One thing I have always geeked out about is going to the movies. I have so many fantastic memories of sitting in a show house and not just seeing a film, but experiencing it. I remember seeing Jurassic Park for the first time, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Back to the Future 3, Superman 4, Star Wars Episode I, any number of Star Trek Films, etc. It’s no coincidence that the first job I ever had, was with our local theater. They could have just paid me in free movies and I would have been happy. Eventually, I worked in the projection booth, which I loved because I could just go from movie to movie and just enjoy them. I just love it. The smell of popcorn, the sticky floors, the fading lights, all of it is just fantastic. And this is especially great in the summer time. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to go regularly to see movies. Watching movies in general has changed so much over the years. Now, we have a giant screen TV in our basement and great sound and high def, so it is almost like the theater experience at home, but there is something about sitting in a room of complete strangers and enjoying a show together. That can’t be duplicated. Like I said, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to do that. Once we started having kids, red box and NetFlix, and at one time Blockbuster became our best friends. But that’s starting to change. My oldest son is just getting old enough to start really enjoying going to the movies. I might just have my new movie buddy. I figure this is a good thing, because I can start raising him right and taking him to see the good stuff. I have been thinking about beginning a series here about going to movies with my son, but it gets pretty pricey, and that was the main draw back. Well, that has changed. Our local Cinemark does discount Tuesdays where the movies are just $5. That’s not too shabby. If we can both go for a total of $10, I can make this happen much more frequently. Added bonus: Quality time with the boy, which every young man needs. Another benefit of the Cinemark is that they are the only local theater that offers good closed captioning devices on each of their titles. Our other major brand locally only offers it for select titles at select times. This is a big deal since my oldest is deaf and would also like to enjoy the dialogue of the film.
Tonight’s feature was How to Train Your Dragon 2. The two of us had gone together when the first one came out, and he has loved the film ever since. When he saw there was a sequels coming out, he couldn’t wait to go see it. I loved the first film. I loved that Hiccup was a hero by being himself and helping his Dad to come around. He was different from the other vikings, but that difference made all the difference. I felt like it had a lot of heart, and I wasn’t sure how the sequel would be able to capture that same heart again. I mean, he changed the town’s way of thinking, they liked the dragons now, so what was there left to do? Well, they did it. They found a way. To me, the overall message of the film was to not back down from what you believe is right. Stand for it. I like that message. Besides that, the animation is fantastic and the setting is beautiful and the dragons and vikings are cool. I would have loved this franchise as a kid. What’s not to love? It has action, adventure, dragons. Just great. Plus, my son loved it as much as the original. His first question when it was over was: “When does number 3 come out?” I think one thing that this film does is the number of dragon species. Each species has its own special characteristics. This gives it an obsessibility factor, similar to Pokemon or Skylanders, but cooler because it’s dragons. It was an overall fun flick, so I would recommend it. The best part was watching my son enjoy it. He was glued the whole time and was a little sad when it was over. So it gets his approval as well. It looked great in 2D, so I don’t think it would be worth seeing in 3D, which I feel is typically overrated and overhyped. The animation was great, on level with anything Pixar has done. It was full of similar humor to the first movie, which kept it light, but it was serious too. There is a moment, fair warning, where someone dies that is pretty important to our hero. It drives the point home, without over playing it. My son felt the seriousness of what was happening, but I don’t think he was scarred for life. Overall, go see it. In fact, if you have the opportunity, go with your kids, and take them on a Tuesday to Cinemark and save a few bucks.
