I watched Iron Man this weekend, and I have to say it was one of the better movies I’ve seen in a long time.

The first thing is, Iron Man is a great theater movie.  It makes full use of the high resolution big screen with surround sound.  Like, Juno is a great movie but hearing Ellen Paige’s witty comments in THX doesn’t really improve the experience very much.

In any case, we had great seats to Iron Man front and center, which makes a big difference.  And that’s another thing about the theaters - it’s such a pain to get there and get good seats.  There has been a bit of innovation here and there, like reserved seating and full bar service in theaters, but for the most part theaters haven’t changed a whole lot in the past decade.

This is what would be perfect:  online ticket purchases with reserved seating so you don’t have to wait in line or fight for a good seat.  Also, that way theaters could forecast how many shows are needed so they can add new shows if all the others are sold out.

And lets talk about food.  Why not use the ball park model?  Serve a wide variety of food and drinks and make it easier to sit and chill and enjoy yourself.  Now it’s a chore the second you enter the theater parking lot.  Why no open theaters an hour before, serve some good food and real drinks and improve the theater’s margin?

As for Iron Man itself, it was a great movie.  The plot was relevant for today, involving things like weapons sales to the middle east.  Also, Robert Downey Jr. played the part perfectly.

The thing with Iron Man is you kind of have to accept that some of the technology is a bit unrealistic.  And the thought of Stark designing the original costume in a cave in Afghanistan is hard to believe.  But still, the whole process of Stark designing and refining the Iron Man costume is pretty entertaining.

The only thing Iron Man that was kind of weak about Iron Man was the villain.  You only really have one great fight scene, which is OK, but it comes right at the end and comes off as a bit unrealistic.

Still, when you compare Iron Man with other superhero movies like, say, Fantastic Four, you really get an idea of how good Iron Man actually is.  Like, the acting in Iron Man is so much better than Fantastic Four…and it really makes a difference.  Fantastic Four comes off as a child’s movie, but Iron Man really entertains well for the whole two hours with a combination of pretty witty writing, solid direction and good acting by Downey jr.

In any case, check it out if you haven’t already.  I rarely go to movies and I hate the whole experience, but this one is worth the $10 per ticket.