AMC Harbison 14 — Attraction in Columbia

This was far and away the worst movie experience I have ever had.

When walking into the theater the lobby was visibly soiled, the carpet had not been vacuumed and the décor was dilapidated. I went up to order popcorn and drinks (one of the only reasons to go to movies these days) and was utterly disappointed. I tried to order a soda but was told that all three drink machines were out of carbonation. I tried to order a slushee but was informed that all of the slushee machines were broken. My only option was a bottle of water that cost FIVE DOLLARS. Because I wanted popcorn (like a fool I suppose), I ordered one- spoiler alert it was cold, overly salty, and somewhat stale. Of the 4 butter machines available, only one of them worked.

Once I actually got into the theater, I expected my experience to turnaround for the better. I had driven 30 minutes from my home in downtown Columbia for this theater specifically for the “AMC Premium Seating.” Again, another comfort I do not have in my own home that I expected the theater to provide. Boy was I wrong. The seats were worn out and dirty, the mechanism to change the amount of recline only worked about half the time and the seat did not even recline all the way! The wall behind the seat was built too close to the seat so I could not fully utilize the chair. How does this happen?? While “settling in” to my chair of despair I noticed the screen was black, but the sound was on and loud. The projector was not working! I informed an employee, and it took about 10 minutes for them to fix the screen. They had to restart the entire system! Again, how is this allowed to happen in a movie theater?? I’m not there to listen to a podcast!!

After my movie- Godzilla vs. Kong by the way, not that it really matters- I exited the theater. I ended up looking like boo boo the fool once again because I tried to exit through the lobby and the front door. I was greeted by several layers of rope and a sign that informed the lobby was closed and that I needed to exit through the side door. How silly of me to think I could exit through the front door I came out of! It was 9:00, why is the lobby closed at 9:00!! What if a patron wanted some more stale popcorn? Or another $5 bottle of water. Instead, I was relegated to the side door. The exterior of which looked like the setting to a horror film I might view inside.

Overall, this experience proved why theaters are going out of business. $17 for a ticket and $15 for popcorn and a drink: $32 for the worst movie experience of my life. I will never be returning to this movie theater and I will be hard pressed to find a reason to return to an AMC theater of any kind...

I doubt a lot of people actually look at reviews for movie theaters. People just want to see the movie and spend an exorbitant amount of money of snacks. I'll break down this review in pro's and con's for the people who have an actual interest.

Pros: - HEATED, reclining seats. I didn't discover the heated feature till I was about to leave, and was messing with the buttons. Seats are comfortable, though I feel Columbiana Grande is more comfortable. Movie quality was fine. Didn't expect any issues with that. What updates they have made look tasteful. This theater is never busy it seems. This is probably for a number of reasons. It's beneficial to me though. Staff is pretty friendly, for the most part.

Con's: - In my opinion, the snacks are HIGHLY over priced. Six dollars for a "regular" drink. I got an Icee that came out watery. Again, Columbiana Grande has the upper-hand on this. Snacks. You definitely get more bang for your buck there. Parking lot is ROUGH. It needs to be resurfaced. Badly. It's needed it for a while now. I always have to dodge pot holes near the main entrance into the parking lot. Not sure how secure it is out there either. Saw a guy in a Dodge Stratus just sitting in the back of the parking lot, looking around. It definitely made me nervous. It's so secluded back there, so DO NOT leave valuables in eye view. Bathrooms were GROSS. However, I've seen some people say it's clean there. It may be because it's near the end of the weekend, and I'm sure it's been really busy with people. Still. I wouldn't expect it to be as dirty as it was. "Soda station" or what ever it would be called was pretty grimy and gross. Definitely reminded me of your typical sub-par gas station.

I try to remain unbiased when I write a review. We all have our preferences, and I was only here today because this particular movie wasn't playing at Grande. It's not a terrible place, just dated, and I really think they're making a concerted effort to update and catch up with everyone else. It's appealing it's off the beating path. I'll go here to see movies sometimes. It's not my favorite, but it's not terrible. My take, you're going here to see a movie. There's not really any frills. Be sure your car is locked and that valuables are put away. Harbison doesn't really have an issue with vagrants, but they still slip...

If you are looking for a nice place to see great movies, than this is the theater that offers a nice, authentic, movie-going experience for the entire family. It's also the perfect place to have a fun night out with friends as this theater shows late night movies for those who are night owls. They show both Digital, and 3D movies, which if you have the cash to do so, I'd recommend going for the 3D experience. Are you worried about the cold theater? Well worry not, because they also have heated reclining seats. You can relax and warm up to a nice movie with all the popcorn, hot dogs, candies, and other food items that you want to eat. One last thing, for all adults out there, age 21 and over, there is a bar where you can have a variety of drinks made that were inspired by the movies you've come to see. It's fun to see what different types of drinks are made from a specific movie so if you have the time, you should definitely come and check out the bar. And if you pay for premium card status, you can get tons of perks like birthday gifts, discounted movies, and front of the line privalages.

Now, if I were to complain about one thing while at this location, I should probably mention the price for the theater is pretty high. Not to mention the food here is also rather pricey in general. Though, I guess I do understand that this is a rather upscale type of theater, especially since they do a lot more as a theater with those heated recliner seats, so I guess I would understand those prices. Though I would keep this place as more of an occasional outing rather than a constant visit. I do love the nice sitting area that they have, but is a rather small area for people to sit. There doesn't leave enough room for people who just want to sit by themselves versus people who are in large groups that want to take up a large area.

Conclusion, would I go to this movie theater again? In a heartbeat! This theater is just too amazing for me to give up on, as long as I go to this location as an occasional luxury...