Did You See Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Yet? If Not, Go!
Source: Public Domain
Continuing the Irish Days series, let’s get into what it’s like watching a movie in a theatre in a different country. Have you done it before? What was it like for you?
Experiencing a Film in a Foreign Country
In early June, I had the supreme pleasure of watching “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, which is the sequel to “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018). It was my first time watching a film in a theatre in Ireland – Cork, specifically – and I have to say, it was a thoroughly fantastic experience!
We went on opening day for the very first showing and it was absolutely PACKED with people of all ages. The energy was electric and everyone’s excitement zinged off of each other even before the movie started. The audience's vibe totally matched the film's highly stylized world, too.
Source: Public Domain
Capturing the Essence of a Place
Being from Brooklyn, it was great to see elements of my hometown re-imagined in animated form with high-octane comic-style effects. The music was on fire too. By the end, I felt like I’d been to a concert! Hahahahaa!!
Having watched the first installment of this animated series a few years ago, I was hooked by the main character, Miles Morales. He seemed so familiar to me. Like one of my brothers, cousins, or guys from around the block I grew up with.
Source: Public Domain
In the current film, Across the Spider-Verse, I was super impressed by the creators’ attention to detail, like having a real Jamaican person doing the voice of the owner of NYC’s famous corner stores. The store was even selling beef patties! (Sidenote - If you haven’t tried a Jamaican patty yet, you must! There are Ital versions too if you are vegan and don’t eat animal products.)
“Comic books, like Jazz, is an American Art.”
Source: Public Domain
The quote above is from Avi Arad, producer of the 2018, Into the Spider-Verse film.
The story, speaking style and characters were so familiar to me and pretty easy to understand – mostly. Haha! I will say some of the overlapping chatter and witticisms between characters flew right by me because they were spoken too fast. Nevertheless, for the most part, I could roll with it all, but then I wondered if this particular type of American humor could be understood in a non-American context. Would the Irish audience I was with get it? Well, guess what? They did! The humor translated well, my friends and I was stunned to see how much the audience was right there for every quip, twist and turn. It’s amazing how, like music, a good movie can bring us all together.
I won’t get too much into the story because I want you to go in and be totally surprised if you haven’t seen it yet. I’m not embarrassed to say that I was on the very edge of my seat with my elbows on my knees propping my chin up, eyes wide open, and hanging on every word and scene in the movie. In a word, I was mesmerized by the story, the character development, the artistry – and honestly, the technology! You’ll see what I mean when you watch it. I mean, how, how, hooooowww, did they do some of those scenes that defied gravity and spatial understanding of the real world?!
Source: Public Domain
Watching a Film in Your Target Language
A few days later during my online language exchange group where I help people from all over the world practice English, one Chinese friend said she doesn’t feel ready to watch films entirely in English because she is afraid of not understanding and missing way too much of the content. I totally understand her because I feel the same about watching Italian or French films. Luckily, we can use subtitles! And guess what? The Gate Cinema in Cork offers a variety of viewing options for the needs of different types of audiences. How cool is that?
Source: Public Domain
Accessibility Options
Ireland already impresses me deeply, but I was totally astounded to discover that The Gate Cinema in Cork offered accessible viewing options.
I spoke to an employee to ask him to explain the different viewing options.
“Subtitled”, “Sensory Screening” and “Babies, Children & Parents” are the additional options. In all viewing versions, you will be watching the same movie – meaning, you won’t find any content missing from the original film.
Sensory Screening is for those who have sensitivity to extreme loudness or flashing lights, so the volume is lower and the theatre’s lights are dimmed, which ensures that the theatre is not completely dark.
For parents watching with children, the same sensory environment is offered.
For subtitled movies, they can be shown in complete darkness with the volume loud or as a Sensory Screened film.
Movie of the Century
Source: Public Domain
Some people are calling Across the Spider-Verse the movie of the century! What about you? Have you seen the latest installment of the Miles Morales Spider-Man series, Across the Spider-Verse? Did you watch it in English? How was it to understand? Click, "Reply" below to talk about this film and what it’s like to watch a movie in the language you are learning. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts! :D
Iya, OLS Community Manager - English