I felt impotent and out of control. Which I really, really hate. I had to find sanctuary in a place where I could gather my thoughts and regain my strength...the mall.-Cher Horowitz, Clueless (1995)
In a wierd turn of events earlier this year, retail became the in thing. Contrary to the credit crunch/depression or whatever you want to call it this week, Hollywood turned its attention back to the humble shop (well that's if you can call row upon row of soulless, strip lit consumer havens a shop) with both
Seth Rogen'sObserve and Report (
originally reviewed here), and
Kevin James'Paul Blart: Mall Cop (
see my review here) choosing the mall as their major settings. When you think about it though, the setting isnt exactly unprecedented- films as diverse as
The Blues Brothers and
Clueless have used it as an allegory for the American condition, and dealt with it accordingly (in the case of
The Blues Brothers pretty explosively). The American mall or shopping centre, as we may know it on this side of the pond, is actually a staple in Hollywood cinema. Whether its a location for romance, comedy, action or violence, the shopping mall is a prevalent part of American culture. With the release of
Observe and Report on DVD and Blu-ray
Seth Rogens film set almost entirely inside a mall, what better excuse do we need to breakdown some of the most memorable malls-on-film?
One of the most standout mall appearances comes from
George A Romeros seminal
Dawn of the Dead (1978). Like its 2004 remake by
Zack Snyder, the film features a pandemic of reanimated human beings, who hunger for the taste of human flesh. A small group of unaffected human survivors take refuge inside the walls of the mall what better place to hunker down? Its got everything you may need; food, water, clothing and (should you be handy with gardening tools) weapons! And Romero consciously critiqued the idea of frampant consumerism- the zombies flock to the mall because it is the most enduring memory from their lives- they simply carry on as they left off before their hearts stopped beating. The comment of course forces us to question when they actually became zombies for real...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpuNE1cX03chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LUzJAsa-gg How could we leave it out? Mall is in the title:
Kevin SmithsMallrats (1995).
Mallrats featured two friends who were trying to win back their recent ex-girlfriends, while dealing with a store manager and other malevolent adults. The film had a more classic view of the mall; it showcased the mall we all know and love; As a place to hang out with friends, shop, and try to get dates. In
Mallrats the mall represented the stage where all the action played out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eVo7aBze1wBill and Teds Excellent Adventure (1989) also featured the mall prevalently. Telling the story of two high school friends who travelled through time to assemble a group of historical figures for their history presentation, Bill and Ted was a resounding box office success the time that produced a sequel. Stand out mall sequences include Napoleon noshing down a massive ice cream portion eat the pig, eat the pig, ziggy, ziggy, ziggy zig!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsBrd3u1JZw
A few years before Bill and Ted, the world was introduced to one of cinemas finest time travelling franchises:
Back to the Future (1985). Ok, so we never actually step inside a mall, but Twin Pines Mall plays an important role in the narrative: The car park is where Doc first experiments with the Dolorian time machine, its also the scene of his supposed death and Marty McFlys mistaken escape from Libyan terrorists. Immediately after Martys time leap to 1955 he plows down a tree on the ranch of farmer Old Man Peabody. Martys actions in the past affect the future; when he returns to 1985, Twin Pine Mall has been named Lone Pine Mall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6Kg4L_5HwITerminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) picked up about eleven years after the events of
The Terminator (1984). T2 features one of the most memorable chases in recent movie history; John Connor, on dirt bike, tries to escape the unstoppable T1000 in a juggernaut truck. With a little help from
Governor Schwarzenegger, its a close getaway. Most importantly, this chase starts in an American mall; Connor and friend are tracked down in a computer games arcade. After an introductory firelight in a mall back corridor, the fight spills out into the shops, much glass is shattered before the pursuit takes to the streets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUd3rgVJusk And finally: Taking the lead just above T2 in the destruction-of-malls league comes
Crank (2006). Memorable, if a little short lived is the scene in which Chev Chelios, played by hard-man
Jason Statham drives a classic muscle car into a mall, whilst being chased by the police. Nonchalantly, Chev flips the car on its side so that it fits neatly onto an escalator before exiting the vehicle and escaping the police; all of this, whilst hes talking on a mobile phone. Using a phone whilst driving is a serious offence, as is ultimate mall destruction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLsCBV5Olb4&feature=fvsr
Observe & Reportis available on DVD and BluRay from Monday 28th September.With thanks to Neil Johnson for the leg work.