Maximum Overdrive Movie Review

Plot of Maximum Overdrive: 1. Machines take over. 2. Shit explodes. Don’t be fooled by my seven-out-of-ten rating; that was awe for the sheer magnitude and comprehensive-ness of shit exploding in this movie. Everything explodes, including the set. And it is awesome. AWESOME.

When a comet comes into Earth’s orbit, machines come alive and start killing people around them — curling irons, cars, lawnmowers, bridges and even drive-thru speakers rebel against their human users in low-comedy, high-gore fashion to an entire soundtrack by AC/DC.

Emilio Estevez (you may remember him from Mighty Ducks and various John Hughes flicks) plays a heroic felon defending a North Carolina truck stop and the hicks trapped inside from the anthropomorphic big rigs that mow people down outside of it. Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa Simpson), plays the ugliest and most annoying, yet somehow hilariously charming Southern bride, also trapped inside the Dixie Boy truck stop along with a strangely convenient stash of grenades and rocket launchers.

I can’t resist telling you the opening sequence because it is just too good. Since the film is based on a Stephen King short story called “Trucks” the author himself appears as a prissy bank customer in a white pinstripe suit, too busy to notice that the bank marquee is flashing FUCK YOU. He takes a look at the ATM, flips up his sunglasses and shouts to his wife in the car “Honey! Come take a look at this! The ATM just called me an asshole”!

If you’ve ever wondered how much damage a soda machine could do, now you know. (It can do a lot, both to your head and your balls). There’s a lot of blood (lots! One of the IMDB tags is “children killed”) and a lot of funny. Since the movie was made in 1986, a good chunk of the funny is unintentional, but really, this is one of those films that you’re embarrassed to admit you loved. I’m embarrassed to admit I really liked this movie. But that’s because I have low standards. If you blow up your entire set, and play AC/DC’s greatest hits while you do it, color me impressed.

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