On Maximum Overdrive - A Review

Maximum Overdrive

I have a soft spot (in my heart) for Maximum Overdrive (1986) for several reasons. Stephen King was my favorite writer of the time and this was one of the first works of his I'd seen that had been adapted to film. I was very young when I saw it, so I can't remember if this movie got me into reading Stephen King or I'd already been reading him, but it was definitely one of those movies you remember. Another reason is because it was one of the first horror movies I ever truly enjoyed -- of course, Maximum Overdrive is more sci-fi/horror than pure horror.

The Earth finds itself trapped in the tail of a large comet that makes mechanical objects spring to murderous life. A small band of survivors hole-up in a diner toward the outside of town and are forced to take a stand against the attacking vehicles. Maximum Overdrive stars a young Emilio Estevez in one of the few roles in which he really acts.

There is a definite gore factor in Maximum Overdrive. There's lots of blood, gunshot wounds, and more than a few explosions. You also have to suspend your disbelief a bit more than usual, but the very premise of the movie lends to that. It is also well-made, which lends to the suspension of disbelief and overall effect -- while it is certainly a B-movie concept, it was actually a major motion picture release.

The movie stands-up really well this many years down the road, and it was not an expensive movie. It did fairly well upon release, but was toward the middle of Stephen King's movie career -- before he really took-off as a Hollywood property. He was indisputably famous, but the movie would have been better received had it been released a few years later.

Maximum Overdrive is highly recommended.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011