Taken for a ride: Movies in the age of the theme park ride.

So the movie Battleship if not sank at least listed severely in the wake of the megamonster Avengers this weekend.  John Carter suffered an even more ignominious fate two months ago.  So it's no wonder that Universal and Disney are duking it out in the theme park arena--apparently it's the most profitable slice of the multimedia biz, not only only more dependable in delivery--families just keep spending to go to the parks regardless of the economy--but also a dependably larger source of cash flow.  The Harry Potter theme park is mopping up faster than a quidditch broom on steroids.   http://tinyurl.com/d3t97pw 

But then again, when movies, regardless of the source material, are designed to feel like theme park rides--fast, loud, with obvious twists and turns and zero emotional investment--then why not go directly to the park ride itself for the real authentic experience? 

As Jeffrey Eugenides' novel "The Marriage Plot" heads for the big screen perhaps we should ponder: