Christine (1983) Review

"You better watch what you say about my car.  She's very sensitive."
-Arnie Cunningham



Nerdy Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) buys a junker of a 1958 Plymouth Fury called "Christine" and works on fixing it up.  Everyone notices that Arnie is taking on the persona of a 50's greaser and becomes obsessed with the car.  People who disrespect Christine start winding up dead.  Is Arnie behind the murders, or is it Christine?


What Works:

I have to give major props Keith Gordon for his very dynamic performance.  He starts off as a likable, but awkward nerd, but over the course of the film he becomes more aggressive and arrogant.  It's a believable arc for the character and Gordon does a great job in the role.

The score is also excellent, which comes as no surprise when you discover John Carpenter scored the film as well as directed it.  Carpenter has created some of my favorite movie scores of all time and he made another great one for Christine.

Speaking of Christine, that car is so awesome.  She gets some really great kills over the course of the film, even if they never get gory.  She traps one guy in a dead-end alley, but the car can't fit down it.  Christine solves that problem by damaging her sides to squeeze down the alley and kill the guy.  Later, she gets set on fire, but continues to chase after her victim while ablaze.  It's an awesome stunt and an excellent visual.

I love Christine's personality as well.  She turns the radio on at times and plays different songs depending on the situation.  It's like if Bumblebee from Transformers was a psychotic killer.  Even in the first scene, we get a look at how evil the car is when she slams her hood down on the hand of an assembly worker.  Christine is an inanimate object, but is still a menacing villain and that is impressive.

Finally, the scene where we witness Christine repair herself for the first time is beyond awesome.  The whole thing was done practically and it looks amazing.  It's probably my favorite moment in a movie full of awesome moments.


What Sucks:

I only have a couple of minor complaints.  I think the relationship between Arnie and Leigh (Alexandra Paul) could have been developed further.  I never got a good sense of why she cared about Arnie so much.  Also, Arnie's death could have been drawn out a bit longer, but that's all I've got.


Verdict:

Christine is a really entertaining film with an excellent performance from Keith Gordon, an awesome score, excellent practical effects, and a fantastic villain.  It has a few minor problems, but it has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great  

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