Critic Reviews
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Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
Stephen King has admitted himself that he was coked out of his mind during the making of this. Well... duh!
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Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Truck stop attacked by mechanical objects, including trucks, gone awry! Based on Stephen King story.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
This is why other people usually direct King's writing.
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Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
Maximum Crap. It sorta revived AC/DC, if that matters.
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Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
Most of the characters are so annoying that you want them to die ... a recipe' for a railroad-spike lobotomy migraine
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Shannon J. Harvey, Sunday Times (Australia)
A suitably schlocky Stephen King story.
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James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
" 'Maximum Tedium' -- the year
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Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
When Novelists Direct!
Read all 8 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Whilst earth travels through the tail end of a comet trail all the machines in the world go haywire and start to turn violently on their human creators with anything from electric knives to ice-cream vans seeking blood, but it's the big rig trucks that play the lead villains in… More
Whilst earth travels through the tail end of a comet trail all the machines in the world go haywire and start to turn violently on their human creators with anything from electric knives to ice-cream vans seeking blood, but it's the big rig trucks that play the lead villains in this film as they trap a group of survivors in a remote truck stop and won't let them leave. Funny, bloody and thrilling for the most part, but I thought things dragged towards the end, it could have done with being 10 minutes shorter. It's enjoyably camp and makes for a good nights viewing, and all with a rocking soundtrack by ACDC. It's similar to the movie 'Tremors' but without the "graboids".
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One of my favourite machines gone haywire movies ever! First of all it's directed by King himself, not just written by him! It's got Emilio Estevez, who gives a nice performance, as does the rest of the cast. Plus, an awesome heavy metal soundtrack from ACDC! I highly… More
One of my favourite machines gone haywire movies ever! First of all it's directed by King himself, not just written by him! It's got Emilio Estevez, who gives a nice performance, as does the rest of the cast. Plus, an awesome heavy metal soundtrack from ACDC! I highly recommend this movie.
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What can I say Maximum Overdrive is a major guilty pleasure and it is one of my favorite movies ever! It’s so sad to see that Stephen king never Directed anything else but this I mean this movie is so cool who could hate it? I first watch this movie when I was really young it was my… More
What can I say Maximum Overdrive is a major guilty pleasure and it is one of my favorite movies ever! It’s so sad to see that Stephen king never Directed anything else but this I mean this movie is so cool who could hate it? I first watch this movie when I was really young it was my dad’s favorite movie and I guess I watched it so Meany times it just grow on me even though I had no idea what was going on. But you grow up and realize how much better things are when you can understand it. And I have to say but this movie was the first ever DVD I actually bought because I love it.
So the movie begins with a comet passing earth called REA-M and all machines on the planet start coming to life and trying to kill us Humans from everyday Objects to cars and trucks and Lawn Mowers. Because of this crisis it leaves a grope of people trapped at a truck stop anyone who tries to leave are run over by the circling trucks. They are planning to use these Humans to there advantage if they need fuel.
Again I won’t ruin the story so I have left things out.
What is the best part about the movie of course it is the Music by AC/DC Who made Who at the start is one of my favorite intros but sadly I am not an AC/DC fan this movie is really the only thing I have heard by them. Another part I love most about this movie is the Trucks because there awesome. The special effects are good but not great there seems to be more Money put into blood and gore then anything else but I still like it. The acting was great but it can get very average but still good. I really like Emilio Estevez in this movie I might be the only one who says that.
Anyway Maximum Overdrive is one of my favorite movies and I hope you do watch it I don’t really find it to be a horror more of an action. And am I the only who sit’s throw the ending credits?
Keiko’s score 91-100
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This is Stephen King Directorial debut and also his last. This film plays out more like a comedy horror film. I personally enjoyed the film simply for the fact it tries too hard to be a serious horror film, except it isn't. The film, upon it's release, grossed a mere 7.5$… More
This is Stephen King Directorial debut and also his last. This film plays out more like a comedy horror film. I personally enjoyed the film simply for the fact it tries too hard to be a serious horror film, except it isn't. The film, upon it's release, grossed a mere 7.5$ million at the box office. It has since retained a cult following amongst horror fans. If you want a prime example of tongue in cheek horror, then this film is for you. I couldn't stop laughing. My favorite part is when the little league kid gets crushed by a steamroller. It's really a guilty pleasure, and pretty fun to watch, just don't expect anything 'scary'.
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"The happening" whishes it was this movie. Also, AC/DC doing the soundtrack.
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I really cannot understand why this movie has such a bad overall rating. According to me a movie doesn't have to have a great plot or so to be appealing. First of all I like the movie for the soundtrack by AC/DC. Actually, I learned to know the music of them by watching this… More
I really cannot understand why this movie has such a bad overall rating. According to me a movie doesn't have to have a great plot or so to be appealing. First of all I like the movie for the soundtrack by AC/DC. Actually, I learned to know the music of them by watching this movie. The 'Who made Who' theme song conducts the beginning of the movie excellent when a traffic bridge is starting to open beyond human control. The same goes for the other songs in the movie - they really add. Secondly I like the movie for the humor in it. It's not a comedy but some scenes made me laugh - like the bible sales man who gets mad when his car is hit by a truck and he runs outside the roadhouse - cursing like hell; the truck hits him into a sewer and his shoes stay behind. Or the beginning of the movie in which you see a guy withdrawing money from an ATM and on the screen the message appears 'you're an *sshole'. 'Sugar buns, this thing is calling me an *sshole !' If you watch closely you might also notice just before this scene a digital clock on the building on which the time changes into F*CK YOU. Maybe I'm just simple but I like the movie. Better than some not understandable romantic drama if you'd ask me.
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A cheesy but fun 80's horror/action film. Adapted from a Stephen King story and directed by the man himself! A guilty pleasure.
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I do remember when i was a little kid and i saw this (without permission of coure!). Even back then i thought that idea of killer-trucks was not actually that scary at all, and since the years has passed, i have became to understand that Stephen King is a master of storytelling, but… More
I do remember when i was a little kid and i saw this (without permission of coure!). Even back then i thought that idea of killer-trucks was not actually that scary at all, and since the years has passed, i have became to understand that Stephen King is a master of storytelling, but he should stay away from directing films. Luckily even he admitted that this was a complete failure. This is basically just 90-minutes of very bad filmmaking with awful acting and awful soundtrack by AC/DC. This does not work even as a comedy. It is that bad.
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Daft horror directed by Stephen King (rather amateurishly, as you would expect) but it's a great laugh if you're in the right mood. Killer ice cream trucks, people getting attacked by hair dryers and AC/DC. Christine crossed with Duel but with a sense of humour.
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Trucks that kill. Pretty good action flick.
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This just has GUILTY PLEASURE written all over it.
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The best Stephen King film I always watch several times and hoping for a DVD with use English substitles.
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This movie had nothing to do with the Green Goblin.
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Maximun Overdrive is an interesting and even scary concept about radiation from a comet causing all machines in the world to become sentient and homicidal. The film has a few pretty good moments where appliances and automobiles turn on their owners. Ultimately though the concept is… More
Maximun Overdrive is an interesting and even scary concept about radiation from a comet causing all machines in the world to become sentient and homicidal. The film has a few pretty good moments where appliances and automobiles turn on their owners. Ultimately though the concept is not meaty enough to carry an entire run-time and would have been better as a feature in an anthology series.
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I remember loving this movie as a kid!
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With Stephen King both being the writer and director, I didn't know what to expect from this film. It's not good, hardly passes as decent to be honest. With an AC/DC only soundtrack, and a rather un-suspenseful and plain setting, this film starts out dry, and ends dry. There… More
With Stephen King both being the writer and director, I didn't know what to expect from this film. It's not good, hardly passes as decent to be honest. With an AC/DC only soundtrack, and a rather un-suspenseful and plain setting, this film starts out dry, and ends dry. There are some interesting kills, but no real scares, and I found myself with no attachment to any of the characters. This could have potentially been a fun movie to watch with a group of friends, but I feel it even fails at that with it's excess of dry dialogue. Not a fan of this film, not much at all...
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You'd have thought Stephen King could adapt and direct one of his own stories for the big screen...
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This one is definently flawed but it's also a lot of fun. Basically, the machines go on a homicidal rampage against the humans. Pretty loose on plot but a lot of fun anyways. Lots of laughs for sure, not many genuine scares but thats admissable in this case. Something about… More
This one is definently flawed but it's also a lot of fun. Basically, the machines go on a homicidal rampage against the humans. Pretty loose on plot but a lot of fun anyways. Lots of laughs for sure, not many genuine scares but thats admissable in this case. Something about seeing 8 or so trucks circling a truck stop like sharks is just funny to me. Same for a kid getting steamrolled after falling off his bike.Long story short, this is nice 80's cheese that is easy to watch and laugh at. Stephen Kings directorial debut. Not what I expected it to be, but thats a good thing in this case. Worth a watch.
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This definitely makes the the top 80's cheese list. May not be even close to good today...but when I was 11? Kicked ass! Adding this to Netflix list today!
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He's a hell of a writer, but should definitely leave the direction to someone else. Maybe he should have someone look over his screenplays as well.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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