Doesn't Anyone Remember That Seinfeld Episode?
One of the excuses the movie industry has for the drop in box office sales is the lack of manners in audience members. One of the rules people break is talking about the movie they just saw as they leave the theater. Polite people with manners or basic common sense would think it best to wait until getting in the car to tell their buddy or date how flipping cool the movie was so as not to give out details to those standing in line.

The worst occurence of these spoilers was in 1980 when The Empire Strikes Back was released. People without brains left the theater quoting Darth Vader's earth-shattering line, "Luke, I am your father." The big surprise that Lucas spent so much time trying to keep a secret from the public during filming was wasted when some nerdy 16 year old walked out of the theater and basically told everyone in line. And if you're saying you didn't already know that you shouldn't even be reading this website, so don't start with me.

Keeping this in mind I had the exact same thing happen to me when I went to see Serenity opening weekend. I went to one of the smaller theaters in my town so I could have the theater to myself, without the nuisance of crowds, babies crying, cell phones ringing, people talking and all that. So while I'm in line, wearing my "Joss Whedon is my master" t-shirt some guy walks out of the theater with his kid. My first though was how neat it was to see them using their father-son movie night to check out some sci-fi. What a neat dad, right? Then Dad had to open his mouth and blurt out one of the major plot points of the movie. Yarrrg!

At this point my brain is screaming and going into denial about what he said. I tell myself, ok he's not a Browncoat (a.k.a. a die hard Firefly fan). maybe he didn't understand the movie and he said the wrong thing. Then I thought I should have said something mean and nasty to Dad. He must not have seen my t-shirt so I should go and stand right in front of him and block the door. Hell, he at least owes me a big bag of popcorn. If Jayne Cobb had been there he would have shot the guy. But no, I just stood there in shock in the five seconds it took him to walk by.

The moral to this story: Don't blow the movie for people in line. In this world of too much information and spoilers, we need to have an occasional surprise in life. My plan is to invest in a pair of ear plugs or get a sign to wear around my neck reading: Don't even think about telling me anything. I'd rather see it for myself.