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Written by: Stephen King (based upon the novel by), Bill Phillips (screenplay by)
Directed by: John Carpenter
Starring: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Harry Dean Stanton
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
A nerdy boy buys a strange car with an evil mind of its own and his nature starts to change to reflect it.
Verdict
It's a intriguing story; a sentient car with a mean streak. While the concept may have been more novel upon release, and this is certainly a well known movie, it's too simple. I would love for this to develop the kid more and provide emotional stakes. This touches on it, but the movie relies heavily on a car that attacks and kills for no apparent reason. We know the kid loves the car because we're told he does. This could also do more with his transformation. For this kind of movie, what we get works well enough but it could have a lot more depth.
It depends.
Review
A sentient 1958 Plymouth Fury manages to injure and kill two guys while still on the assembly line. The movie provides no explanation for the how, not that it could. Leaving it to imagination is the best way to deal with it.
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| Keith Gordon plays Arnie |
Arnie (Keith Gordon) is picked on at school. The school bully even threatens him with a knife. When Arnie and his best friend Dennis (John Stockwell) see the '58 Plymouth for sale, Arnie has to have it despite the poor condition. The car looks like a belongs in the junkyard but for whatever reason Arnie is smitten. I suppose he sees the car for what it can be as well as a means to be cool. His parents push him to get rid of it, but he refuses. He gets a job at the local garage to get parts and repair the car. It's transformed from scrap metal to a show car in no time. I'd love to see more of the restoration. That would also better establish the bond between Arnie and the car. From there Arnie starts dating the new girl at school. Everyone is shocked since she rejected anyone that asked else that asked her out.
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| 1958 Plymouth Fury |
This car seems to have a mind of its own, affecting everyone negatively. Dennis finds out the previous owner killed himself in the car. That's not the first death related to the car, and it seems the car turns people mean. What's going to happen to Arnie?
Arnie's bullies figure out where he keeps his car and they destroy it. They're merciless, not only breaking in but smashing everything on the car and undoing all of Arnie's hard work. He pushes everyone else away, a sign of how this car is changing him, but when he goes to the garage he witnesses the car repairing itself. Those sequences were filmed in reverse using a shell fitted with hydraulics inside the car to crumple the panels.
This car is out for revenge against the bullies that vandalized it. People like their cars, even love them. What about a car that changes you, altering your personality? The car is aggressive, and it's made Arnie different. How far would Arnie go for this car? What would the car do for Arnie? Is it attacking people to protect him? We've seen the car act jealous. That's why Arnie's girlfriend refuses to ride in it. What is the car's ultimate goal? While we've seen the car repair itself, how did it get to such a dilapidated state to begin with since it has that ability? There's no real explanation. Maybe it siphons the life force out of people. Anything the movie could develop won't be better than what we can imagine. This is just a scary what if story. We want to ascribe thoughts and feelings to cars, what if there's a scenario where that's true?
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