filled futuristic epic that sees two cyborg-Swifts facing off in a battle to the death.
It opens on one Swift (Swift-Alpha) walking down a grungy, futuristic city street rocking a black floor-length cloak as she approaches a group of menacing, red-eyes robot soldiers, who appear to be under her command.
As Swift-Alpha walks through what looks to be an abandoned shopping mall that serves as her headquarters, she approaches another Swift (Swift-Prime), seemingly imprisoned behind glass.
S-Prime is rocking a skin-tight body suit -- that we'd say was just her robo-skin, but she's also got on matching heels, so it's hard to tell --and has the ability to transform into a multitude of different intimidating shapes, via robot-transmogrification.
If you're lost, don't feel bad. Watching the Joseph Kahn-directed music video doesn't provide much in the way of answers. However, the epic set design, blockbuster-level computer graphics and dedication to the cyberpunk aesthetic need to be commended.
From the dank, spray-painted walls to the robo-spider infested alleyways, this video -- for the second single off Swift's upcoming album, Reputation -- feels like an honest homage to Blade Runner (and its recent sequel), the dirty future of Dredd, and even the Neuromancer universe.
It's also every bit as well-produced and impressively crafted as her video for "Look What You Made Me Do," filled with unique details and flourishes that a lesser production would have ignored.
Also, in what other context would we get to watch the 27-year-old singer ride on the back of a huge, ivory cyber-horse, shoot electricity from her fingertips or turn her arm into a giant laser cannon? All of which S-Prime does before blowing the sinister S-Alpha's face off and destroying all her robot minions.
Does this video have anything to do with the lyrics to her song? Not really, at all. Does it matter? Even less so. If you like this song, and you like kick-ass sci-fi short films, it's basically a home run.
Check out the video below for a look at (and a surprisingly in-depth analysis of) her previous video for "Look What You Made Me Do."
