I saw the film Man of Steel in IMAX 3D at the AMC Kent Station 14 with my brother on Sunday, June 30, 2013. It was the fourth movie I saw in theatres in 2013 and the second with Russell Crowe. It was also my first time seeing a 3D movie. After some texting back and forth my brother said he could make it to the 1:15 p.m. on June 30 screening at Kent Station that he described as an outdoor mall. I looked it up on Saturday, June 29. The weather was very warm that weekend, getting up to the mid to high 80s and very humid. Kent Station seemed similar to Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, only much smaller. I decided I wanted to get there early to have time to walk around a bit. We heard they had a See's Candies and a Duke's Chowder House.
I left home at around noon, figuring it would take around a half hour to get there. But not long after I got on the I-5, light notices said there were traffic delays at exit 142 to the WA-18 west due to Wild Waves. I figured lots of people would be going to Wild Waves water park. I thought this was strange because Wild Waves is east of the I-5 freeway. Traffic got very slow especially close to exit 142, that I had planned to take to get to the WA-18 east. When I got close to Wild Waves I saw many people, mostly families, walking to Wild Waves. Apparently, they had to park on the west side of the I-5 and walk across the overpass to the east side to get to Wild Waves. There were many families with children, many in swimming costumes and shirts, a few guys with no shirts, though not necessarily in no-shirt shape.
When I got on the WA-18 east, traffic was smooth, but I noticed it was backed up to a long standstill going west. I wasn't on the WA-18 very long and took the cloverleaf interchange to the WA-167 north in Auburn. After reaching Kent I soon drove over the Green River and exited at Willis Street, also known as highway 516. I turned right just off the exit then left onto 4th Ave. After crossing W. Smith St. I turned right onto Ramsay Way, the main drag of Kent Station. I drove by many of the stores and also noticed a dome-like building with the name "Kent Station" around it. I parked in the structure just south of the AMC theatres. It was free. There were also outdoor parking lots behind the stores to the north and southwest.
I arrived at 12:50 p.m. and I didn't have enough time to walk around before meeting my brother at 1 p.m. I saw him in the queue for movie tickets but when I looked at the marquee I did not see a regular screening of Man of Steel at 1:15 p.m., however I did see a screening of Man of steel in 3D IMAX. Before queuing up I followed my brother into the theatre to confirm that the 3D IMAX was what we planned to see. Then I queued up and bought my ticket for $15.25. Upon taking my ticket the usher gave me my 3D glasses and directed us to theatre 7. It was somewhat crowded inside the theatre lobby with people of all ages. My brother bought popcorn and we entered theatre.
Theatre 7 wasn't too crowded, maybe about 1/3 full. I didn't notice the demographics other than some young couples. The IMAX screen did look bigger than a regular movie screen and it looked like it was curved away from us. The pre-film ads were not shown in 3D IMAX. At one point it said to put on our 3D glasses but still didn't start the 3D yet. The first preview was for the animated film Turbo about a lightning fast snail. Next was one for The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire with Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and others. The next one was for another sequel, Riddick, the third or fourth in the Pitch Black/Riddick series with Vin Diesel. The next one wasn't a sequel but it was still an action sci-fi: Elysium starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster and directed by the director of District 9. The last two sequels were in 3D and I think there was another reminder to put on our glasses. The first was for the space thriller Gravity with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The second was for the techno-action film Pacific Rim directed by Guillermo del Toro. I think that one would debut very soon because we had seen a preview for it back in December.
The feature presentation launched right into the birth of Kal-El a.k.a. Superman on Krypton. More than any other Superman film I've seen, this one extensively featured Krypton and the Kryptonians along with their history, culture, and technology. Their ships and shuttles looked a bit like giant insects. The movie gave the origin of the "S" symbol, the cause of the conflict between General Zod, played by Michael Shannon and Kal-El's father Jor-El played by Russell Crowe. Much of the beginning takes place on Krypton and doesn't feature Henry Cavill as Superman yet. However there is still plenty of action including Jor-El/Russell Crowe "Fighting Round the World" of Krypton.
When the film moves on to earth, Henry Cavill is featured as Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman from the get go. We see that he is definitely in no-shirt shape. His childhood and youth is shown intermittently in flashbacks and in the present his identity moves toward the one we know well as Superman. But this is complicated by the arrival of General Zod and his followers. We also meet Lois Lane played aptly by Amy Adams, who pursues his story relentlessly. Clark's earth stepparents are played by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. Lois' boss Perry White is played by Laurence Fishburne and members of the armed forces and a few other reporters play key roles.
The action sequences are very exciting. Superman flies more like a jet or a rocket than a bird. It was often difficult to tell who had the advantage in the fights. I liked that the American military characters and civilian characters played key roles in the battles along with Superman. The 3D format greatly enhanced the action sequences and the cinematography. Sometimes it was disconcerting to feel like I was almost in the midst of the action. But it was still fun. The plot was interesting, though sometimes it seemed just like a set piece for the action. The film did seem like its more than two hour length.
The film ended by around 3:45 p.m. We didn't stay for the credits but left with everyone else and dropped our glasses in a bin just outside the theatre. I walked around Kent Station a bit. Their eateries include Chipotle along with Duke's Chowder House. They have many clothing/fashion stores along with video game stores. I walked to See's Candies and learned that three kinds were nondairy: the black licorice, sour stars, and peppermint twists. I got a free sample of peppermint twist. To get home I took the 516 east to the I-5 south. I wanted to avoid the WA-18 because of Wild Waves. I had some confusion leaving Kent Station because the street to the north had a median and I couldn't turn left onto it. I soon found my way and traffic was smooth going home.
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