Trucks
Reviewed By : Sinn

Release Year : 1997

Directed By : Chris Thomson

Written By : Brian Taggert, Stephen King

Starring : Brenda Bakke, Timothy Busfield, Brendan Fletcher

Related Links : IMDB

 

Based on the short story by Stephen King called rather unsuprisingly 'Trucks' this features, again rather unsuprisingly, Trucks who develop minds of their own and start terrorizing people in some UFO crazy branch of Hicksville USA.

The story first made it's way to screen back in 1986 in the film "Maximum Overdrive", which King directed himself, and you'll notice many similarities between the two, only this more recent version dispenses with all the kitsch charm and fun that made Maximum Overdrive so entertaining. There's no great soundtrack from AC/DC, the characters are a lot less fun, and where the fuck is the Green Goblin truck?

There's just absolutely nothing here that is memorable. The characters are limp, nothing to compare to ex con Emilio Estevez or the delightfully annoying newlyweds of Max Overdrive. Action wise, it's muddled, predictable, and feels awkwardly cliched. Probably the high note is the death by remote control truck scene, which at least will just about raise a smile.

It's one of those movies that you wonder why they bothered making in the first place. The short story upon which it was based had already been done, and done a whole lot better I hasten to add. Nobody had some great new insight to turn it into an on screen masterpiece in the intervening years, it's just an adaptation for adaptations sake. Watch this and Maximum Overdrive side by side and you'll see exactly what I mean, I challenge you to point out just 1 thing that this does better.

Really, trust me, don't bother watching this unless you happen to pick it up for free or are bored out of your mind and get a chance to watch it on late night TV - and, even then, think twice, you won't get those 90 minutes back.