Shhh… Cinema Ninjas are in the House
We’ve all been there, sitting in a movie theatre trying to enjoy a film when some jerk thinks it’s totally cool to take a call right then and there. Maybe it’s the person behind you who wont stop kicking your seat, or a few rows back throwing popcorn that lands in your hair, or the guy beside you who keeps checking his damn email. In most situations you’re left to just sit in the dark trying to ignore the problem, or try to calmly (or maybe not so much) take care of the situation yourself.
The Prince Charles Cinema in London has taken to employing movie ninjas to take care of movie going miscreants! Hatched from the mind of Gregor Lawson, co-founder of Morphsuits, these Cinema Ninjas are volunteer movie fans decked out in the full body “zentai” suits, who patrol the theatre in exchange for free admission. When they spot an audience member talking, texting, kicking seats, or otherwise disrespecting the sanctity of the theatre they step in and give the offender a talking to.
A recent movie goer caught redhanded by the ninjas recounts his experience:
“I normally hate noisy people in cinemas, but I got a call from my friend just as the movie started and thought I could get away with taking it. The last thing I expected was two completely blacked-out people suddenly appearing by our seats and give me and my mates a warning to shut up. It was actually pretty terrifying at first, but then I realised it was a bit of a laugh and a great way to make it clear what I was doing was having an impact on those around me. It certainly made me hang up and shut up for the rest of the film.”
Lawson was inspired by a combination of bad movie going experiences and fans on his Morphsuits facebook page to get this project going:
“I’m a big fan of going to the cinema, but there’s an unspoken code of conduct when you’re watching a movie that some people just don’t understand. Then when some fans were discussing being ninjas in their Morphsuits on our Facebook page I had a eureka moment. I thought I’d find a cinema and see if we could bring a light hearted taskforce to the aid of movie fans.”
The crackdown on bad theatre etiquette at Prince Charles Theatre is following in the steps of the Alamo Drafthouse’s very strict no cell phone, no talking policy that we wouldn’t mind being spread to more theatres here in Canada, particularly if that means we get our own cinema ninjas! What do you think?
(Source: /Film)
