Warning: The text below contains no movie spoilers for Avengers Endgame, but the link to my review on HubPages below does.
On Friday, April 26, 2019, I stood outside in the pouring rain and waited with about 15 other people for the doors to our local theater to open to let us into the first showing of the day of Avengers: Endgame. I had contemplated going to the movies at 10 pm the previous night because I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I’d waited a year for this moment, and I wanted it to come as soon as possible.
But I held off on my impulse, and on that rainy morning, our little group stood under a small roof just outside the doors. My Captain America hoodie was damp from running through the pouring rain, but I barely noticed. Once the doors opened, everyone respectfully filed through. Many of them, like me, were clad in Cap gear. You’d have sworn we were going to see Captain America 4 instead of Avengers 4. When she ripped my ticket in half, the girl directing us all to our theater even cheerfully said to me, “Wow. A lot of Captain America fans here today.”
I laughed and followed the girl ahead of me into theater one. Once inside, she turned to me and said, “I guess I’m as ready as I’m ever gonna be for this.” My thoughts exactly.
I climbed up to the top row, my preferred spot. I was there alone. Everyone I knew was at work, and those who cared to see the movie had gone the night before anyway.
Distractions
The theater started to fill up. By the time everyone was seated, only the first two rows on the floor were empty. Almost every other seat was full. I was afraid that people would pre-order their tickets in advance and skip work to come to my chosen show time, but it was fine. I was just paranoid.
There was even a seat empty right next to me. That turned out to be a relief because the little boy who sat down with his dad one seat over was pretty gross. They had a compulsive popcorn eating, drink slurping, and talking-during-the movie syndrome. In hindsight, I should have moved down to one of the empty rows. The volume didn’t help either. It was a little low for a big action movie. And this blockbuster had its share of quiet moments that I strained to hear.
Post-film cheeseburger
Despite the distractions, I was still fully invested in the story, and I left that theater feeling devastated, fulfilled, entertained, and hungry. Dazed, I ran across the street and ordered a cheeseburger and onion rings from Red Robin. I sat alone in a booth as I waited for the food to come. The waitress even asked if I wanted to move over to the bar, but I declined. It was the first time I’d ever eaten at a sit down restaurant alone, but I was feeling brave after watching fictional characters save the universe.
Appreciation
Critics will say that superheroes are for kids, and yes, that is how they started out. But then those kids grew up, and the little books that they would buy at their corner drug store became TV shows. Then, they evolved into films. Then, the kids grew up, but their love for the genre remained. So, the genre began to evolve with adult themes and violence worked into popular stories that previously came in ink and animated formats.
Now, there’s something for everyone of any age, race, gender, etc. People take them seriously because they are made seriously, and they give us something to look forward to. Even if that means skipping school to go to the movies with your dad and annoy the lady sitting one seat over.
Click here to read the review of Avengers: Endgame that I wrote for HubPages. If you’ve seen the movie, let me know what you thought about it in the comments. And good luck navigating through this post-Endgame world.
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