I can’t believe I actually wrote that just now, but I have to wonder. Is the movie theater the cinematic equivalent of a dinosaur now? The gap between the movie theater and home theater has been closing increasingly over the last 10 years. People are going less and less to the movies. It used to be that a home theater system was several hundred dollars and not very affordable for the average Joe. Now, they go for $130 bucks at Wal-Mart (I couldn’t help but look). 
           
I watched “Happy Feet” recently on a friend’s 27-inch widescreen with an $800 home theater system and while the audio and visuals were outstanding and the movie was grand, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit sad. While home theaters will never be movie theaters, people wait for the movie to come out on DVD and use home-theater systems to watch the film.

In some ways, watching a movie at home can be more fun than a theater; I mean, you can pause and re-watch cool parts, skip the lame ones, have your own choices in concessions and company, but there’s a certain something in going to the theater, eating bad popcorn and drinking overpriced soda.
           
That magic is being taken away slowly as technology makes the movies come home faster, in high definition, with thundering audio. It’s a sign of the disturbing trend that as we get more technology to help us, we bog ourselves down even more with more things to do. That trend has apparently even spread to the movies now.

The movies have always been an escape for me. For those two hours, I’m free of everything else. I don’t worry about how much money I spent last week, or how my test went for a class, I’m just free. While home theaters can be really cool, they are beginning to pull people away from the theater.
           
I hope that people don’t stop going completely, and I don’t honestly think that would happen. But, I do hope that people remember that movie theaters are still their own brand of fun.