I re-watched John Carpenter's adaptation of Stephen King's novel again for the first time in over ten years and it's just as I remember it to be. Not much of a compelling horror film but merely a black comedy and a homage to the typical 50's teenage lifestyle. Carpenter and King seem to share a common interest for the dazzling 50's atmosphere and this perfectly translates itself in `Christine'. First and foremost, there's the beauty of the 1958 Plymouth Fury, a car that almost represents this decade entirely by itself. But also the music, hairstyles and dress codes make you feel like you've landed in the fifties, even though the movie is entirely set and timed in the early 80's. The nerdish teenager Arnie Cunningham falls head over heels in love with the wreck of a gorgeous car and decides to restore it. Pretty soon, Christine's influence (Christine is the name of the car) makes Arnie go through a complete metamorphosis. Positively, at first, as Arnie impresses girls and turns into an attractive rebel. But it doesn't take that long before he becomes totally obsessive over Christine and starts acting like a psychopath.
If you're not expecting an eerie and tense chiller from the creator of `Halloween' and `The Fog', you won't be disappointed. Christine is a totally different kind of horror and not nearly as intense as Carpenter's previous work. I mean, how scary is it to see a wrecked car rebuild itself?? The few exiting scenes featuring in this film are when Christine independently stalks some John Travolta look-alikes who trashed and violated her earlier in the film. Christine should be considered as a fun and well-made satire, with a brilliant golden-oldies soundtrack (watching this film feels like listening to a juke-box) and decent acting performances. Keith Gordon does well as Arnie and Alexandra Paul looks gorgeous as the high-school hottie. Veteran actor Harry Dean Stanton (Alien, The Green Mile) has a tiny role as a police detective. And finally, cinema buffs might recognize Kelly Preston in her meaningless role of cheerleader bimbo.
If you're not expecting an eerie and tense chiller from the creator of `Halloween' and `The Fog', you won't be disappointed. Christine is a totally different kind of horror and not nearly as intense as Carpenter's previous work. I mean, how scary is it to see a wrecked car rebuild itself?? The few exiting scenes featuring in this film are when Christine independently stalks some John Travolta look-alikes who trashed and violated her earlier in the film. Christine should be considered as a fun and well-made satire, with a brilliant golden-oldies soundtrack (watching this film feels like listening to a juke-box) and decent acting performances. Keith Gordon does well as Arnie and Alexandra Paul looks gorgeous as the high-school hottie. Veteran actor Harry Dean Stanton (Alien, The Green Mile) has a tiny role as a police detective. And finally, cinema buffs might recognize Kelly Preston in her meaningless role of cheerleader bimbo.