My date with Spidey

Ever wonder what it’s like to attend a midnight premiere of one of the summer’s most anticipated movies? Here’s a blow-by-blow account of my journey to see “Spider-Man 3” at San Luis Obispo’s Fremont Theatre.

6 p.m. Thursday: Six hours until midnight moving showing. Ticket (purchased Tuesday afternoon): check. Knitting and David Sedaris book: double-check.

6:21 p.m.: My desire to attend the movie dressed like Mary Jane in the original “Spider-Man” wins out over my desire to be warm in chilly winds. I compromise by wearing pants.

7:30 p.m.: Boyfriend sees costume (red Asian-style dress with chopsticks in hair), expresses approval.

8:20 p.m. I arrive at the Fremont, joining about 25 people in a line stretching past the theater and Buona Tavola. The crowd is mostly male, mostly high school students. A trio of teenage boys sit on a bench beside me discussing the intricacies of Rubik’s Cubes.

8:30 p.m.: The line grows in size and age. I overhear a woman walking by with her toddler as she murmurs, “I didn’t realize ‘Spider-Man 3’ was that big of a deal.’ ”

8:47 p.m.: The night’s first heckler drives by in a white truck, yelling something like “Get over it!”

8:52 p.m.: I slouch gradually toward the pavement. My feet are killing me.

Overheard in line:
GUY: No, I wore my red Spider-Man shirt yesterday.

COLLEGE-AGE GIRL (As crowd returns hoots of passing bicyclists): Dude, I feel like such a nerd right now.
SECOND GIRL: We’re always standing in line, so we always feel like nerds.

GIRL: Skip, I watched ‘Heroes’ last night. Oh my god!
GUY: OH MY GOD!!!!
OTHER GUY: Oh my god, best show ever!

9:31 p.m.: Reaching critical cold and stiffness levels. The line now measures five or six people wide and stretches to the corner of Monterey and Santa Rosa streets.

9:45 p.m.: A couple of friends show up, one of them with a blanket. Hooray!

10 p.m.: We listen to the soundtrack to “Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters” on a Sony PSP.

10:51 p.m.: A costumed Spider-Man appears on the balcony just above the Fremont’s marquee to cheers and chants of “Spidey! Spidey!”

11 p.m.: Boyfriend arrives just as theater staff announce that they’re moving us into the theater. Lucky bastard.

11:30 p.m.: Boyfriend runs on stage and performs his newly perfected “Spidey dance” to scattered applause. Yes, we’re that bored.

12 a.m. Friday: Midnight, but no movie. I can’t find my pen. Maybelline’s Plum Sizzle lipstick will chronicle the rest of the evening.

12:12 a.m.: Movie still hasn’t started. Grumbles of mutiny spread through theater.

12:20 a.m. to 2:40 a.m.: Heart swells with joy at hard-hitting action sequences, three well-conceived villains, goofy love triangle and some kick-ass special effects. Mixed feelings about major deviations from comic book. Hope there will be a “Spider-Man 4.”

2:41 a.m.: The end credits roll to cheers and a couple groans at super-cheesy final scene. (Sorry, kids.)

2:42 a.m.: Must. Sleep. Now.

— Sarah L.

Tags: comic book, Fremont, movie premiere, Spider-Man, superhero