Stephen King Rides Again. (Maximum Overdrive (DVD))

Member Name: boredindunoon

Product:	Maximum Overdrive (DVD)
Date:	03/10/08 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Soundtrack, Lot's Of Explosions.

Disadvantages: Poor Acting In Places.

Stephen King is a great, if not the greatest horror writer alive today, but when it comes to the film adaptations of his books, I've always felt that they've been hit or miss. Thankfully Maximum Overdrive is not as bad as some people (and critics) wanted me to believe, and despite a few failing is beyond doubt a hit.

Based in North Carolina (as far as I can recall), the residents come under attack from a host of machines that have came 'alive' by the Earth passing into the path of a comet. Some people take cover in a diner / gas station but soon trucks of all nature start circling in a blood-thirsty-dance, trapping them inside.

The film has plenty going for it in terms of entertainment value. There's car crashes, plenty of action and explosions, some gore, a good script with good dialogue, and it's actually very comical in places. If you have a darker sense of humour that is. One scene that comes to mind is with the soda machine on the baseball field, and of course the cash machine with attitude at the beginning of the film. While Maximum Overdrive is not scary as such, it's still a bit frightening in places and the AC/DC soundtrack was a welcome bonus, ideal for the tone of the film.

The acting from Emilio Estevez is great (I doubt everyone will agree) but otherwise I felt that some of the acting from the others is a bit poor in places "We made you...we made you!" for example. You'll probably notice a few plot holes and errors but these are noting major are don't by any means ruin Maximum Overdrive. Still I felt that a few things could have been done better, hence only four stars.

But otherwise the film is enjoyable while being laid back and doesn't demand much from you. I'll admit that it's not the best Stephen King around, but it's well worth a watch.

(I'm a reviewer on Amazon, and some my 'better' reviews are copied from there to dooyoo. Please feel free to check out my Amazon profile under my real name of Mr Andrew M Kerr.)

Thanks for reading.

Summary: Maximum Entertainment