On June 19, 1987, the Earth was hit by the "wake" of comet RHEA-M, and strange incidents began to occur, always involving machines. Machines of all kinds, from simple radios to trucks begin to take on a will of their own and turn against man. A group of people get trapped in the "Dixie Boy" gas station and are forced to face trucks resolute in exterminating man without any mercy.
"Thrill" (Maximum Overdrive) represents Stephen King's first attempt at directing and is a very loose transposition (actually, to tell the truth, one should not speak of transposition at all, but of a true reinterpretation: the two stories are completely different; to be honest, in common, we detect only the title and the revolt of the machines; particularly that of the trucks, since, in the short story, practically only they are mentioned) of his brilliant short story "Trucks," published in the anthology known as "Sometimes They Come Back." The original short story is very peculiar (and short given its only 18 pages) but extremely effective and evocative. The film appears rather smooth, simple, linear (though not without some flaws): it has on its side a very original idea, which offers several thought-provoking insights (why the revolt of machines against man; or the possibility or not, in the near future, of such a phenomenon; possibility, nightmare or pure fantasy? An interesting question and not a very recommendable scenario given man's total dependence on all his machines in virtually every sphere) and some good twists (the idea of the truce by collaboration and that of the "boss" of the machines are intriguing).
This can be said to be a satisfactory but not great product: there are some naiveties especially in the dialogue that often make one's arms fall off a bit (see the Bible peddler's sermon to Laura Harrington or Billy's tale about his clumsy and unfortunate attempt to rob a supermarket). In addition, there are some logical inconsistencies in the story: for example, if all machines rebel and try to do away with man how come some always work perfectly: see boat (this one also has motor and therefore controllable) and gas pumps? Questions best not answered and perhaps best not asked, enjoying the show as it comes, that is, as pure entertainment without any pretension. In fact, despite these obvious flaws, the film appears quite hilarious and engaging: after all, one becomes engrossed in the vicissitudes of the scanty group of people trapped in the "Dixie Boy" station (but perhaps one becomes more interested in the trucks and their actions; one could almost say that the real and undisputed protagonists of the film are them, and not the actors in the flesh; certainly then the vehicles that steal the show the most are the black Happy Toyz truck and the small machine-gun-equipped vehicle, the true and cruel bogeyman of the survivors). Then some very successful elements should be noted: the realization of the revolt of the machines, the tricks, and the soundtrack. On the latter there is little to say except that it is truly remarkable: thanks to AC/DC as always very inspired and "fomenting" (as well as one of old Stephen King's favorite Heavy bands ).
The tricks are very good: we see trucks moving on their own with no one driving; bulldozers razing premises or literally "crushing" cars, like nothing (all without any obvious flaws in the special effect).
There is not a lot of blood (and this is perhaps one of the few instances where it is not missed too much), but we do have a certain amount of nastiness, which materializes in several certainly very cruel deaths (all visually very well rendered): we want to recall that of the baseball coach killed by a can dispenser; that of a boy crushed by a machine used to compact the road surface; not to mention then the various individuals run over by trucks (above all that of the thief at the port, by the black truck with the tractor "adorned" with a colossal joker face for happy toyz).
Finally, there is the rendering of the revolt of machines to man to be noted: a very interesting series of incidents indeed, introduced by two very comic sequences (recall the first in which Stephen King appears in a brief cameo as an ordinary person insulted by the ATM at the time of withdrawal: a simply hilarious scene).
All in all, a decent little film, certainly not for overly fine palates but still very enjoyable and certainly easy on subsequent viewings.
Review by decker
