There’s one big downside to streaming House Of Dynamite on Netflix

When was the last time you could say that the new Netflix original was a perfect showcase for the importance of the theatrical experience? The streaming giant’s usual strategy has been to acquire or develop as many pieces of valuable intellectual property as humanly possible, all for the express purpose of fueling its algorithmic machine. With the exception of Greta Gerwig here or Guillermo del Toro there, whose respective films “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Frankenstein” will receive a token big-screen release before debuting on the platform, Netflix has remained firmly committed to The Living Room Experience™ at all costs. But perhaps the best counterpart to this approach has come courtesy of its most recent release. Strange.

That may very well end up being what many viewers take away from “A House of Dynamite,” which is coming to a limited number of theaters. This isn’t to say that director Kathryn Bigelow’s long-awaited return to directing after 2017’s “Detroit” is an “Oppenheimer”-level spectacle, mind you. The thriller obviously has an incredible cast, led by the likes of Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke and many more. And the apocalyptic premise of the American government struggling to respond to an imminent nuclear attack couldn’t seem more relevant. Otherwise, though, this straightforward (and anxiety-inducing) drama doesn’t scream, “Watch this on the biggest screen you can!”

Except that’s exactly what it does anyway. By backing this specific project, Netflix has inadvertently reminded us that nothing can live up to the way movies are always meant to be seen. As tempting as it may be to wait until “A House of Dynamite” is available to watch “free” at home, we’re here to tell you that it’s advisable, if not vital – see this in theaters if you can.

Without spoiling anything for those who want to see this movie in the near future, let’s just say that “A House of Dynamite” couldn’t be a better public service announcement for the theater industry if it tried. Those of us who are obsessed with preserving the ideal presentation for new movies know all too well that it simply has a different effect when projected on a canvas larger than a flat-screen TV. There’s the effect of watching literally larger-than-life situations unfold in a format that forces us to absorb every little detail of an actor’s face or an immaculately designed set, of course. More than that, though, the concept of sitting in a (hopefully) dark room with no distractions and no ability to hit the pause button turns this particular story into a unique pressure cooker situation.

“A House of Dynamite” can certainly be enjoyed from the comfort of home, but there’s no getting around the fact that it’s not the best way to do it. In a film specifically designed to increase the intensity and tension of impending doom with each passing second, courtesy of a wayward nuclear missile aimed directly at the continental United States, the feeling of being trapped in a situation you can’t control is the whole point. The vast majority of audiences who will inevitably end up watching this while folding laundry or washing dishes, or answering phone calls and text messages, will miss what makes it worth watching in the first place, and that’s not the fault of the audiences, but of the medium.

Even more than most movies, “House of Dynamite” benefits most from the feeling of being “trapped” in a movie theater while the characters are trapped in the most extreme scenario imaginable.

I know what you’re probably thinking: It’s easy for some snooty critic in Los Angeles or New York (guilty!) to wax poetic about supporting movie theaters while living in a region with countless options to do so. And that is undeniably true. Too many viewers will have no choice but to watch “A House of Dynamite” the only way they can: on Netflix. That doesn’t necessarily make anyone a #FakeFan or strip them of their film credit card, no matter how insufferable Film Twitter and other insular communities can be about this sort of thing. (Believe me, I know.) Historically speaking, no amount of guilty or shaming audiences has helped movie theaters in dire straits, especially after a weekend in which only a superhero like Taylor Swift saved the box office weekend from total disaster.

All we hope to convey here is that “House of Dynamite” is a must-see for anyone who loves movies… but it’s doubly so when it’s experienced the way it was obviously intended to be. While the cast and crew will no doubt be on their best behavior on the press tour, praising Netflix for believing in the production and providing an avenue to release this, deep down, we hazard a guess that their true feelings might be a little different. Like any of Bigelow’s previous work (not to mention the cast), the action and drama lend themselves naturally to the big screen. After all, even Netflix tacitly admits this by playing the awards season game and allowing a limited theatrical release in the first place.

At the end of the day, this will probably be another Netflix movie intended to be consumed primarily via streaming. The only thing we can hope is that as many moviegoers as possible take these words seriously. Check local listings for theaters currently showing “A House of Dynamite.”