Doctor Strange (No Spoilers)

For those of you who know me, I am a huge Marvel fan. (For those of you who don't and read this blog, I'm sure this comes as no surprise.) I took my kids to see Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness this week. Why did I rush to see it? Well, my kids were insistent, and they wanted to see it before the movie got spoiled for them by the other kids at school. Seriously, why would they do that? It just seems mean. They'd already had No Way Home ​spoiled for them at school before we could get to see it together, and the bitterness still ran strong within them. Stop spoiling the movies guys!

Two out of my three kids were nervous about the movie. They had heard that it was the closest thing Marvel had to a Horror film. The third one, well, Phillip was more excited than I had ever seen him about something like this. This kid? We watched Poltergeist together and he said it wasn't scary at all. We tried Insidious- not scary. Guys, I'm at a loss. He wants to be scared, and I don't want to inadvertently traumatize him. I'm open to suggestions. Please send them my way.

Well, the good news was that all three of them loved the movie.  No one was scared, and we had a great time. The conversation on the way home was lively, and we discussed the various character arcs and wether or not we agreed with how they were handled. (I'm torn, but the kids thought things were handled brilliantly. Eh, what do they know? They're eleven.) I say that we talked in the car, because the kids are aware of my policy- No discussing the movie out loud as other people are waiting to see it!

Seriously people, don't be like Homer. Just don't.

I suppose this rule is similar to a rule I share with my husband when we see theatre- no critiquing the play in public within a five kilometer radius of the theatre. You just never know who is sitting around you. And if you thought the play sucked, you don't want to say that in front of a cast member, or a member of the production team. (We know people this happened to.) The reasoning behind it is different, but the spirit of the rule is the same.

But, back to the movie- what I can say without getting too spoilery is this: Hailey has a new favourite superhero. America Chavez captured her interest from the second she got on screen. It was great watching my daughter watching her. So far, Hailey's favourites of Scarlet Witch, and Wonder Woman were adults. They seemed to be unattainable figures, and aspirational in a way that America just isn't. She seems more real to Hailey- a kid like her. It helps that she's played so well by Xochitl Gomez. Hailey, like all the other girls in her class (and her brothers), absolutely loved The Babysitters' Club on Netflix (a cancellation, that like Julie and the Phantoms really upset our entire household. Seriously Netflix. WTF?) and Xochitl was Hailey's favourite actor on the show. She ended up liking the new Dawn, but it just wasn't the same. So seeing a real kid up there, kicking butt on the bog screen was amazing for her to see. We can't wait to see what happens next with her. We got home, and Phillip immediately handed her his collection of Young Avengers comics so she could have more Amerca Chavez!

Seriously, she's awesome.

If you've read my books, you know I'm all for representation. It matters. And knowing that there are more characters out there representing all sorts of people, I'm excited to see what's next. Bring on Ms. Marvel, and SheHulk​, and all of it. I'm ready, and so are my kids!