Review of Christine (1963) by Harry W — 16 Sep 2014

Based on a novel by my favourite author Stephen King and directed by legendary filmmaker John Carpenter, Christine sounded like a true collaboration of talent.

I wasnâ??t expecting Christine to be the finest John Carpenter film, particularly because its premise was certainly not as original or culturally relevant as many of his other films, as well as the fact that a film about a killer car is always difficult to get right, as proven when Elliot Silverstein directed The Car in 1977 and it ended up so bad that it was good. But I was interested to see what angle Stephen King took his novel in as well as how John Carpenter would handle the film.

There are quiet a few stereotypical teen movie tropes in Christine at the beginning of the film. Iâ??m unsure if the film was intending to be an intentional spin on the usual high school story like Carrie or if it was just cheesy dialogue. Either way, it irked the atmosphere of the film a bit and made it somewhat cheesy. This could be due to the language in the Christine novel as I have never read it and am unsure, or it could be because the actors are inexperienced and largely resort to portraying cheesy 1980â??s archetypes. Either way, before the horror in Christine fully comes into play the experience remains a strictly 1980â??s fare with plenty of stereotypical elements which were common in films from the era. So the script isnâ??t perfect, and there are quite a few cheesy plot dynamics that happen as the story progresses. So the script is a little problematic because the characters in the film are rather thin, and the depth of the Arnold â??Arnieâ?? Cunningham and the relationship he develops with his car is only half as good as it would have been in the novel. So Christine suffers from both a reliance on 1980â??s teen movie tropes and the most common issues that come with a film adaptation of a novel.

Christine focuses lightly on the development of Arnie Cunningham for the start of the film, but it takes a better turn an hour into the film where the horror kicks off and Christine begins to act vigilante. From there, the extent of Arnie Cunninghamâ??s passion for his vehicle and the supernatural nature of the horror in the film begin to really establish themselves and the film progresses a lot further. After a rather slow start, Christine really begins to get good after the first hour because the horror begins to establish itself in the universe of the film instead of solely in its characterisation of Arnie Cunningham. This is when the imagery kicks in and the horror develops from what is implied in its character to what is seen by viewers, and it ends up more effective as it progresses. The story development in Christine is one of its finest assets.

When you really think about it, as far as killer car films go, Christine is one which has more depth and genuine horror to it than the standard film with such subject matter. While perhaps it doesn't have enough kills to be a guilty pleasure and fails to illuminate why a car is killing everybody like its source novel did, it manages to balance a focus between the horror of a killer car with the relationship it shares with its owner to create an intriguing and nostalgic film which adds to John Carpenter's list of success, even if it may not be up there with his finest work.

From a technical perspective, Christine is rather impressive. It consistently has appropriate horror style cinematography which is edited well, and it captures a lot of strong scenery and well executed stunts. The one scene in particular where the titular car Christine repairs itself was executed amazingly. I don't know how he did it, but I'm guessing John Carpenter used a mix of puppetry with clever camera techniques and maybe some visual effects. I can't know for sure, but it is thoroughly interesting to see the scene unveil and it reminds audiences how skilled John Carpenter is with his eye for strong imagery. The imagery in Christine is used a but lesser than in his other works as the atmosphere is built on subtle implications as well as some of the imagery, but either way it works out for the benefit of Christine.

And as always with a John Carpenter film, its musical score is grand. Making use of a classical synthesiser style, Christine is able to evoke a really eerie and creepily intense atmosphere which really assists the horror in everything develop. It seamlessly combines with the visual elements of the film to make Christine feel appropriately horrific in a distinctively 80's fashion. Christine proves to be a treat on both the eyes and the ears, and the musical score is partially to thank for that.

And the cast in Christine make a pretty good effort.

Keith Gordon is half decent. It takes a while for him to get good as his character Arnold â??Arnieâ?? Cunningham is a stereotypical high school nerd being pushed around by bullies. His character develops as the story does however, because as the film progressively begins to subtly explain just what his car means to him and how his relationship with it develops. He changes and develops a more confident and arrogant demeanour, and while certain elements of him still remain somewhat forced, his general attitude seems right for the part. Keith Gordon puts a fair sense of development into the part of Arnold â??Arnieâ?? Cunningham, and while the character is not as complex as he may have been in the novel, Keith Gordon brings an appropriate sense of charm to the part, and so he takes on the lead role well enough.

Harry Dean Stanton is very good in his part. His role is small but pivotal to the story, and he brings his natural sense of charm and charisma to the role. He is firm with how he approaches the material and takes it all very seriously which results in a performance which is admirable for how legitimate it comes off as. He takes on the character very well and manages to make an impact during his small period of screen time due to the way that he really takes the part as the opportunity that it is and how he interacts with Keith Gordon. Harry Dean Stanton is a seriously genial presence in Christine, and he brings a nice sense of nostalgia to the role.

Alexandra Paul supplies a decent supporting effort, and Kelly Preston's charms are notable in her small role.

So despite lacking the insightful complexities usually found in Stephen King novels and being slow in pace yet heavy on tropes, Christine is an interesting and atmospheric horror film which benefits from John Carpenter's skills as a director.