Last week I did something crazy – I went to the movies. Sure enough, this was my first time in a movie theater since a bizarre brief spell back in September when I saw Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and The New Mutants. Things were grim back then. The theaters smelt like hand sanitizer and all the old posters from movies that had been playing before the pandemic (The Hunt, Bloodshot) were still up. A second wave of COVID-19 was already on the horizon back then and I figured then that I wouldn’t be back anytime soon. Since then it’s been streaming, streaming and more streaming.
However, with vaccines doing their job the future seems a bit brighter, and studios are starting to show movies again. In theaters! Thus, when I was invited to a press screening of A Quiet Place: Part II, I was pretty excited. Granted, in Montreal things are still a little rough. We’ve mostly only gotten our first doses, curfew just ended and you still have to wear a mask in movie theaters. Given that it was a press screening, I even had too get a temperature check (complicated by the fact that mine was high because I’d biked uphill to the theatre). But you know what? By the time I was seated and the lights went down I figured I was home.
The thing is – I’m a professional film critic and a movie lover. Before the pandemic I was in a movie theatre at least once or twice a week. I went professionally but I also always went for pleasure too. I love movies and while watching them at home is fine, nothing beats a movie theater. A Quiet Place: Part II was exactly the right kind of movie for theaters, with the big sound and big scares really being enhanced by the experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it and whenever possible I plan on seeing the big features theatrically – even if they happen to be steaming. I love movies and movie theaters make them better.
As expected, the JoBlo staff is made up of movie lovers, and a few of our contributors weighed in with their own thoughts on returning to theaters:
Gaius Bolling (morning news editor): So I've been back to movies four times since we reopened our locations in Los Angeles in March. Since the reopening I've seen Mortal Kombat, Spiral: From The Book Of Saw, Wrath of Man, and A Quiet Place Part II. They've all been pretty cool experiences but so far Mortal Kombat and A Quiet Place Part II were the best. Even though we're still currently capped at a capacity limit until June 15th, both auditoriums I saw them held 100 people at that limit and both showings were completely full. There was this collective energy during both films that just reminded me how much I actually missed going to the movies. That communal experience is something you just can't get at home. It used to be something I did with my best friend Justin once a week so it has been great getting back into that routine again. The theaters have also been completely safe and they've gone out of their way to make the restrictions work. I'm really excited about the summer movie season now they we're closer to being fully reopen in Los Angeles. Should be a fun time at the movies.
Travis Hopson (writer/narrator of Reel Action, narrator of We Remember): I've actually been to the movies quite a bit since this whole pandemic thing, starting last year with New Mutants. It's interesting to see how the mood has changed over that time. I remember going to see New Mutants and it feeling like this grim cloud was hanging over everything. The theatrical industry was in a death grip, you didn't know how much of a health risk you were putting yourself in. It was dark, man. But now? Things are very different. I'm in VA, one of the better-vaccinated states in the U.S., and things feel hopeful, lighthearted again. I went to see Godzilla vs. Kong with some friends and it was still a bit sketchy, but Scott Pilgrim and Army of the Dead in recent weeks have felt like good old times back at the movies. It's a reminder how special the moviegoing experience can be. Maybe we needed to be without it for a while to realize that.
Jesse Shade (writer-editor-narrator of Awfully Good, narrator of Gone But Not Forgotten): I saw Spiral for my birthday two weeks ago. Aside from having no trailers in front of the movie and a bunch of kids yapping behind us for the first 15 minutes, it was a blast.
But, what we really want to know is what YOU all think. Have you been back to the theaters yet, and if so what did you see? How was the experience? Given the option between theaters and streaming, what would you pick?