When I was younger, I spent Saturday nights snuggled up on the couch with my dad, trying to like whatever science fiction movie he had chosen to watch. I didn’t enjoy the nights he settled for the “Underworld” series, “Van Helsing” or the gory alien movies. But we found common ground with superheroes and some other tamer action adventure flicks. I never read any comic books. I didn’t watch the “Justice League” cartoons as a kid. I can really only trace my love for science fiction action movies to my dad. There still is a sense of familiarity when I walk into our family room to see “Batman Begins” screening on the TV.
Once we discovered our common interest, we made more movie dates. It was with my dad that I saw all three “Lord of the Rings” movies, the second two installments of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” series, all three “Iron Mans,” then “The Avengers” and both of the new “Star Treks.”
As the tradition became more regular, we began making each trip to the theater more of an occasion. My dad doesn’t tell me his wish list anymore for Father’s Day or his birthday. Instead, we set movie dates. This past summer, we delayed our Father’s Day celebration until August to see “Guardians of the Galaxy.” I was about to buy us tickets to a basketball game this Thanksgiving break for his birthday when he called and said he just wanted to see “Interstellar.” I won’t complain—movie tickets are much cheaper. I genuinely enjoy the three hours spent with him, eyes glued to the screen, holding his hand, knowing I can squeeze it as hard as I want anytime the good guy gets in trouble.
