Maximum Overdrive

To direct your first full length feature film, you must immerse yourself into the cinematic world of storytelling by going to film school or educate yourself by watching lots of movies or take a bunch of notes. You know what Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, and Paul Thomas Anderson have in common? They didn’t go to film school, they had to learn the cinematic techniques from themselves using nothing but limited resources.

One author in particular didn’t follow a proper path to begin with, the author I’m referring to is Stephen King and the only film he ever directed is “Maximum Overdrive.”

Released in 1986, the picture was critically panned by critics and it was a box office failure. King himself later regretted making this movie and he declared it as “A Moron’s Film.” Way to contradict yourself King, you just earned yourself a Pulitzer Prize for “Dingbat Of The Year.” Also, Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa Simpson) admitted she felt embarrassed for participating in this project.

Warning, this article contains big SPOILERS, read at your own risk.

Bogus: AC/DC provided the soundtrack for the film.

Fun Fact: Stephen King personally enlisted AC/DC to contribute to the film’s music, because King is a huge fan of the rock band.

Practical Effects involving The Machines were used realistically.

I gotta love the part with a coach getting attacked by vending machine using soda cans as projectiles.

Idiotic: The Opening Scene with Green Smog covering Earth is a metaphor for eating too much spicy food, you end up with explosive diarrhea.

A ridiculous jump scare involving a gas pump squirting on a truck driver.

There’s no explanation on how the manager of the gas station, who keeps a cache full of weapons to fight The Machines. Where did he get them? Come on King, you need to explain about how he salvaged them in the first place.

Over The Top Acting, especially Yeardley Smith’s performance was laughably annoying. Her character has succumb to “Capshaw’s Disease.” Its a term I’ve coined, which means a character who constantly complains, whines, screams in a high pitch voice, doesn’t contribute to anything related to the plot. For example, Kate Capshaw’s performance as Willie in Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom was really irritating.

Is it me, or does one of the delivery trucks resemble a rejected Hot Wheels toy featuring Green Goblin? I’m surprised King didn’t get sued by Marvel.

Due to King taking creative control, many of his tropes are used without trying to mix up a variety of ways to select them.

The Characters are forgettable and weren’t interesting.

A Plot Hole involving The Machines’ motivation is to consume fuel. Why are they killing humans while they didn’t use some sort of way to communicate before the little boy uses Morse Code to translate? Its as if a group of starving bandits are taking employees at a supermarket hostage without realizing there’s food everywhere! This broke my Suspension Of Disbelief.

I  can’t believe I’m gonna say this over a Stephen King adaptation, I was extremely bored!

The Final Verdict: Brought to you by the letter F, as in FAKER!

Do not waste your precious time on this piece of scrap! If you like cars, go out and watch any of The Fast And The Furious films. That’ll get your blood pumping.

One more thing, the term Capshaw’s Disease should be copyrighted and needs to added to The Dictionary or TV Tropes.