Review of Maximum Overdrive (1986) by Lexi A — 13 Oct 2008

Wow, this movie, is funny and crappy all at once. Believe it or not, its actually a Stephen King film, being based on his short story, "Trucks." Best of all, the entire soundtrack is AC\DC music. Can it get much better? YES IT CAN! Maximum Overdrive stars the one and only EMILIO ESTEVEZ! LOL!

The story is this: a rogue comet called "Rhe-M" passes around Earth, causing a weird change in Earth's magnetic fields. Seems slightly harmless right? WRONG! The comet's passing causes all vehicles and electronic devices to operate on their own! Mainly, you have cars and trucks turning on their drivers.

Most of the story takes place at a pump station on a lonely stretch of pavement, where Emilio works as a gas attendant and cook. Things seem normal until trucks start driving around on their own and kill a few people. The survivors take refuge inside the gas station, keeping away from the electronic gizmos inside. The trucks guard the station, allowing no way out. Soon, a small army personal vehicle arrives on the scene with a M60 machine gun, and starts beeping orders in morse code. What is the translated message? FEED US (basically)! So the people taking shelter are now forced to pump gas for the trucks, and they come from all over to be filled.

Are you laughing yet? By no means is this movie scary. I mean, a baseball coach gets killed by a soda vending machine when it spits the cans out at high speeds. We even see a little kid get smashed by a renegade steamroller! Too funny (yes, that scene is funny, how many movies do you see where a kid is killed, especially by a steamroller?)!

The so-called "leader" of the trucks in this movie is a truck hauling toys, with the Green Goblin's face on his grill. We can easily tell he is evil when the Goblin's eyes glow red. Spooky.

One thing that puzzled me in this film, is that the owner of the gas station has a huge arsenal in the cellar. When the trucks start their killing spree, he disappears and then reappears with a rocket launcher and starts blasting trucks! Where the hell did he get those?!

Honestly, most of you will find this movie a waste. I have a copy of it just because once in a while (a great while) I'll pop this in to laugh and remind myself of how cheesy some movie ideas can turn out to be.

If you can't appreciate cheesy movies, then leave Maximum Overdrive on the shelf.