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Christine (1983)

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167 comments in total

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36 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
One slick killing machine., 16 May 2000

Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK

John Carpenter adapts Stephen King's novel with skillful precision. A high school kid becomes obsessive in his feelings for a very strange car he has bought. The car is given the name Christine and repays her owner's adoration by "taking care of" his enemies.

It is fun watching Keith Gordon, owner of Christine, go from wimp to self proclaimed stud. Also in the cast are: John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Harry Dean Stanton and David Spielberg.

It is super cool watching Christine repair her damaged parts. This is an underrated movie that deserves a repeat viewing.

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30 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
how could it be better?, 8 January 2005

Author: Benoit Ferriere from Liège, Belgique

Let's face it. Christine is far from the best novels of King, especially this creepy dead former owner, sitting on the backseats, and teasing Arnie.

Carpenter chose not to put this character into the movie. What a great choice. Which other movie has shown a true love between a human and a machine ever since? I mean, a film with no ridiculous situations and tired old gags. None.

Big John created a weird teenage movie, with a great cast (Keith Gordon has never been better) and a hypercool soundtrack. One of a kind you won't easily forget!

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18 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
When Complusion Leads To Obsession, 7 April 2005

Author: James Bourke (Canadianbacon1971@hotmail.co.uk) from United Kingdom

Remember when you were young and movies where your only friend? Well such is a case in point when it comes to John Carpenter's "Christine" Now as a rule, and a longstanding one at that, I could never read a Stephen King novel but i could always find time to watch an adaptation of the same, if and when it either came to video as was the thing before the wonders of DVD or if it arrived at the local cinema.

My personal highlights from the Stephen King Oeuvre are "Silver Bullet" if only to see the likes of Gary Busey and Everitt McGill ham it up beyond the call of duty. Stanley Kubrick's version of "The Shining" complete with a knockout performance from the maestro of barnstorming himself Mr Jack Nicholson, as we already know there have been so many translations from page to screen of everything and anything the king of horror writing has penned some good, some not so good.

However, when it comes to "Christine" it was pitch perfect in every way, shape and form. Directed by John Carpenter, who has been hit and miss down through the years. A wonderful array of golden oldie classics playing throughout the movie itself, a truly wonderful script written by Bill Phillips, containing many a gem which still lingers in the mind even to this day.

Which leads me finally to the actors, casting down to a tee, and as i said ably assisted by a good script, well drawn characters, of course from the mind of Stephen King, but brought to vivid life by the likes of Robert Prosky who appears as the junkyard owner Will Darnell, a true standout in the whole movie. Why even Roberts Blossom, think all the way back to Bob Clarks's take on Ed Gein "Deranged" the man still lends a sense of deadly menace to his character, even though his role is primarily a cameo role but in fairness quite pivotal in terms of progressing the story.

However, those two being character parts, we need to see the story unfolds. We begin in prologue fashion, as we see upon fade in, superimposed, the year is 1957, We see a car assembly line, all the new cars are being overseen and given the once over by the foreman, from a distance we get our first glance of how beautiful and intoxicating "Christine" the car is to look at.

Of course that illusion is soon shattered when firstly a foreman shatters his hand, then one of the workers decides to take a little rest and relaxation in the front seat, all the while smoking his cigar, when ash from the cigar drops onto the plastic covering, so it begins, and the true nature of "Christine is revealed.

Flash forward to present day and we see Arnie Cunningham the nerdish lead character played with aplomb by Keith Gordon, who would later go on to direct the really excellent "The Chocolate War" as well as many more. However when it comes to acting, Keith Gordon would never better what he had done prior to this or even after.

We have all at one point, either been or have known someone like Arnie Cunningham, perennial book worm, not exactly a ladies man, but when he catches first glimpse of the wreck that will forever alter his very being, It is at that point we see that compulsion leads to obsession when Arnie falls under the spell of that 1958 Plymouth Fury.

Watch as Arnie emerges from his shell, argues with his parents, something that he would never have done or even finds his first and last girlfriend. All this achieved upon the influence and presence of what would appear to be a car, but for teenager Arnie, it represents his first steps towards independence, but underneath the surface of it all we already know the motive and inevitable end.

With wonderful turns by William Ostrader as chief bully Buddy Reperton and Malcolm Danare as Moochie, along with John Stockwell as Arnie's only friend Dennis and Alexandra Paul long before she donned the lifeguard bikini for Baywatch as Arnie's suffering girlfriend Lee.

Watch and be amazed, time has not taken it's toll on John Carpenter's finest hour.

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13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Gotta love it, 2 August 2003

Author: Roboby (Roboby@msn.com) from U.S of A

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I had read the book and loved it, so therefor I was reluctant to see the movie. I didn't want to see the big screen dishonor the book in any way. But, as it happens, I loved it! A lot of people would say "This is a horror, it's supposed to be scary!!" And a lot of people are right in this regard, it wasn't very scary at all. At least to me. But...the way Arnie turns from such a geek to a cool, tough, bad-ass was pretty awesome. Also I liked the depth of all the characers relationships with one another. It definately stirred some serious emotions when Buddy and his goons tore up Christine. Most of all though, I think the car herself was what made the movie as good as it is. Just the style and freshness of the '58 Plymouth Fury kicked ass. If you're reading reviews (like this one) trying to decide if you even want to see it, I say go for it. What have you got to lose, after all? The hour and a half you would be spending trying to find a review for a movie you decide to see, you could have already watched Christine. That's my advice.

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16 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
Honk if you like this girl Christine, 17 August 2004

Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

I re-watched John Carpenter's adaptation of Stephen King's novel again for the first time in over ten years and it's just as I remember it to be. Not much of a compelling horror film but merely a black comedy and a homage to the typical 50's teenage lifestyle. Carpenter and King seem to share a common interest for the dazzling 50's atmosphere and this perfectly translates itself in `Christine'. First and foremost, there's the beauty of the 1958 Plymouth Fury, a car that almost represents this decade entirely by itself. But also the music, hairstyles and dress codes make you feel like you've landed in the fifties, even though the movie is entirely set and timed in the early 80's. The nerdish teenager Arnie Cunningham falls head over heels in love with the wreck of a gorgeous car and decides to restore it. Pretty soon, Christine's influence (Christine is the name of the car) makes Arnie go through a complete metamorphosis. Positively, at first, as Arnie impresses girls and turns into an attractive rebel. But it doesn't take that long before he becomes totally obsessive over Christine and starts acting like a psychopath.

If you're not expecting an eerie and tense chiller from the creator of `Halloween' and `The Fog', you won't be disappointed. Christine is a totally different kind of horror and not nearly as intense as Carpenter's previous work. I mean, how scary is it to see a wrecked car rebuild itself?? The few exiting scenes featuring in this film are when Christine independently stalks some John Travolta look-alikes who trashed and violated her earlier in the film. Christine should be considered as a fun and well-made satire, with a brilliant golden-oldies soundtrack (watching this film feels like listening to a juke-box) and decent acting performances. Keith Gordon does well as Arnie and Alexandra Paul looks gorgeous as the high-school hottie. Veteran actor Harry Dean Stanton (Alien, The Green Mile) has a tiny role as a police detective. And finally, cinema buffs might recognize Kelly Preston in her meaningless role of cheerleader bimbo.

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17 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Don't Mess With Christine!, 20 December 2005

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

I'm not particularly a fan of horror movies and I couldn't fix an ailing automobile if my life depended on it so the workings of cars don't fascinate me.....but this movie fascinated me. The '58 Plymouth Fury, alias "Christine," is absolutely gorgeous. What a piece of machinery!

This is a horror story but there are no ghosts or monsters nor is there any gore. A car is the star of the film, a very jealous and vengeful one at that. Man, that sounds silly but, if you're reading this you have probably watched the movie so no sense going into details. It's hard to describe the story in a paragraph without it sounding stupid....but it's not. Maybe the quickest way to explain it is that it is about a car that is alive, like a human, and you mess with it, you pay!

It is definitely one creepy, well-made, unique and always-entertaining film.

The car is a lot better than any of the people, sad to say. No, I didn't like any of the kids in this film (high schoolers who all look 30 years old!) and the language is a little too rough in spots, but that can be filtered out.

The car, the '50s music, the unique story, the satisfying revenge angle all make this very watchable.

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18 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
A Movie Any True Car Lover Can Appreciate, 1 February 2005

Author: VALGAL69au from Australia

There are no words that can truly describe the power and passion of Christine.

Anyone who owns an older car will be able to associate with the obsession that takes over nerdish Arnie's life when he restores Christine, the beautiful Plymouth Fury.

John Carpenter's excellent directing brings the car to life to such a point where as you're watching, you become so entranced that you forget she isn't alive.

The actors are well chosen for the roles they play, and give excellent performances. This, accompanied by excellent photography, special effects, timing and musical score make Christine a definite must-see movie.

Please Note: The Australian TV edit cuts out some of the best scenes, so this movie is best seen on DVD or video.

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15 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
Keith Gordan and John Stockwell shine in this classic horror movie, 14 November 2003

Author: Kristine (kristinedrama14@msn.com) from Chicago, Illinois

I remember watching this movie as a child and being brutally afraid to watch it again. For like 11 years I didn't watch this film, and when I was DVD shopping I saw this movie for $9.99 and I remembered how scared I was. But I'm such a big horror movie fan, that I bought it and watched it. And I was very impressed with it.

The acting abilities it brought out were great, the music brought a lot of suspense, and Christine just filled you with fear. This is when John Carpenter still had his touch, so I'd recommend it.

10/10

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the Best Teen Angst Love Stories of the 80s., 16 November 2004

Author: ChrisSimpson from USA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

*Possible Spoilers*

I hope John Carpenter appreciates what he did with this film. I saw the film before I read the book, and I must say I liked the film better. Stephen Kings books usually have the same "why" behind the "what", and Christine was no different. However, John Carpenter took all of the "why" element found in the book out and made it a love story between a nerdy teen Arnie Cunningham(Keith Gordon) and a run down car named Christine, which I believe added some substance and improved the story in ways King never imagined.

Watching Arnie's transition from nerd to almost greaser is a tense and creepy process, with a huge nod going to Gordon. Carpenter makes the atmosphere with his directing, and the mood is always somber with one of my Favorite Carpenter Scores. While movies like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles were showing one side of the coin, Christine showed the other. What most look at as a "killer car" movie is really much deeper and in my opinion the subtext shows a side of the teen years that most would be more likely to remember. This is a under-rated movie that shows more about isolation and life in high school than anything that happened in Shermer, Illinois.

Check it out!

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
"Watch what you call my car...she's real sensitive.", 24 July 2005

Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

Back in 1983, Stephen King was such a popular author that this film adaptation went into production before the book was even published. King had been satisfied enough with producer Richard Kobritz's TV miniseries adaptation of his novel "Salem's Lot" to send him a few manuscripts. One was "Cujo", another was "Christine". Kobritz decided he liked the latter more, and pursued it as a film project.

Accomplished film-maker John Carpenter, who at the time was still suffering the effects of the critical and commercial failure of his previous film, "The Thing", agreed to take the helm, and Bill Phillips was hired to write the screenplay. Phillips eliminated much of the material of the novel (especially the central character of the malevolent spirit Roland D. LeBay) and both he and Carpenter agreed to more or less focus the film on Christine herself.

In the film, Christine is possessed with a murderous, vengeful personality, seemingly for no reason at all. She is simply as evil as an inanimate object can get. Before she even comes off the assembly line, she's injured one man and killed another. Eventually, she comes into the life of hopeless high school nerd Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon, in his first top-billed role, and offering a dramatic tour de force) and helps to transform him from pathetic dweeb to dangerous 1950's style rebel - complete with 1950's style wardrobe.

As the car sets about methodically eliminating most of the characters who cause Arnie grief, Arnie's loyal, level-headed jock friend Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell) and beautiful, would-be girlfriend Leigh Cabot (Alexandra Paul) try their darnedest to save Arnie and get rid of the car once and for all.

While I myself found this movie to be rather lacking in terms of scares, suspense, and atmosphere, it's still a pleasantly well-crafted and stylish film. Carpenter contributes another of his marvelous electronic scores, and the film is peppered with vintage rock 'n' roll songs. Approximately 25 different cars were used for the film - many of them ended up completely destroyed - and the special effects are admirable, especially in all scenes where Christine is repairing herself. One standout scene has Christine pursuing pudgy thug Moochie Welch (Malcolm Danare) into an exceptionally narrow loading dock, and then SQUEEZING herself inside so she can annihilate him.

The wonderful cast is a heavy asset. Stockwell and Paul were certainly okay, but even better are the familiar faces in the character parts - Roberts Blossom as George LeBay, Robert Prosky as Will Darnell, and Harry Dean Stanton as Detective Rudolph Junkins. Kelly Preston appears in an early role. Bill Ostrander, as lead bully Buddy Repperton, has always struck me as a great casting choice (Gordon and Carpenter remark in the DVD commentary that he seems to be partly channeling John Travolta in his performance - appropriate, because the film takes place in 1978, when Travolta was experiencing his original bout of stardom), because he looks EXACTLY like I'd always imagined Buddy Repperton would look when I visualized the action while reading the novel.

Here's an interesting thing to take note of: the actors playing Arnie's rather unlikable parents are named CHRISTINE Belford and Robert DARNELL. Just coincidence? I myself don't know.

Like I said, I don't really find it to be all that scary but it certainly offers a fair amount of fun. It's not a top-drawer King adaptation but it's definitely not one of the worst ones either.

8/10

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