Cobb Theater Leesburg/Hunger Games Review
We’ve never been big movie-goers, but Michelle was really eager to see Hunger Games. Since it was her birthday, it seemed only fair that I should oblige. A new theater opened last year not far from our house, but I hadn’t had a chance to go yet. Since Hunger Games is a popular movie and it was Friday evening, it seemed like a wise idea to buy tickets in advance.
I went to go purchase seats online and got my first surprise. Those of you that go to the movies more often than me may have already run into this, but certain shows had reserved seating. As a guy who spends a lot of time on airplanes, seating is important to me. I like sitting on the aisle, which would normally mean getting to the theater early on a Friday evening. But, for an extra $2, I had two seats on the aisle for Michelle and I. This was turning out to be fun.
Michelle mentioned they had a pretty extensive menu, which I reviewed online. I was pretty impressed with the selection. Nothing mind-blowing here, but a bunch of good salads and sandwiches, not to mention a dedicated bar with a fairly decent wine selection. Again, nothing mind-blowing here, but Michelle and I did manage to find a pretty good Cava by the glass.
Off to the VIP section! Ahhh, as a frequent traveler, a VIP entrance warms my heart. No need for priority boarding.
The VIP theater has some regular seating down near the screen. It looks and feels fairly similar to comfortable seats in a newer theater.
But, the reserved seats were something else. First, a huge armrest to set a tray of food or other good stuff on. Then, you immediately notice how much space there is between rows. After the champagne, these might be my favorite features. Not only don’t I have to reach under my seat to grab Milk Duds or my bottled water, but someone further down the row can get up and walk past me without me having to stand up.
Oddly, this was the first time I had sparkling wine and popcorn together. I think the Cava went better with the Milk Duds, but who’s complaining?
As I mentioned, we went to see Hunger Games. From what I’ve heard, there are a few people here and there around the country that were anticipating the opening of the movie. 
My wife was fairly certain afterwards that I didn’t like it. I wouldn’t say I loved the movie, but I thought it was entertaining enough. It was a bit predictable, Hollywood guiding our minds through a path that many movies go. I think the movie was well cast (my wife had to point out that Lenny Kravitz played one of the characters, boy he looks old as does Woody Harrelson). There were at least a handful of parts where the movie didn’t do a good enough job painting the full picture. Michelle was there to fill in the blanks, which definitely added to the experience. While I imagine it’s still a good movie without the back story, they do leave out some details that the viewer should have to help cast a better story.
The story carries some themes from Stephen King’s (Richard Bachman’s) The Running Man, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and 1984 by George Orwell. I wonder if the author relied on her knowledge of these stories to develop her thoughts. I won’t give any plot hints except to say my wife believes it follows the book quite closely.
But, the true moral of the story is the reality that I won’t be attending any more movies unless it’s in a VIP seat at a theater like Cobb. I had only one complaint. For some reason, they didn’t dim the lights completely in the theater. I don’t know if this is the standard or a human error. I would think by now that lighting of that type in a new theater is controlled by computer. But, on some of the darker scenes, there was too much light in the theater.
Keeping in mind that we didn’t eat dinner at the theater, we still dropped close to $100 after tickets, snacks and wine. So, it’s not a cheap date. Those of you who know my wife understand she has developed rich tastes over the years, so no surprises. 🙂
Popcorn, Cava, no feet sticking to the floors and big comfortable seat? Count me in.
