Theater: Cinemark West Springfield 15

Location: West Springfield, MA

Screens: 15 (1 XD)

Unfortunately, the majority of cinemas in the area are going to be part of a major national chain. Cinemark, by virtue of buying up various other chains, will be the largest of the bunch. There’s something just innately disappointing about going to such a place. Like the Buckland Hills theater, which was also a Cinemark theater, it feels very pragmatic. You are going to watch a movie, and that’s that.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a practical theatrical experience. Cinemark West Springfield provides all the amenities you would like at a cinema. Each theater is equipped with fancy leather seats, all with the ability to recline. This maximizes the comfort, but can create a bit of a problem. While I was watching A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (which was good!), nearly every dramatic moment was punctuated with the noisy electronic hum and the awkward sound of leather rubbing against itself. If folks find other patrons disruptive with their popcorn munching, this sound is almost worse.

Also as with the Buckland Hills theater, Cinemark West Springfield offers a variety of snacks and foods. Popcorn, candy, nachos, or pretzels are all available, as are burgers, fries, chicken, and pizza. It’s all mashed up into one concession stand, so the flow can be a little unclear when ordering more time-intensive things, like chicken tenders. The quick stuff is given right at the counter that you order, but the meals get picked up at the end, where you wind up waiting with the others who made similar purchase.

Lobby space is big, but it lacks the same kind of neat layout as Buckland Hills. Cinemark West Springfield, much moreso, feels like seeing a movie at an airport. Perhaps because it is big, but not too big, it has an atmosphere of being corralled to certain locations. The fact that there are four different “wings” of theaters makes it feel more hectic, too. People are rushing from one end of the lobby to the other in criss-cross patterns that can feel a bit overwhelming.

All of the theaters are outfitted with the expected digital projectors and audio equipment, which means you’ll experience roughly the same quality regardless of where you end up (minus your occasional projector glitch – computers are great fun, ya know?) The recliner seats are definitely nice, but they are also loud. You take your chances with them either improving or distracting from your experience. Trays attached to the arms are certainly a plus, especially if one orders, say, chicken tenders and fries because he forgot to eat lunch.

One thing that becomes noticeable upon attending two Cinemark theaters in a row is that for all the amenities that are hot ticket buzzword items – the recliners, the trays, the seat selection, meals, XD (Cinemark’s equivalent of IMAX) – these chains ultimately lack anything resembling character. On the one hand, yes, one goes to a cinema to see a movie. The film is really the draw. Yet one can’t help but notice that for as much as these corporate theaters do to make it seem overtly ideal for a moviegoing experience, attending these cinemas just doesn’t stand out. It feels more annoying than anything. It’s the hassle of lines, the crowds and masses of people weaving, the stale (probably poll tested) environment: going to the cinema just seems like the thing you reluctantly have to do to see the latest Disney movie. There’s very little (if any) heart.

There is nothing that sets Cinemark West Springfield apart from the others. It sells the same food as others. It has the same corporate sponsorships (like with Pizza Hut as the others). It has the same atmosphere as the others. It has the same recliners as the others. It even has the same novelty of a beer and wine bar as the others. There’s your typical arcade in the center (adding to the chaos of an already messy lobby). So while you know what you’re going to get, and it is a fairly reliable cinema experience, it just doesn’t feel “special.” I realized after my last review of the Cinemark in Buckland Hills that I ranked it fairly well. Mostly, I hadn’t been to the “high end” chain cinemas yet, so there were some novelties that seemed interesting or exciting upon first glance. Having now attended another, I can’t help but feel like more stars should be reserved for the theaters that actually do something unique or special, or otherwise feel like there’s a reason to go to them beyond simply wanting to watch a film.

Part of the point of this project is to find theaters doing exactly that. It’s not likely to be found in a corporate chain. Cinemark West Springfield was fine. It’s a totally fine place to see a movie. The “paint-by-numbers” design of it, though, and stale nature of it as a chain really does feel a bit exhausting. It also retroactively takes some of the shine off of other Cinemark experiences.

Rating (out of 5 stars): 3 stars.