Runtime: 110 minutes
Directed by: John Carpenter
Starring: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton
From: Columbia
This film leaving Shudder after Monday was the reason for me to finally discuss it online; Christine was a wise revisit for a Saturday night. The last viewing was many, many years ago.
The story isn’t that complex: a nerdy 17-year-old named Arnold stumbles upon a beat-up 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine; besides the poor idea of purchasing a rust-bucket of a vehicle from a character portrayed by Roberts Blossom, the opening showed the viewer that the vehicle was possessed by an evil spirit from the day it was assembled at the auto plant. The opening act presented the nature of how much an outcast Arnie Cunningham was; he feels smothered by his parents, is bullied by the typical 80’s high school bullies, and only fortune is having his lone friend Dennis be a jock. There’s also some dialogue that is so crass, it could only come from the mouths of teenage boys; at least in the late 90’s, this was still true-I know personally!
As Arnie restores the Fury, he not only becomes obsessed (in a Titane sort of way! No, I haven’t seen the movie as I’ve heard more than enough to know it’s a gigantic NOPE for me) but becomes a haughty jerk. As deaths occur and Arnie’s behavior deteriorates, it was important for the viewer to care about Dennis along with new girl Leigh; thankfully this occurs. Keith Gordon is stellar as Arnold, although John Stockwell and Alexandra Paul both delivered as Dennis & Leigh. They helped when the story became quite frankly outlandish as the supernatural aspects are turned on louder like the radio in Christine.
To state the obvious, John Carpenter as the director was also a key asset. Besides the quality filmmaking, there’s the quality synth score from him and Alan Howarth. In addition, the soundtrack was aces. It was either late 50’s songs that Christine the car played in hilarious moments of trolling people or catchy then-modern songs from the likes of George Thorogood, ABBA, Tanya Tucker, and The Rolling Stones.
A small but memorable turn from Harry Dean Stanton, another hysterical character portrayed by Robert Prosky, a savage take-down of 50’s boomer nostalgia & America’s obsession over the automobile, the haunting nature of the film, the glorious practical effects… shame on me for not revisiting this in early 2020, after seeing one of the 1958 Plymouth Fury cars used in the film on sale at a famous auto auction—Mecum in Kissimmee, to be exact.
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