This past week, I went and saw Project Hail Mary. For those not in the know, it's basically the story of a man who wakes up, after an induced coma and with severe memory loss, on a ship at a distant star as the last survivor of his crew. After working out/remembering why he's there (saving Earth, natch), he encounters an alien ship, crewed by the last survivor of their group, similarly looking to save their world. Hijinks ensue, hurdles are overcome, and everybody makes it through.
I liked the film overall. Sure, it's got its holes in the science here and there, but all in service of telling a better story, so I'm not going to nit-pick too hard. There were even a couple of "oh, you decided to go there" moments that elevated the film a bit in my eyes. Of course, it probably helped that I was in a better mood from a somewhat-improved theater experience from last time.
I'm still working on that gift card I got for Christmas, so I chose a different Regal theater this time. The main positive takeaway here is that you want to check the tag-spam of your theater/show choices for the "Recliner Seating" option - I'm sure it's more expensive (although I don't know for certain, since I did a matinee this time around, so it's not a simple apples-to-apples comparison), but actual adult-scale furniture with padding and the ability to put your feet up makes a world of difference, especially when it's time to get back up.
Beyond that, the compare-and-contrast with my last Regal experience was pretty spot-on. Same dodgy app experience (and a note on the ticket booth to buy tickets at the concession stand instead of touch-screens), same commercial overload. I did get to experience the concessions this time around, and what an experience that was - it's never been cheap, but I'm amazed at what it's become. Candy is no longer hoarded behind the counter, but scattered through a serpentine approach to the stand. The signage above the stand shows large photos of the products on sale, in their various combo packs, while the prices are relegated to a small bar at the bottom, barely legible while standing at the counter - not certain what percentage of "intentional customer behavior shaping" and "shame at the prices we're charging" is involved, but the first part's gotta be higher. End result, for a small popcorn (similar size to the 3/$1 microwave bags you get at the grocer) and a medium soda (which translates roughly to Big Gulp sized) approaches $20, pre-tax.
Well, now I know what Regal brings to the table for the movie-going experience, and I remain unimpressed. I figure I'll get one more movie out of that gift card, then I'm going to have to pay for a movie or two at other local theaters to see how deep the industry rot has spread.
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