Article: Tenet and the Return to Cinema

[Casimir Harlow]

As Tenet makes its UK bow, Cas Harlow reflects on the long road that's brought us here, and the tough return to the Big Screen
Read the article.

 

[Morden]

Whilst i would love to experience Tenet in an imax with full on sound system, I'll be waiting until there is a working vaccine or covid mutates into something less risky until I can visit the cinema.

For now i'll wait on the 4k disk and watch any new releases at home with sound as loud as I can go without annoying my neighbours.

Everyone has to do their own risk assessment based on their circumstances.

 

[Apone]

I have frozen my Cineworld membership and will decide whether or not to carry it on after 3 months. I was really looking forward to seeing this on the big screen though.

Chances are, if we are still in the same position we are in now as a society with Covid, then I will cancel my membership after more than 20 years of being a member.

Just do not want to take the risk at present. Right now, I already see many people who do not wear masks on buses (I understand that some people can't wear mask for personal reasons etc), however some will use that as an excuse not to do so regardless.

I've seen over the years that some cinema goers have no problem using mobile phones whilst a film is playing with zero regard for fellow patrons around them and I bet these are the same people who will will also have zero regard for mask wearing anyway.

So whilst I look forward to the review of Tenet, I will wait and see what happens until the end of the year. Warner Bros will re-release it anyway in future and I would not be suprised if this plays right up to Christmas.

 

[FergieB]

I'm not a big Nolan fan other than Dark Knight trilogy but your anticipation tempered with caution still shines through.

I find the crowds a bit difficult at the best of times so I don't know when I'll be back at the cinema. Would've went to No Time To Die though. If that ultimately disappoints like the last two it might finish me altogether!

 

[richp007]

Nice article Cas.

The 17th July 2020 was gonna be the greatest day of all time for @lucasisking and I. And then the damn virus ruined everything and took our dreams away!! I don't think I've ever looked forward to seeing a film more than Top Gun: Maverick. And it was snatched from my grasp!

With regards to this though I'll be going within the next week for sure. I'm itching to get back to the big screen, and wearing a mask doesn't bother me at all. I can be quoted on here as saying I'd crawl through hell if need be!

Personally I hope as many people go as possible. Especially if they have an independent nearby, as they really need the help right now. A real danger many will be gone by the end of the year.

 

[La Finta Nonna]

Very good article Cas, sums up most of my thoughts regarding going to the cinema after this seemingly endless delay. Will be going Saturday morning and I have been looking forward to going for weeks now, agree wholeheartedly about mask wearing and surreptitiously sneaking in a malteaser or three during the film

 

[invisiblekid]

Judging by some scores I've seen this could be another "critics didn't get it, viewers loved it". I don't care for a discussion about film critics; my point is, this is another Inception and I ain't seeing this while having to wear a mask and generally feeling a bit uncomfortable. If I could guarantee an empty screen then I'd possibly go, but Nolan has a mixed bag for me ( I think The Prestige is utter bobbins), so I'd rather just wait, play it at home where I can take it all in, pause, think, play.

 

[BrightonChris]

I was going to go day one but then the mask rule came in. I'll watch it at home. And I know a few others that won't wear a mask for three hours in a cinema, who would have gone otherwise. I don't see cinema surviving under the current restrictions.

 

[Tom Davies]

For the record re: mask wearing -
I saw T2 last week and after about 30 minutes forgot I was even wearing a mask. It stopped being any kind of imposition to me enjoying the film after about 2 minutes.

Regarding the decision to go or not to go:

Everyone around me was considerate, followed guidelines and kept masked throughout.
The guidelines at the cinema were very clear, everything felt very controlled, everything was clearly being cleaned almost constantly.

I'm lucky enough to live in a very rural area where case numbers are incredibly low. The chances of even meeting someone with the virus is tens of thousands to one, let alone then catching it. I'm also lucky enough not to be in regular contact with anyone who was shielding or is more vulnerable.

So on that basis, I have been very happy to return to the cinema. I've felt pretty comfortable. The mask wearing is a bit weird initially but I've decided that it's not a massive deal if it means I can start supporting my local cinema again at a greatly reduced risk to myself and others. I hope to keep my main hobby alive well into 2021 and beyond and, failing an honest effort from the government to save the arts, pumping my money into the cinema seems like the best way to help keep that a possibility.

We're all going to make our own judgement calls on this one according to our own circumstances.

 

[captainarchive]

I'm not going to the cinema any time soon but if I did go I wouldn't have any problem with wearing a mask. However, masks don't protect the wearer, you wear one to reduce the risk for others. Judging by how some people in supermarkets don't observe social distancing or wear masks; I'm not inclined to sit wearing a mask in a cinema to reduce the risk for the people around me, if some of them are going to display similar selfish and irresponsible behavior whilst watching a picture.

 

[SparkShot]

Got my IMAX ticket booked for Saturday night, really looking forward to it after such a long time away from cinema (early feb).

Whilst wearing a mask isn’t ideal I’m sure I’ll adjust to it much like as has become the norm when going supermarket etc.

 

[steviedr]

I’ve been wearing masks at work / shopping and will observe the rules. I’ve been looking forward to this and will be going to see in our local which is showing it on 35mm in a few weeks (although I may also see it digitally next week)
I’ve got a nice setup at home, but I want to see big on the big screen. Can’t wait !!

 

[SteveAWOL]

Well after not getting to use my Limitless card for nearly 5 months, I’ve now been to my newly reopened local Odeon 3 nights in a row

I watched Russell Crowe’s Unhinged On Monday and there was only about a dozen people in the 99 seat auditorium, which made for a nice reintroduction to socially distanced cinemagoing. Bit of a faff that Odeon still don’t provide QR codes for online bookings so one still has to queue up to print off a ticket but aside from my spectacles misting up slightly at the start of trailers I soon felt at home again and forgot that I was wearing a mask.

Caught the 10th Anniversary re-release of Inception in the ISENSE screen last night and there were maybe 30 people spread across the 165 seat auditorium, so it once again felt almost like a private screening!

However tonight’s showing of Tenet in that same ISENSE was packed pretty much to COVID capacity; fortunately my local had a Luxe upgrade in the spring so the rows are already 2 metres wide to accommodate the recliners and it’s only single seats between adjacent groups which are having to go empty.

I’m guessing the other showings of Tenet must’ve been packed too, as we had to queue up just to get into the multiplex and again for the Cola Freestyle; doesn’t help that half the machines are out of use due to social distancing rules.

However we still were in our seats in plenty of time to catch trailers and aside from the slight faff of putting my mask back on after every a slurp of my drink the only other difference to regular cinemagoing was that we had to wait for an usher to let each row exit the auditorium at the end of the film.

 

[SmAShY]

I'm doing a double bill on Saturday, Tenet at noon and The New Mutants at 3pm. Mask primed and ready!

 

[steviedr]

Are toilets a no no during the film due to social distancing (I don’t usually need to go but out of interest)?

 

[SteveAWOL]

Are toilets a no no during the film due to social distancing (I don’t usually need to go but out of interest)?

One of my group left to go to the loo midway through Inception and lots of people exited midway through Tenet last night, the only difference I noticed when I went after the film being that half of the urinals and basins are marked “not for use” due to social distancing regulations.

I stayed well clear of the Dyson Airblade hand dryer, just in case of aerosols

 

[barnaby jones]

Are toilets a no no during the film due to social distancing (I don’t usually need to go but out of interest)?

You can go. It’s not an issue.

 

[xxGBHxx]

One of my group left to go to the loo midway through Inception and lots of people exited midway through Tenet last night, the only difference I noticed when I went after the film being that half of the urinals and basins are marked “not for use” due to social distancing regulations.

I stayed well clear of the Dyson Airblade hand dryer, just in case of aerosols

You can go. It’s not an issue.

Can people not go before the film starts or hold their bladder for 2h? Medical conditions aside nothing annoys me more than people popping off to the loo an hour into the film because they couldn't be arsed to go before they arrive.

All the more reason why I'd completely stopped going to the cinema before all this started and now my cinema is complete I can't see me ever going again. My setup while not as big is better than any cinema I've ever visited in my life with better seating and right now absolutely zero covid risk. Each persons risk is of course theirs to manage but I can't see any attraction in taking that risk right now.

G

 

[barnaby jones]

I have the bladder of a 94 year old lady. I always choose an isle seat, so not to cause an issue for anyone.

 

[Casimir Harlow]

Can people not go before the film starts or hold their bladder for 2h? Medical conditions aside nothing annoys me more than people popping off to the loo an hour into the film because they couldn't be arsed to go before they arrive.

All the more reason why I'd completely stopped going to the cinema before all this started and now my cinema is complete I can't see me ever going again. My setup while not as big is better than any cinema I've ever visited in my life with better seating and right now absolutely zero covid risk. Each persons risk is of course theirs to manage but I can't see any attraction in taking that risk right now.

G

The film is 150 minutes long and with trailers that's the best part of 3 hours. Prohibiting going to the toilet would certainly kill cinemas.

 

[MarkyPancake]

I watched Tenet yesterday at a 15:45 show. There were only four of us in the biggest screen and I was the only one that wore a mask or even had one visible throughout the film.

Edit: You can't afford to go to the toilet in Tenet. It requires 100% attention from start to finish, based on my first viewing experience.

 

[barnaby jones]

We arrived in the screen 5 mins before the film started. 99% people were seated. No one, not a single person was wearing a mask. Even though the staff were showing people to seats, people had clearly moved into more preferred areas. Had to chuckle when Odeon’s ad for all the Covid measures they’d taken came on.

 

[Apone]

This is exactly my point. People will do what they want regardless of the rules because they know that the cinema staff will not do anything to enforce not sitting in a restricted area.

I would have thought that the cinema seats which are 'not to be used' to ensure social distancing would have been marked accordingly with tape or something?

 

[Ding Dang]

Whilst i would love to experience Tenet in an imax with full on sound system, I'll be waiting until there is a working vaccine or covid mutates into something less risky until I can visit the cinema.

For now i'll wait on the 4k disk and watch any new releases at home with sound as loud as I can go without annoying my neighbours.

Everyone has to do their own risk assessment based on their circumstances.

Absolutely agree. Just cancelled my unlimited Cineworld account as I can't see me returning for a good 6 months. I'll just apply again when the time is right.

 

[Smurfin]

Went to see Tenet last night (Milton Keynes Odeon, Isense). No-one was wearing a mask once they got inside the theatre. Wasn't packed at all.

Shame the experience was ruined by the sound levels being set waaaay above reference level. It was ridiculous, painful, and you could barely make out the dialogue due to Nolan's insistence on having his droning backing tracks so loud and oppressive.

I love all of his movies, including the soundtracks, but this was beyond a joke. Add in the mind-bending premise behind Tenet which requires complete concentration, and I got lost and pissed off within about 10 minutes....