The boys and I went to see the latest Spiderman flick yesterday. Movies are kind of our thing. After all, there are only so many things that a middle-aged, overweight, non-athletic mom has in common with her two strapping teenage boys. Stories are one of them.
When they were little, I would read to my boys every night. Not to brag, but I am a particularly good reader. I would create various voices for the characters and add lots of drama. If the boys ever realized that I would forget which voice went with what character, they never let on. As they got older and didn’t really care to be read to anymore, we began watching classic television series and movies. Interestingly enough, I am pretty sure that Spiderman was the first Marvel movie that Ian and I went to see with Sjon-Paul and Brandon.
The day (or evening) usually starts off with a meal. We head somewhere on the cheaper side since movies aren’t cheap these days. It’s usually a fairly light meal (in comparison to what they normally eat anyway)—a burger and fries. Yesterday, we stopped at Wendy’s.
After paying for the tickets, we head straight to the concession stand where we order a huge bucket of popcorn and two giant slushies. When there were five of us (Ian’s not so much into movies), we would have two boys to each drink, and I would sip between them. Now, I try to divide my sips evenly between Ryan and Braxton. Since we always arrive about thirty minutes early (earlier if it’s a premiere), we often finish our snacks during previews and get refills for the movie itself.
If you are a true Marvel fan, then you know that the movie isn’t really over until after the credits. So, after having already sat through thirty minutes of pre-scenes, another 20 of previews, and a two-and-a-half-hour movie, we stay until the screen goes black—completely black. At that point, I make a mad rush for the bathroom while the boys get their prerequisite refills for the road.
And then there is the ride home. That’s where we analyze it all. Unfortunately, as much as I love superhero movies, there are so many details I just can’t keep straight. But not the boys, they know the ins and outs, the ups and downs, all the intricacies of the interconnecting Marvel movie plots. We discuss what we liked, what we didn’t, what might happen in the next flick, where we saw Stan Lee (or how we are going to miss his cameos since he died), our favorite characters and more. And then, we pull into the driveway and head into the house and go on with life like any other night.
It’s one of my favorite things to do, not because I love movies (which I do), but because I get to do it with my boys. In my book, it’s time and money well spent, because, here’s the thing. In the middle of what seems like inconsequential talk about whether or not a multi-universe really exists and why the authors really included the scene about Flash’s mother not coming to the airport, I get to connect with my boys in a way that I don’t on most normal days. And sometimes, not always but sometimes, there is a fictional element that leads to a non-fictional discussion or thought.
On the way home last night, I told the boys that I should start a blog called “Marvel Momma,” that maybe it would be more popular than my current blog. They told me I should. While I don’t really have plans to chuck my current blog, I do think I will explore this more. So, consider this one in a series, and stay tuned. You might be surprised at what you can learn from a superhero flick.
In the meantime, tell me this. What’s your favorite superhero movie?