the spider-man: No way home theater experience
by Richie Hinojos, Reporter
Arts and Entertainment
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers.
When the new Spider-Man movie had its first teaser trailer posted back in August, I remember everybody talking about it. At the time, I was traveling to New York with my family, and we would walk into stores and hear people talking about the upcoming film. From the start, this movie already had new and old fans of the franchise excited by bringing in villains from the past Spider-Man series. The prelude to this movie with its trailers did not disappoint, and when the film was released, it exceeded all expectations.
I got lucky enough to view the movie opening night on Dec. 16, 2021, at the Alderwood Mall AMC in Lynnwood. Already walking in, I felt like I was watching the movie. Half of the theater was wearing all different kinds of Spider-Man costumes. Some people wore the Toby Maguire costume from the original trilogy; others wore the Miles Morales suit from Into the Spiderverse— it was such a sight to see. One person even had a detailed Doc Oc suit with giant tin foil arms coming out from his back. As the movie’s main attraction was “Spider-Man characters coming into our dimension from other ones,” this took me right into the world of the film before even watching.
No Way Home might have been the first movie I’ve gone to where sitting in a more crowded theater turned out to be a good thing later on (especially during COVID-19). I got to the theater room a little early, and as I waited, more and more people kept coming in. The best part about the movie’s release in the large theater was that everyone was equally excited to see it for the first time themselves, so nobody was on their phone or being disrespectful or rude. Initially, everyone kept their volume to normal theater levels until the scene where Peter Parks needs a lawyer and Daredevil appears. This caused the group to erupt, clapping and screaming “Wooo!” which I thought was absolutely great. However, the room did not stop its hype train there. Then came the scene everyone had been waiting for: when Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire came through their portals. The audience stood up and cheered like it was a party! It was a celebration of the two actors reprising their roles, and it felt so thrilling to see everyone enjoy it. Of course, in the end, the movie received a standing ovation.
I think the build-up for this movie worked perfectly as most everyone I know has either seen it or at least knows about the film. It was a climactic experience to watch in theaters and a fun way to see people get excited over a franchise they enjoy. I was right there alongside the crowd with their silence during the melancholic scenes and their exhilaration during the thrilling scenes. Typically during a film, one views it from an independent standpoint without even realizing it, but watching this movie felt like the large crowd of strangers came together like family to watch the film. And like I said before, this time, a crowded theater was a great thing.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Kamiak High School or The Gauntlet.