The Movies

So we decided to go to the movies. But – as the day progresses – I realize we didn’t quite pick the right film.

The only American film playing at the Metro Cinema Downtown was The Kingdom starring Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner. I must admit, it wasn’t that bad of a flick, but seeing a movie about Islamic terrorists blowing up an American compound in Saudi Arabia and the aftermath… probably not the best idea to see it in a theatre full of Muslims. Anyways. We arrived at the theatre to find that it was only 15 LE (less than $3), which is steal compared to the American cinemas, where you shell out ten bucks just to see the film. For under $1.50 more, we got popcorn and a can of Fanta. Great, right? We then proceed to the small theatre (we also had assigned seats) where we eagerly awaited the feature showcase.

About ten minutes late (this is Egypt), the lights dimmed and the screen lit up with none other than a DVD menu. The first few “previews” or commercials, as I would call it, where individual DVD’s that someone had to manually operate from the screening room. Most were for Vodafone, my cell provider, but a couple of random previews were completely out of focus, not properly fit to the screen, and just not good news. I was slightly worried that the entire film was going to be portrayed in this manner. But much to my satisfaction, the actual film was crystal clear and fit properly to the screen. Another plus to Egyptian cinema: there is an intermission! I thought this was a great idea so I could run to the john or grab some more popcorn, but I quickly realized why the intermission was necessary: everyone really just needs a cigarette break.

So. Like I previously mentioned, the film was decent. Not much thinking involved to understand the plot, but I did feel as if it offered some glimpse of hope in relations between the Islamic Middle East and the West. The film portrayed most Muslims condemning the attacks on the Americans and showed their willingness to do what is right and punish those responsible for the attacks, but I did leave the theatre with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

Several scenes in the movie portrayed violence against either the terrorists or the American FBI agents investigating the attacks. A huge majority of the crowd cheered and clapped whenever the terrorists were being targeted, but whenever the Americans were being targeted, a few claps and cheers did occur. I wasn’t too scared to walk out of the theatre following the flick because most of the individuals in the theatre felt compassionate about the film. And we were actually greeted with kind smiles from most of the other Egyptian movie-goers.