I'd never been to a proper movie in China. It costs three times as much as a DVD off the street. The movies don't come out until months after they've been released in the States (often after you can buy it on DVD). There's a pretty good chance they've been dubbed into Chinese. And the Chinese government heavily restricts the Hollywood movies they allow to be shown. In fact, they only allow ONE Hollywood movie at any given time, and only like three a year. So I've just brushed off the experience as unnecessary.
But Mario and Ilan were film students. Seeing cinematic adventures on the big screen is part of their intended livelihood. And Mario is a big graphic novel (known in some circles as comic books) fan. So we decided it was time to invest in a non-dubbed, blockbuster release. Iron Man.
I'm not a huge fan of comic books. I'm not one to insist on seeing movies on a big screen. I'm not one to care about the release date, but in an effort to fit in, I decided to tag along.
Iron Man is not typically my type of movie. It's the kind that comes, without a doubt, with a sequel. It's the kind with a lot of action and very little thinking. It's the kind that I generally pass on in favor of a non-wide-release, non-blockbuster, art film that makes no money.
The reviews were great. It's already been nominated for awards. It has Robery Downey, Jr. in it.
Ignoring the Chinese subtitles, the Chinese girls talking on their cell phones, and the packed Chinese theater, it was wildly enjoyable. And I actually liked the movie. Probably won't be spending that much on another journey through the silver screen, but it was nice to just relax in a non-frigid theater for a couple of hours.
Afterward, Mario and I were craving American food (if you've seen the movie, you know why). We had KFC for dinner.
