Stars: Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle Directed By: Stephen King!
Budget: 9 million
By far one of my favorite King, book to movie adaps. Well
his horror books at the least. This for some reason does not get good rap from many reviewers. I mean i can see why but if anything like Kings attitude back then its very tongue in cheek.
I mean have any of you seen his acting turn in creepshow?
I loved it and i really think he tried to capture that essence in this film with his directorial debut.
People and critics also dis Emilio's acting in here. Again i quite like it, each to their own though. So the film was quite a costly one back then for 9mill. Unfortunately it only made 7.4 of that back in the box office.
I think like a lot of films of this era this now has a decent cult following behind it.
So whats the film about? Well everything electrical from digital watches to giant trucks go haywire. They get a killer instinct like no other installed in them. This is due to the earth passing through the tail end of some comet, the usual suspect in a lot of 80's films for zombie, haywire electronics, or just doomsday scenarios. Aside from other people we see in montages being killed in an assortment of ways by random equipment the main story of the film takes place in a truck gas station.
Estevez's character is an ex con named William 'bill' Robinson is the first to think something isn't quite right. Especially when an electric knife attacks one of the waitress's. Before long the trucks of the drivers start to get aggressive seemingly led by one sporting a giant green goblin mask.
Anyone daring to escape, make a break or just stupidly venture out gets mercilessly mown down by these angry multi wheeler's.
I do love the way after any carnage the trucks just neatly park themselves back up all nice and quiet like. it's very amusing.
Bill manages to keep moral up and to give courage to the others. Using, strangely a load of weapons that they find stored under the diner they start to fight back against the rampaging trucks. Unfortunately they have been joined by an army truck with a massive machine gun on the back of it. This is one of the machines that causes a lot of fatalities.
Low of fuel the trucks promise not to kill anymore humans (by using Morse code with their horns) if they come and refuel them with diesel. While refueling them Robinson destroys the machine gun truck with a grenade.
The rest of the survivors decide to try and make it to an island where no electronics are permitted. The green truck which is by far the most aggressive of the lot gives chase as they all try to make it to the docks. One more person is killed before Bill destroys the truck with a direct missile launcher hit.
They all then take off on a row boat to safety, You know i don't spoil endings here and you may think i've said to much already but in typical 80's fashion there's more to the ending in a twist if you keep watching and it's a proper 80's doozy too.
So is this a good film?, is the acting subpar?
Yes and Yes This shouldn't let you decide not to at least watch this campy mess once in your lifetime though, so for that i'm giving this a strong first watch of a three out of five it may become a 2 after repeated watching's in many people books though.
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